BANK ON SELF-INVESTMENT

The use of a financial analogy sets this self-help debut apart.

How do you offer the same personal improvement advice found in countless books without seeming repetitious, if not hackneyed? Entrepreneur Lewis admirably answers the question by relying on an apt analogy—treating one’s self-interest in investment terms—and pursuing the concept to its logical conclusion. This book is tightly organized with the content divided into three parts: “Depositing Belief,” “Withdrawing Triumph,” and “Self-Upgrade in Progress….” To ensure readers don’t miss the point, each chapter title begins with “Self-,” as in “Self-Realization,” “Self-Determination,” and “Self-Care.” To some, this structure may seem a bit contrived, but the author carries it off with flair, primarily because he never veers from his basic premise: “When you bank on self-investment, you bank on a better future for yourself.” In the volume’s first part, Lewis begins by cleverly comparing himself to an “investment account,” a mindset he adopted as a high school student when he learned “that significant profits lie ahead when investments are aligned with specific goals from the get-go.” This idea leads very naturally into the value of planning and setting long-term goals. Pushing the financial analogy further, the author advises engaging in self-evaluation with the use of a “personal prospectus,” offering some specifics on how to do so. Particularly intriguing in this part is the author’s enlightening discussion of personal energy: how to apply energy appropriately, how to replenish it, and how it can become “your greatest asset.” Part II essentially explains how self-investment pays personal dividends. Again, financial terminology works well here; for example, Lewis writes: “Overdrafting on your potential means you’re able to accomplish more than you previously thought possible.” The author highlights positive messages, such as overcoming obstacles, “capitalizing” on creativity, and avoiding moral “bankruptcy.”

In the third part of the book, Lewis provides two concrete tools for self-investment. A 23-point checklist of suggestions is wide-ranging (for example, “Read More,” “Cultivate Good Habits,” “Find a Mentor”) while instructions for developing a personal mission statement are more focused. The culmination of the volume’s lessons is that “you can cash out on all the success you’ve accomplished—this is your triumph withdrawn.” Throughout the work, the author is articulate and his writing is lucid. The examples he uses, largely drawn from his own experience, are well chosen and relevant. In sharing his background, he is quite candid about the challenges he faced and, more importantly, what he garnered from them. For instance, he talks about receiving less than satisfactory grades while attending high school in Jamaica. He learned that he had to eliminate distractions, marshal his efforts, and concentrate on preparing for exams if he was to reach his goal of pursuing theater arts. There are several such revealing anecdotes woven throughout these pages along with the author’s perceptive observations about them. The stories serve to personalize the prose as well as to engage readers in self-examination. In the end, the book is not merely a well-executed analogy; it is also filled with sensible, practical counsel.

Encouraging, positive, and cleverly packaged investment advice.