COACHED TO GREATNESS

In this how-to guide, Hawkins (Building a Strategic Plan for Your Life and Business, 2012, etc.) offers personal improvement ideas for aspiring entrepreneurs.

People who feel stuck in a dead-end job can escape their rut, writes the author, a life coach and consultant. Having a specific goal is the first step, he says, whether it’s opening a cupcake shop or moving up the ladder at an office job. For busy people, staying committed to a goal is sometimes easier said than done, but Hawkins believes that making incremental lifestyle changes, encompassing 15 to 30 minutes a day, at least three times a week, will produce lasting results. He urges readers to become more strategic with their spare moments, and to “Defend your personal time as if your life depended on it.” One positive change that he recommends is keeping a regular journal for self-discovery. As a big fan of coaches and/or mentors, he also suggests studying the examples of successful people. This expansive manual begins each chapter with the same black-and-white photo of the author and ends with reflective questions that vary from the practical (“Are you technically skilled?”) to the more personal (“What from your past should you let go?”). Hawkins’ prose is accessible, and his voice is consistently enthusiastic: “By finding your passion, you can unlock unlimited motivation and the energy to drive you toward what you desire.” Sometimes, though, chapters meander through several topics, making it easy to forget the main points. For example, one chapter about “mind, body, and soul” touches on a particularly wide range of concepts—from staying in “the zone” to drug reactions to how to properly chew food. The manual is at its best when it gives specific, hands-on examples, as when Hawkins’ advises readers to get involved in company social activities to expand their business opportunities.

A sometimes-rambling but always upbeat and optimistic treatise on positive life change.