Robust, heart-to-heart lessons for moving beyond obstacles to create a better life.
A former Navy SEAL's advice on overcoming hardships in life.
Since he had been on the front line, "where battles were fought and fates decided,” Greitens (The Warrior's Heart: Becoming a Man of Compassion and Courage, 2012, etc.) knew what it was like to suffer deprivation and conquer obstacles. When he received a desperate phone call from a former SEAL comrade who was struggling with PTSD and attendant alcoholism, he knew he needed to act. What unfolded was a series of letters between the two men that explored the concept of resilience and the ability to handle whatever life throws at you, whether on the front line or at home. In a distillation of those letters, Greitens gives readers a solid core of ideas on ways to overcome adversity. He relies on his own experiences and the thoughts of both ancient Greek and modern-day philosophers, and he uses examples from his military training to build a framework upon which anyone can place his or her issues and come out ahead. After acknowledging that fear and anxiety are often the first hurdles to overcome, the author moves on to give readers the tools to develop inner strengths that will encourage a lifetime of resiliency. "[W]e learn best about resilience not when we focus on dramatic moments,” writes Greitens, “but when we take in the arc of whole lives. Resilience is cultivated not so that we can perform well in a single instance, but so that we can live a full and flourishing life." Based on the practices he suggests to build compassion, confront pain and create happiness, readers can move beyond their fears and create creative, energized lives rich in wisdom and filled with friendships and mentorships.
Robust, heart-to-heart lessons for moving beyond obstacles to create a better life.Pub Date: March 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0544323988
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A compelling and enriching self-help manual.
Debut author Karjala, a professional counselor, combines practical exercises with thoughts about developing a better outlook and greater self-awareness.
The best self-improvement books stand out due to the originality of the author’s voice and his or her willingness to show vulnerability. Karjala depicts herself as having needed every one of the tools and ideas inside this book in order to achieve “Emotional Freedom” and self-love. While weaving together ideas about the power of words, physical exercise, journaling, and thankfulness, the author navigates common self-help topics, such as fear and self-doubt, downbeat self-talk, and the negativity that can be hidden inside a support system. She suggests various techniques, such as physically “tapping” on key points on one’s body and journaling about gratitude, so that one may visualize a life of abundance and confidence. The book’s strongest elements are its conversational tone, clear descriptions of specific exercises, and the author’s personal stories about her struggles with self-worth and self-doubt. In one section, she effectively emphasizes the importance of having a support system of people committed to one’s future and happiness. In one particularly compelling and vivid passage, she compares certain negative people, known as “Dream Stealers,” to crabs that “pull each other down, never allowing another to reach the top and freedom.” Throughout this work, the author makes sure to emphasize the importance of expressing gratitude for the life one has had so far and expressing love for the self as it is right now.
A compelling and enriching self-help manual.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5043-8814-6
Page Count: 188
Publisher: BalboaPress
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An absorbing narrative revealing a woman of extraordinary energy, drive and confidence.
New Age writing guru Cameron (The Dark Room, 1998, etc.) tells of her frenetic, peripatetic life as screenwriter, playwright, novelist, columnist and poet.
The author breezily describes her Catholic education, her early addiction to alcohol and her promising start as a magazine writer before a brief marriage to Martin Scorsese took her to Hollywood. There she discovered cocaine, and her life spiraled downward. On the advice of “sober alcoholics” (a term she uses to describe herself), the desperate Cameron quit drinking, gave up drugs and began writing under a new regimen, which called for a quota of just three pages a day. In time, she began teaching her writing technique to others, putting together a course on unblocking creativity and connecting it with spirituality. Spiritual guidance has evidently played a major role in Cameron’s life decisions since then. She repeatedly moved—back and forth across the United States, to and from England—often at the impetus of guiding voices. She ricocheted from New York to Los Angeles, Chicago, Taos, London, Dublin, never finding a comfortable home or compatible working environment. All the while, she sought out astrologers, psychics and other guiding spirits. In a career that combined prolific writing with running a program designed to teach others how to tap into their own creativity, she bounced back from near disasters again and again, even recovering from a nervous breakdown that landed her in the hospital with a diagnosis of manic depression. Throughout, the author never stopped exploring new genres, tackling big projects and discovering new talent in unexpected areas. She is a “floor sample of my own tool kit,” and devotees of her creativity classes may well be inspired by this enthusiastic outpouring.
An absorbing narrative revealing a woman of extraordinary energy, drive and confidence.Pub Date: May 4, 2006
ISBN: 1-58542-494-3
Page Count: 416
Publisher: TarcherPerigee
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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