12 Steps To Success:

In this advice guide aimed at young adults, a debut author discusses how focusing on positive decisions and behavior will foster a truly fulfilling life.

Kilpatrick admits, “Perhaps the hardest part about being young is realizing how much time and hard work it takes to be successful when you want everything now.” While he acknowledges this frustration, he quickly shifts to warning about “the illusion of shortcuts tempting you to make poor decisions” and how “there are real answers available.” Kilpatrick then offers pointers via his set of 12 principles or steps by which to “focus on positive decisions and behaviour, and then dare to dream.” Each step gets its own chapter: Be a Giver, Develop Confidence by Avoiding False Self-Esteem, Realize Energy Out = Energy In, Increase Financial Wealth, Appreciate Pressure, Understand Drugs and Alcohol, etc. His discussion encompasses key individual actions, including how being a giver and balancing your ego builds healthy relationships, and larger societal issues, touching on how bullying, violence, and substance abuse damage not only the self but the world as a whole. Kilpatrick consistently emphasizes engendering the energy of good karma and concludes his guide with a way to rate your “self-karma” on a five-point scale regarding relationships, finances, and more. After all, as Kilpatrick notes, “My total karma is my responsibility.” Debut author Kilpatrick has written a cleareyed yet uplifting guide to navigating the challenges of life that will remind readers of M. Scott Peck’s The Road Less Traveled (1978). While this slim primer doesn’t provide much insight into the author’s background or his authority in deriving this set of principles, Kilpatrick’s narrative is nevertheless coherent and well-organized, containing many illuminating concepts, including how you should “feel worthy not special.”

An inspiring, effective kick-starter to personal growth.