Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsGood for teenagers
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 July 2024
This is a fantastic book for mature children, but not for me, I'm 50 and heard all this before. It's an excellent description of how people get into ruts and how to get out of them, and is a good warning for children entering adult life.
It encourages an element of self-awareness presented in an easy to read format. There are some, good quotes and one liners which I'll remember.
Out of context with the rest of the book, on the back cover "pdychology" is a typo of "psychology", which is an enormously ironic error in a book about the importance of 'system over goal'! The message is right, even if the spelling isn't - what was the process for proof reading? The author should read his own book cover, but don't judge the rest of the book by it.
He also admits nearly finishing the book too late for his publisher, which makes me wonder just how much of his advice he believes or can follow. None of us are perfect! In that respect it's quite a human book with no sense of haughty sermonising.
He focuses more on the how part rather than motivation and identity. For more on identity, which he sees as a key driver long term, read books of wise quotes, or google 'wise quotes' and ask which you like or dislike. It helped me think very broadly about a wide range of choices that define who I am. It's a bit like a practical how-to book sprinkled with a few sweetenings of philosophy, but not enough to be sickly.
I'd summarise the book as "be disciplined, ask hard questions of yourself and never shirk from trying new things or procrastinating". But that's why I didn't make millions selling a book, because my 1-liner doesn't fill 300 pages and can't be sold for £10. "Go through pain to get to rewards" is what I do every day. That's kind of his message, but he gives lots of ideas for how to do it. A good book.