Hey Friends, August 9 is celebrated as a National Book Lovers Day, a day for all those who love to read, & National Book Lovers Day encourages you to find your favorite reading place, a good book (whether it be fiction or non-fiction) and I wanted to get you hooked to pick up a book (or two) and spend the day reading & get into the habit of reading book. On this day, I want to honor all the book lovers in my life & if you are a book lover yourself, then treat yourself to some quality reading time.
So, I’m celebrating the `Book Lover's Day' by reviewing my all-time favorite book which personally I have benefited.
Oh yes! the title "You Can Win" in itself stood out when I first came across it and I recall my dad saying pointing at this title that you need to have this mindset to achieve anything in your life and i.e., YOU CAN WIN.
Yes, what's catchy in this book is the front page and it says, "Winners don't do different things they do things differently". I'm referring to a step-by-step tool for top achievers written by a global thought leader Mr. Shiv Khera who is an Author, Educator, Business Consultant and a much sought-after speaker who shares great insights, inspires and encourages individuals to realize their true potential in his book “You Can Win”
So, friends the author of this book says that this book is universal and it can be applied in any situation organization or any country, and especially it is for you to know yourself. This book is one of its own kinds as it not just emphasizes on practical aspects of getting and remaining inspired but also helps anybody reading this book in carving their own pathways to win.
When I initially read this book I was not serious to work on what was in the book as I was thinking this is for all seniors or top achievers and I still recall one of my HR leaders mentioned that you need to take notes whenever you are reading. Yes, folks so whenever I read a book and if something connects to me, I ensure to make points, take my learning, and start applying it. This book is easy to read like a novel, you can browse and grasp few things in it but the concepts are loaded and it cannot be absorbed in one go and you need to internalize everything you read and use it and see how this is vital and applicable to yourself.
So what benefited me was building a positive attitude in whatever I do and believe me guys you will get goosebumps whenever you go thru a story or a quote and you experience end to end positivism overall in this book. It also gave me a lot of insight into what are the obstacles to success which may be real or imagined. One of the main purposes of the book is to help you to create an action plan. what do you want to achieve? how do you expect to achieve? and when you plan to achieve it?
So, you will agree that life is full of choices and compromises and William Jennings Bryan said destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. So, the choice I made while I was reading this book was that I need to win in whatever I do & I need to be successful 100%. I agree that it's not as easy as I said and to achieve that I had to take action, be responsible, and committed as there is no magic wand for success, and it's all your own will-power and hard work and you will see your results in a right way.
Even now it is fresh in my thought that I started working on `Goal Setting' and there is a chapter in this book on Goal setting and I was very happy whenever I achieved my goals. When I say goals, you may be aware of our personal and professional goals & whenever I interact with people, I have noticed that they get confused with their dreams and wishes as goals and that’s a scary part friends. I want you to take caution & make your goals with purpose & it has to be clear and goals must be SMART goals and when I say SMART S - stands for being Specific, M - is measurable, A - for achievable, R - is for realistic and T - stands for time-bound and your goals can be short term to midterm to long term and it can be split daily weekly, monthly & yearly.
So what Shiv Khera says in this book is that our life is like a wheel with 6 spokes and they are
1. Family – Our loved ones are the reason to live;
2. Financial and that represents our career or anything that money can buy;
3. Physical - it's all about our health;
4. Mental - which is our knowledge and wisdom;
5. Social - our social responsibility and
6. Spiritual - which represents ethics and character.
So, it's important that all of these spokes need to be in alignment to get a balance in our life. So just think what if any one of these 6 spokes were missing & how would your life look like? Pause for a moment to think about it as this is a holistic approach to aspire for your life.
This book will help you to
Build confidence by mastering the seven steps to positive thinking
Be successful by turning weakness into strength
Gain credibility by doing the right things for the right reason
Take charge by controlling things instead of letting them control you
Build trust by developing mutual respect with people around you &
Accomplish more by removing the barriers to effectiveness
What I like about this book is there are loads of examples, quotes, some interesting stories with tools and action plans & he supplies us with practical solutions on how to achieve what you desire. It's worth a lifetime of knowledge as you will be able to turn your vision into action. If you practice what is given in this book thoroughly it can work wonders to you.
This is a complete package as this book forces you to think, introspect, and build your own ‘Action Plans’ & my tip for you is to get ready with your pen, sticky notes, and highlighter while reading this book.
So friends I urge that this is a recipe for success and success is like baking a cake unless you have just the right recipe it is not going to work. The ingredients must be of the finest quality and in the right proportions. You can't over bake it or under-cook it and once you have the correct recipe with practice and learning from the occasional mishap it becomes a lot easier. I believe true success is a journey and not a destination & it is an experience that delights us with the job well done which leads to achieving our goals without quitting our action plan.
If this book review has inspired you or moved you even an inch, I would recommend you to plunge in to be part of the `Book Lovers' Day' by grabbing this book and of course, do share your experiences with me 😊
Reference: You Can Win by Shiv Khera