While scanning the shelves at the Mason City Public Library one day, the book Instant Self-Hypnosis by Forbes Robbins Blair caught my eye.  Years ago, my dad was successfully hypnotized in order to quit smoking.  Having habits that I wanted to change and not having the resources to see a professional hypnotist, this was a great discovery.  The book cleared up many misconceptions about hypnosis and its uses while each fifteen-minute chapter made it easy to pick out the habits that needed to be changed.  As I flipped through the thirty-five different scripts, I found the ones that fit me best: “Bye-Bye bad Habit” and “No More Procrastination”.  I was able to customize the script for my own specific self-improvement goals and found it very helpful.
     When reading my “script” out loud each morning (or when I wanted to give in and practice my bad habit), I wasn’t quite sure if I was really hypnotizing myself.  What I do know is that habits are based on thoughts and those thoughts can be changed.  Thanks to this book and the Mason City Public Library, this is exactly what I’m doing.
     I strongly recommend this book as a stepping stone for anyone who is struggling with something in their life.  Hopefully, it will be as helpful for you as it was for me, to keep your goals in perspective and motivate yourself to become a better person each day.

     Our reviewer is a NIACC student who grew up on a small dairy farm.  She enjoys warm, summer weather, spending time with family, tanning, reading magazines and listening to music.