4 out of 4 stars
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If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your But’s: A No-Nonsense Guide to Happiness and Success by Mark L. Wdowiak is an anecdotal self-help guide striving to help people find their “New You.” It is common for people to distance themselves from personal responsibility. Rationalizing current situations by stating, “Yeah, but-,” diminishes a person’s ability to implement the steps necessary to lead themselves to success. Known as the “Three Main Areas”, the steps are as basic as crawling, walking, and running. The “crawling” step is taking responsibility for yourself, “walking” is taking control of your thinking, and “running” is taking action on your behalf. You are the architect of your own success and suffering.
This book was enjoyable and thought-provoking. The topic discussions were easy to understand because of the use of examples. The book is peppered with interesting facts, sidebars, and explanations of situations referred to as “life’s landmines” which can make personal growth more difficult. There are questions throughout the book which ask the reader to thoroughly look at themselves and their choices. The question, “is what I’m about to choose and commit to really in my long-term best interests and goals,” really resonated with me. This question is now on a Post-It note which I’ve attached to my computer monitor.
I did not agree with everything Mark had to say. It seems he doesn't understand the phrase, “you can’t have your cake and eat it too.” He advises the reader that focusing too much time on one thing naturally causes you to have less energy for other ventures. He says that if you aim your focus only toward the things that are important to you, you are able to have your cake and eat it too. That is not how things work. Imagine you buy a beautifully decorated unicorn cake. You want to look at and admire this culinary work of art. Part of you might wish to keep the cake intact so that you can enjoy the visual experience. If you keep the cake intact, you cannot cut into the cake and eat a piece of the cake. When it comes to time management, there is always a balancing act which requires an either/or choice.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. There were a few errors in the book, but the number of errors was not overwhelming. It does look professionally edited. The book was also repetitive at times, though this seems purposeful. Mark wanted to drive the lessons home. There were parts in the book where he would literally ask the reader to read the last line again. I did not find anything in the book that would cause me to lower the book to a 3 star rating.
This is a fantastic book. The Mark is down-to-earth and attempted to write in terms that would resonate with many people in different circumstances. This book is best suited to everyone. The book works for me because I want to increase my financial success. This book would also work for people who lack self-esteem, friends, joy, or anyone who just feels like there is something missing in their life. Though the lessons in the book are not something everyone wants to hear, they are lessons everyone needs to hear. I’ve already purchased a hard copy of this book to give as a gift. I also plan on rereading this book again in a few months.
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If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your But's
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