Character Makeover: 40 Days with a Life Coach to Create the Best You [Paperback]

Katherine Brazelton (Author), Shelley Leith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 18, 2007

Get the kind of makeover that will transform your life! Bestselling author and life coach Katie Brazelton takes you on a deeply personal forty-day journey of developing your character. Discover how to close the gap between understanding God's purpose for your life and carrying it out as you put an end to well-worn patterns of defeat, woundedness, insecurity, unworthiness, and self-centeredness. Teaming up with coauthor Shelley Leith, who is a highly sought-after speaker on strengthening marriages and family, Brazelton focuses on eight character traits essential to living a purpose-filled life: humility, confidence, courage, self-control, patience, contentment, generosity, and perseverance. Step-by-step you'll experience a complete character makeover---and become the best 'you' God intended you to be. Ideal for small groups, women's church ministry, and one-on-one study.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Katie Brazelton is one sharp cookie! She reminds us of God's great affection, then encourages us to live in light of his redemptive mercy. This isn't one of those 'you'd better start behaving' books that prompt guilt and carb-bingeing; it's an engaging portrait of what God's beloved look like when we put our hope in him.' -- Lisa Harper, Author, speaker, former director of Women's Outreach for Focus on the Family <br><br>

From the Back Cover

Get the kind of makeover that will transform your life!

Bestselling author and life coach Katie Brazelton takes you on a deeply personal forty-day journey of developing your character. Discover how to close the gap between understanding God’s purpose for your life and carrying it out as you put an end to well-worn patterns of defeat, woundedness, insecurity, unworthiness, and self-centeredness.

Teaming up with coauthor Shelley Leith, who is a highly sought-after speaker on strengthening marriages and family, Brazelton focuses on eight character traits essential to living a purpose-filled life: humility, confidence, courage, self-control, patience, contentment, generosity, and perseverance. Step-by-step you’ll experience a complete character makeover—and become the best “you” God intended you to be.

Ideal for small groups, women’s church ministry, and one-on-one study. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (December 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310256534
• ISBN-13: 978-0310256533
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #245,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Character Makeover: A Review, January 5, 2008

By 

C. Moore "The Christian Manifesto (www.thechr... (Rochester Hills, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Character Makeover: 40 Days with a Life Coach to Create the Best You (Paperback)

I feel a little bit like I'm cheating by writing a review of the book, "Character Makeover: 40 Days With A Life Coach To Create The Best You" (Zondervan, 2008), by Katie Brazelton and Shelley Leith. First, it is geared towards women. I'm a man. Second, it is laid out in a such a way that a person really ought to spend 40 days with it. I've only had my Advance Reader Copy for 2 days. So, given that I am not of the female persuasion, nor have I had the 40 days to live out the principles discussed in the book, I will give my general impressions.

Generally, I shy away from any product that promises to change a person after so many days or weeks. They tend to be too simplistic, not speaking to the difficulties, interruptions, and disappointments that tend to come with real life. I am even more wary of Christian self-help books, because they tend to garner more of their techniques and bullet points from pop psychology rather than Scripture. This is dangerous in that it retards a person's ability to discern things spiritually.

That being said, I like how much "Character Makeover" relies on Scripture and does not attempt to trivialize the things that people go to. This book isn't about pretending real life doesn't happen. Quite the contrary. Through the use of the stories of various women who have struggled with character issues as they face everyday life, "Character Makeover" keeps its head out of the clouds and its feet firmly planted on the earth. Rather, this book is a resource women can turn to in order to help them change their perspective and temper their reactions when life isn't fair.

Its greatest strength comes from the fact it starts off with the notion that if we wish to develop better character, we must first attend to our relationship with Jesus. The authors thus start the book with a section about humility. This is a great approach, as a person who "changes themselves" can be tempted to boast about all the changes they have made and how good that makes them because of it. However, by connecting true change to God, this encourages women to be humble in how they approach the rest of the book (and their lives).

However, "Character Makeover" is not without its drawbacks. Actually, one of its greatest strengths is one of its greatest flaws. This is not a book that a person can just sit down and enjoy like a novel. It is meant to be an immersive experience. This is accomplished through journal entries, charts to fill out, and boxes to check (on self-evaluation checklists). It is a lot of work and a person has to be totally honest with themselves (or others if they are participating in a group), if they wish to truly get anything out of the experience.

And the questions are not easy ones. For example, on Day 4 of a section about self-control, the reader is asked, "What habit or temptation has power over you?" While this question might seem simple on the surface, it is very easy to answer this question simply, avoiding darker things we know we ought to deal with in our lives. A person might answer, "I have a problem with chocolate," and that may very well be true. But, if they have a habit of gossiping or not controlling their thought life, having a problem with chocolate is the least of their worries. But, the main drawback is that some people don't have the time each day to sit down and follow this kind of program. While the authors might not mind 40 days stretching into 80 or 120 days, some readers may become frustrated and give up.

Overall, "Character Makeover" is a good resource for those who can stick with a 40 day program. I believe they will come out on the other side with the ability to discern situations from a thoroughly Christian point-of-view without sacrificing their ability to live in the real world.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warm and Inviting!, December 18, 2007

By 

Rachel McCluskey "Life Coach and Author" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Character Makeover: 40 Days with a Life Coach to Create the Best You (Paperback)

Through personal stories and candid transparency, Katie Brazelton and co-author Shelley Leith invite you to join them on a spiritual journey that exposes the insecurites in each of us. While designed to be a tool and resource for women's small groups, Katie and Shelley add a personalized touch to the book that gives the reader a feel of walking over to their home for a visit and sitting and chatting with a cup of coffee in their living rooms. This resource is packed full of downloadable mini-talks, self-assessments, and questions for group discussion along with an Internet blog with access to the authors.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're searching, stop when you see this book!, February 26, 2008

By 

S. Tupper - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Character Makeover: 40 Days with a Life Coach to Create the Best You (Paperback)

I picked up this book at a bookstore a couple of days ago. I'm going to be completely honest and say that I was looking for a different book, but they didn't have it. The Holy Spirit literally put this book in my hands as I waited for the clerk to check the back room for the book I was looking for. Instead, I ended up buying "Character Makeover" and I know that God hand delivered it to me for this time in my life. I've read lots of self-help books and completed numerous Bible Studies, but this book is different than anything I've encountered before. The daily "exercises" in the book really cause me to change my behavior. The best part is that the book starts with an issue that I have battled time and time again...being HUMBLE! Until I read this book, I really didn't understand what being humble means. Brazleton & Leith give you about 5 different points to think about with respect to humility. I also really enjoy that the authors utilize different formats..."email letters", online assessments, time in scripture, time in prayer. Excellent, excellent book. Enjoy.