Product Description

A national epidemic of exhaustion is raging across all cultures and social statuses with a huge price being paid in our lives and relationships.

Chasing Skinny Rabbits gets at the root of why we're so prone to exhaustion. As award-winning author John Trent advises, if you don't understand and deal with life's Skinny Rabbits-those things that distract you and lead you to a negative place-more can't-miss strategies for gaining time and energy will simply lead to more exhaustion.

In this book Trent discusses why we're so prone to chase Skinny Rabbits and offers the five most common Rabbit Trails-

All take and no give
Triple your possessions
Perfectionism
When I get that . . .
Small thinking

and the five most common Rabbit Traps-

Pride
Busyness
Fantasy
Isolation
White lies

He then helps readers shift focus to what can lead to true life, true energy, and true fulfillment, as well as a place of real emotional and spiritual rest.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #741343 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Trent, a bestselling evangelical author who is president of StrongFamilies.com, writes compellingly on family topics of every kind. Here he tackles skinny rabbits—those distractions that sidetrack us from our true goals and drive us to exhaustion. In a playful gimmick, he employs cartoons as well as text to teach readers how to defeat those traitorous skinny rabbits at their own game. Using whimsical characters and tongue-in-cheek humor, Trent gently exposes how skinny rabbits wreak havoc on individuals emotionally, spiritually and physically. Though tailored to Christians, the book is accessible even to those with nominal faith since Trent's ideas are practical in purpose and scope. The author discusses the pitfalls of various skinny rabbits, including the all-take-and-no-give relationship trail, the possessed by possessions trail, the ideal body trail, the perfectionism trail and the big family event trail. Each of these, Trent cautions, leads to a dead end. While the material aims to instructively entertain, Trent sometimes strays too far into levity; the cartoon approach grabs attention but doesn't lead to much substance. Still, some readers will appreciate the occasional checklists for change inserted sporadically throughout the book. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Entertaining self-help
I don't read very many self-help or inspirational books that are as entertaining as they are helpful. This book was an exception. His writing was very clever and witty. He caught my attention from the first page and kept it to the very end. Highly recommended!!

Clever and well written, a must-read
The treadmill of modern life can wear anyone down. Between work, family and financial responsibilities, it's easy to see why exhaustion is becoming a way of life for countless people. Yet running yourself ragged doesn't have to be a way of life. According to Dr. John Trent, president of Encouraging Words and StrongFamilies.com, there are a number of reasons why people are wearing themselves out. They are known as "skinny rabbits."

In his latest book, CHASING SKINNY RABBITS, Trent identifies the rabbits and their bunny trails that distract and lead people to negative places that sap their time, energy and resources.

"Beware! There are Skinny Rabbits all around you. They lurk at work and hide in the bushes all along your career path. They can lure you away from anything worthy --- a great marriage, a career goal, a lifelong friendship. They can wreak havoc in small groups, workplace teams, and even churches. Chasing a Skinny Rabbit does worse than just get you off track: it will lead you further and further down a path that will drain the very life from you --- killing your excitement, your creativity, your drive." Trent believes that all too often Skinny Rabbits leave people physically, mentally, spiritually and financially bankrupt. Worst of all, most individuals don't realize that they're chasing a Skinny Rabbit until it's too late and they've lost precious time, relationships or even their life.

So what do these dangerous creatures look like? Trent compares them to popular rabbits from literature, television and culture. Among other bunnies, The Magician's White Rabbit looks appealing but disappears in a moment's notice. The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland is always late, and if you follow him you'll find the door already locked. Peter Rabbit looks cute, but if you're not careful you'll end up on Mr. McGregor's trophy wall. Bugs Bunny will outwit you --- and raise your debt, blood pressure and frustration level. The Playboy Bunny is seductive and will lead your imagination astray. And the Energizer Bunny keeps going and going, but you never know where.

Basically, a Skinny Rabbit is "anything that pulls you away from a path of purpose and life and leads you into a wilderness of exhaustion and regret."

So how do you know if you're chasing a Skinny Rabbit? Trent says that it's important to pay attention to the trail. He identifies some of the most common trails as well as the pits, swamps and caves you may find yourself living in if you follow a trail too long. They include the "All-take-and-no-give-trail," whereby a relationship leaves you tapped and spent, or the "Possessions that possess us trail," whereby materialism fuels our decisions and life. On the "Perfect Body Trail," the desire for beauty taps our time, energy and money. One of the more surprising trails is the "Big Family Event Trail," whereby organizing a family event leads to more stress and hassle than celebration and joy.

The solution to avoid chasing Skinny Rabbits is to become a wise hunter and pursue the Great Stag --- a relationship with God --- instead. Trent provides practical tips on how to get off of a Skinny Rabbit trail and follow a better trail entirely: the path of peace.

CHASING SKINNY RABBITS is an easy-to-read, thought-provoking book that forces readers to examine where their time and energy are being spent. Though the idea is simple, the implications for change are enormous if placed into practice.

--- Reviewed by Margaret Oines