ACHIEVE ANYTHING IN JUST ONE YEAR by Jason Harvey, a certified life
coach, certainly has an interesting premise; i.e., whether it would be possible
to accomplish such a task.
I'm not sure that's the case; however, the book's subtitle was much more
realistic: BE INSPIRED DAILY TO LIVE YOUR DREAMS AND ACHIEVE
YOUR GOALS . . . and the author did just that with his collection
of 365 ideas, each supported by a relevant quote and a mini-assignment.
Some had me shaking my head in agreement and thinking that I wished
I followed the advice more often . . . for example:
* "Always write angry letters to your enemies. Never mail
them."--James Fallows
Your assignment today is to add this tactic to your list of remedies
for anger. Give it a try if the opportunity presents itself sometime during
the day. Just remember never to send that letter, because if you do, you'll
have a lot of cleaning up to do later. Hurt feelings take a very long time
to mend.
Others had me focusing on what I could accomplish in any one day . . . for
instance:
* "Whatever you can do, or dream you can begin it. Boldness has
genius, power and magic in it."--Goethe
Your assignment today is to look at some of your dreams. Pick one. What can you do
to boldly go in the direction of that dream? Is there a clear and distinct move you can make
today that will start to hurl you toward that goal? Would it really be so scary? What first step
can you take in faith? The result may be magical.
And, lastly, there were quotes that had me laughing--such as this one that was
followed by an excellent recommendation:
* "When your mother is mad and asks you, `Do I look stupid?' it's best not to answer
her."--Meghan, Age 13
When is it a good idea to keep your mouth shut? Start a list of several appropriate scenarios
in your journal. Can you think of a time when you spoke up recently and shouldn't have?
What did you learn from that experience?
It is a very wise person who knows when not to speak. Talk is often overrated, and it can get
you into a lot of trouble, too. What would your day be like if you concentrated on listening
and tried avoid talking? Give it a shot, and then write about your experience in your journal
at the end of the day. What did you learn when you cultivated the art of keeping your
mouth shut?
ACHIEVE ANYTHING is the type book that should be savored and not read in just
one sitting, but rather, throughout the year . . . that's certainly my plan!
I really liked the forward of this book. The author speaks of how when we are young, we picture a certain life and now that we are adults, we are often not where we pictured ourselves. This spoke to me and I eagerly looked forward to reading the book.
Every morning you read a page and follow the instructions to achieve your dreamed goal. You'll need a notebook and pen to keep a diary, writing down your dreams and aspirations. Much soul searching, time and energy is required by this book and to some, it might become just one more thing to have to do in a day which is the opposite of what the author intended. Personally, I was lost when asked to write down the color of my soul. I sat there thinking way too long on that one and I don't have the time to be so existential first thing in the morning. Things like this lead me to skip a day here and there and then forced me to play catch up. Since I am only two months in, I am not sure I will be able to complete a full year in the manner intended.
The author makes sure to note that no goal is too silly or superficial. We should write down our dream and by taking heed of the daily motivation, follow the path to our dream. Quotes are provided for further inspiration. The author does provide compelling and inspiring words to help the reader but a lot of it is "if you really try, you can get whatever you want nothing is beyond your reach." I find the author's message to be positive and uplifting but not realistic; sometimes a dream cannot be achieved no matter how hard you try. Just ask anyone with a serious illness.
The author provides direction for the reader but no details or specific steps. One day I was instructed to think about my partnerships. The theme of the day was "together we can." Teamwork can help solve problems that individuals might not be able to handle. This book did not address what to do if you need to build a social network, it just told you to form them.
This book was filled with positive reinforcement and motivational quotes and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to think more positively. Or you could just say to yourself, "smile, life is good and today I will [fill in your dream here]" every day in the mirror.
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I read a lot of these type of books and hoped I would find something new and more interesting in this one than the last few I have read. I found lots of new ideas and felt inspired right from the beginning. The author is so good and knows how to hold your attention.
You are supposed to read a page a day, but it was so interesting that I kept reading until I finished the whole book. But that's okay, because now I plan on going back and reading one page a day and do any exercises he advises you to do. Example: write down your dreams and see what you can do to head in the direction of that dream. All you need is a notebook to go with this book. I found the inspiring words by famous people at the top of each page really nice and they will make you stop and think.
He also gives great examples and you will find yourself comparing it to yourself or to people you know. Like those who sit around talking and planning constantly but never going into action or accomplishing anything. You don't have to have great ambitions to enjoy this book because even if you want to accomplish small things, it will help you get started. Small starts sometimes produce great results though so who knows what will happen then.
I wondered if I would find my biggest fault in there somewhere and I did. I am a loner but seem to collect people. If I walk down the road, I come home with all the dogs in the neighborhood following me. I didn't object to the dogs, but then people started following also, wanting to be friends, taking up my time, etc. Well, the author says I need to "get over myself". OK, ok. I'll try to be friendlier and stop hiding. (I didn't realize I had so many faults until I started reading this book.) But don't worry, he has great suggestions for making you "get over yourself".
A great book, well written and very inspiring and motivating. Something new on every page and so easy to absorb since it's laid out as a day by day plan.
Read Best Reviews of Achieve Anything In Just One Year: Be Inspired Daily to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals Here
My standards are apparently too high. I have to measure life coaches and business coaches against the late, great Dr. Leo Buscaglia inspirational, dynamic, eloquent, informed, scholarly, documented exhilarating. I grew up listening to his 1969 lecture to teachers in Pennsylvania over and over for years. I bought the books. We communicated by mail. As he often said Wow. Sadly, this book has none.
The book is basically a coaching almanac 365 days, each beginning with a trite, superficial quote ("Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much" Helen Keller), and an explanation and assignment below. Usually there is a fictional character who took the wrong path: "Jenny started reading this book a few months ago, but she stopped short at around day 20. Today she is not happy." Poor Jenny. She didn't drink the Kool-Aid.
The basic (unstated) message is that you are the CEO of your own private company, and you must take action every day, to get productivity out of the workforce you.
But instead of that statement, we get a year's worth of clichés, homilies, proverbs, childish precociousness and misguided direction. Follow it literally and you will be a wretched dysfunctional failure, totally out of sync with the world and unable to cope with the day to day necessities of life. But you will have a full, if useless journal to refer to. The book reads as if it had been written in six weeks. The author tosses off a few glib, simplistic, misguided instructions and directions and moves on to the next assignment. Too easy.
It provided one laugh, on the last day of the year, when it congratulated me for getting to Day 356. Pretty much sums it up.
Despite all the five star ratings, presumably from the author's many well-satisfied clients, I found the book totally uninspired and of no use.
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Generally, I am not a fan of the genre of self-transformation books. When I read one, it is usually because there is nothing else in the waiting room. I end up feeling either as if Werner Erhard himself were trying to brainwash me or like the most cynical person on the planet, or both.
But I did look past the title and read through a few pages of "Achieve Anything in Just One Year" with Amazon's handy-dandy "Click to LOOK INSIDE" feature and liked what I saw well enough to read the whole thing. No, I didn't read it day-by-day at first because I'm just not that sort of person but I started over and am at least trying to do that.
The book is designed with daily assignments that require a bit of thought and introspection--it requires a little notebook to do this right--but even without giving the full commitment it asks for, it would be impossible not to gain at least a few helpful insights that would help improve your outlook and your life.
The exercises aid in grasping and using these concepts and if anything, they require one to be honest with one's self. I have even skipped a couple of days because I just didn't want to deal with those particular issues at the time.
Here's a typical example, from day 276: "Courage is like forgiveness. It is not something that you do only once, and it is not something that happens easily. It is a way of living and it requires practice." This is a simple statement of wisdom that might seem glib to some but most certainly is not. The accompanying exercise, in essence, is to think about some courageous people and then apply your thoughts about them to yourself. Simple but not easy!
The organization of the book and the quality of writing are both very good and the brevity of each day's exercise makes it very easy to incorporate this book into a daily routine. It would also be interesting to go through the entire book over the course of a year and then start over, going back to compare and look for changes in self-awareness.
A copy of this book was provided for review by the publisher.
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If you haven't seen the TV show you might not appreciate the book. But if you've seen the show, this book is a great supplement! He gives style tips for 8 body shapes (3 of which apply to me). The models are 'real' women. A chapter on undergarments convinced me that the right lingerie is essential. He describes the outline of the show, including instructions on doing your own naked-photo shoot, and also touches on hair, skin and makeup. He discourages any kind of surgery.
