It’s difficult to review a book which strikes your mind in several ways, with several ideas. However, I have tried give an honest and clear feedback upon this.
The book is named as ‘Make success your way of living’ and as the name suggests it is meant for those who wish to build an attitude which will help them succeed. The book doesn’t tell you the steps to be successful. Rather, it starts from the very beginning by defining what success is. After reading the book we can realize what exactly success means and how it is not the confined within restricted perimeter we have bound it into.
The author explains these seven factors about success –
Your success isn’t failures of others.
Success is use of full potential.
Success is happiness.
Success is realization of worthy goals.
Success means purity of heart.
Success is conquest of self.
Success is associated with personality, not with fulfillment of desire.
The book speaks about the right attitude needed to be successful.
Who should read the book?
The book will provide food for an intellectual mind. Even if one already knows what the book preaches, one can enjoy the short and simple contexts from the lives of many renowned achievers of the world. You don’t easily know whether the book is meant for you or not. However, on the basis of what I learnt from it, I can say that this book can help those who seek motivation, who are serious about achieving something, who are willing to bring a change in their attitude to achieve their goals. In short, you will not regret reading it.
Who should not read the book?
The book would be of no help for those who are rigid with their beliefs and simply disregard the contrary instead of doubting it. An open and unbiased mind is a prerequisite to it.
My favorite part from the book
The author talks about the highest state of wisdom and the flawless path to achieve it i.e. the Path of Conscious Activity. It says that it doesn’t matter what you do, just do it consciously with full awareness.
It explains the state undivided consciousness which allows us to act without feelings and emotional deviations. When we live our life as an actor, turn pure, innocent, egoless, do whatever we do with full consciousness and awareness, we achieve the state of supreme wisdom, Buddhahood.
The very fact struck my mind very hard. I figured out why I love being completely engrossed in work. So occupied that I forget who I am, good, bad, poor, rich, ugly, beautiful. When you are completely taken by an act, your mind gets rid of all the malice and useless thoughts. You become the act and there is no second identity that you know about yourself. I have experienced this myself (for short periods of time). I feel so light and happy after putting and undivided effort and consciousness in any of the tasks I do. That happiness is the true bliss, the true state of wisdom. However, it doesn’t extend for a long time in my case. It breaks.
What you would like
The book exhibit the unconventional. It makes you question your pre-existing beliefs. It teaches why to trust your doubts, what to learn from failures and how to use fear as a ladder to success. Have you ever heard that you should give sometimes to win? If not, then you must read why. The author explains that in a very interesting manner.
What you might not like
The preface is too long. If your are someone like me, you would expect a clear, short and simple value proposition in the beginning of a non-fiction book so that you could figure why should you read it and what will it help you with. Yes, it’s missing in this book. However, after reading the preface you can understand much about the content (a long read though).
I would rate the book 3.5 out of 5.
Thanks, Namrata, for the honest review. Liked it. 🙂
I read the book. Loved it for the introspection and unusual approach to success