LOOKING WITHIN

Heydlauff presents a self-help guide that embraces spiritual concepts of self-improvement.

Our world often seems chaotic and divided, with politics and social media keeping people fighting with or disconnected from one another, according to the author. However, Heydlauff aims to offer hope with seven universal principles that she believes will lead humankind into a “Renaissance of Joy” and “Era of Connection.” She asserts, for example, that people are encoded to be spiritual, that they’re all joined with a higher power and with the universe (even if they don’t realize it), and that they share great commonality. Ultimately, she states that if everyone makes positive changes on an individual level, it can alter the entire world’s negative trajectory. Her suggestions for self-improvement include finding one’s own version of joy, engaging in creative activities, meditating, making a plan for each day, recognizing that everyone is special and has a part to play in the world, and living solely in the present. Unlike many self-help authors, Heydlauff includes few personal anecdotes about herself or others. Instead, her text functions more as a call to action, urging readers to realize only they can change an out-of-balance planet. Repetition is one technique she uses to effectively hammer home her theme; variations of “You are a spiritual being having a human experience” and “We are 100% connected to God and the universe 100% of the time” appear regularly. She also encourages reader engagement by, for example, transforming words such as regenerate, respect, flow, and clarity into acrostics with the letter y in clarity standing for “You can do it” and the f in flow for “Freedom from boundaries.” Bullet-pointed lists also simplify complex ideas. The text’s sometimes-businesslike tone may leave some readers cold, but it still efficiently delivers its message.

A compelling and comprehensible argument for pursuing individual change for collective betterment.