Review: A Compact book packed with Wisdom
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 31, 2013
"I have spent most of the last decade sharing my story and the lessons I have learned to help people live more positive lives. How to be happy every day may be the most important lesson of all. I want you to live up to your potential and fulfill your wants, needs, and desires. I want you to be well able to live out your dreams."The happiness talked about in this compact book is not the superficial surface happiness we put on like a garment for other people to see while we are dying on the inside. The happiness discussed here is about a deep personal satisfaction with ourselves, our life, and our relationships. Bryan Hutchinson talks about how to find this lasting kind of satisfaction and to keep it alive and thriving.Journaling is a large part of the author's plan to bring happiness and the positive to his reader's attention. Before you decide this is not the book for you because you don't like to journal, remember that the author has a reason for asking his reader's to journal. For him, life is a journey. As we know, anytime we go on a journey we need to be prepared. To be prepared we often make lists and check on them to be sure we don't forget to take something that is important. The list helps us keep organized, to keep us going in the right direction. So it is with our efforts to find happiness. Our life is a journey. Along the way we come across many milestones, or memorable moments. We don't want to forget those moments, so we note them in a journal. Then from time to time we can refer to it as a means to remind us of good things we may have forgotten, as a way to keep us heading in the right direction.The author emphasizes that this journal is for your eyes only. It doesn't have to be read by anyone else. It doesn't need to be perfect.Mr. Hutchinson also emphasizes that this book is not another way to tell you to try harder. Trying harder does not make us happy. But directing our attention to important things we may have missed is something that will help us. And that is what the author is trying to convey to us in this book.Instead of chapters, this book contains strategies. Part 1 is the author's explanation how to use these strategies for the best results. Part 2 are the 26 strategies themselves. You don't need to apply these strategies in any particular order. Pick one and work on it. Journal through it. Then go on to another strategy. The end of the book is not the end of the exercise. These strategies may need to be repeated over and over. You don't have any particular time limit for each strategy. You could read through the book in order if you like, but you don't need to do it that way. Skip around. Dwell on the strategies that work best for you. Other strategies may work better for you at another time, weeks from now, or months from now. This is a flexible and workable book. It is interactive and entirely dependent on what you put into it.I believe in the principles and strategies that are laid out in this book. They are immensely practical. I have tried several of them myself; and in reading through them, I remember many times when they worked well for me. I highly recommend this source. There's a lot of wisdom packed into a small space.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this commentary from Story Cartel. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”