Customer Reviews

Diving In

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Asian Diver Magazine/Singapore review - "It's the second half of your life - what if you were able to make deeply profound, life altering and lasting changes and do these while diving! Mark Bodnarczuk's Diving In is the story of nine divers attending a workshop on a live-aboard in Indonesia. The workshop includes daily sessions to plumb the depths of personality, followed by dives that allow the participants to explore the spectacular reefs, while reflecting on their own reactions. The author's use of diving metaphors with post-Jungian psychology teaches fundamental principles of mental growth in a reflective story form."

I found Mark Bodnarczuk's book "Diving In: Discovering Who You Are In The Second Half Of Life" to be a fascinating read. I have always been interested in the "Enneagram" as a tool for working with differing personalities, but have had trouble distinquishing between the nine personality types. By putting names and histories to each of the nine personality types Mark's cast of characters made the distinction seem obvious. Although I cannot adequately explain it in terms of the various thoughts and principals Mark presents, I can tell you that I have been seeing the world, and myself, differently since reading this book. I highly recommend this book!

Bodnarczuk's use of scuba diving and its solitude helps the reader understand the importance of looking inside ourselves more deeply. A tremendous book for an insightful look into who we are

This book provokes non-stop thought. It is impossible to read it and not have some emotional response. The principles discussed within are insightful and are relative to every person. I think it is improbable that anyone reading this book will not be affected in some way. The content is intense but is presented in a way that can be understood by anyone. The story line is great and interlaced are real lessons for life and the way it should be lived. My life has been changed by using the principles that are presented in Diving In. Anyone can benefit from reading this book and i recommend it to everyone that is interested in changing their lives for the better.

Mark does an excellent job of weaving what might be considered the "pop-psychology" enneagram with deep introspection and Jungian psychoanalysis into a nifty, metaphorical ocean diving story. He successfully overcomes the temptation to seek easy answers from the enneagram overlay. Instead he provides, as he states, a shortcut mapping of the deeper elements of the conscious self and the "Triangle of Duplicity." This mapping provides useful tools and labels to understand the more complex, underlying principles.

The best phrase from the book, or at least the one that spoke to me the strongest came from Nikki, during an epiphany, that we are bound between the self that we were and the self that we are becoming - the existential now. It's a concept that I've understood intellectually for many years - understood the concept and the meaning of the words, but this book brought home to me the essential meaning of those words. I understand, or at least I am beginning to understand, the meaning of those words. I grok the "existential now."

Mark all-to-briefly explores creativity. And even though his thoughts on the subject seem to be strongly influenced by Rollo May, Mark's powerful restatement of the essence of creativity -why it's needed and why it's feared - affected me deeply.

I'm naturally drawn to this introspection of the self. But heretofore, I've approached the subject from the biological side of the biological-psychological interface. I've enjoyed the books by Steven Pinker (How the Mind Works and The Blank Slate). The essential connection from these two approaches is the same. There is no "I" in control. There is no ghost in the machine.

This book has made me hungry for more.

An amazing read. Couldn't put it down and solidified the missing pieces of human awareness in life. Told in a story format, the "lessons" it teaches will start you on the journey to self enlightenment. A must have if you "sharpen the saw" in your life. You won't be disappointed.

Diving In is not another "self-help" book. It is a "self-learning and understanding" workbook set within a descriptive and entertaining context. Who hasn't heard that little inner voice and wondered where it was coming from. Diving In helped me learn to listen, acknowledge and act on the deeper levels of consciousness. Very eye-opening!

Written by Mark Bodnarczuk (an expert in Franklin Covey-style time management), Diving In: Discovering Who You Are In The Second Half Of Life is an inspirational guide to making life-altering changes in our later years. From making three commitments (one to relationships, one to making a difference, and one to effective aging); to embracing our freedom to choose; to learning to obsess ourselves and our problems objectively, and more, Diving In is an exceptionally insightful, superbly presented self-help, self improvement guide to effective (even dramatic) personal growth which is especially recommended for anyone over the age of 50.

Excellent!! Will reference over and over. Mark touchs on some very serious inner issues in a fun easy reading book. The diving offers some reflective insights into the core of the book and kept my interest as I moved from session to session. It offers the reader the opportunity to go futher within to find their true self and shadows that inhibit their growth. It has givin me insights into how I can improve my business and personal interactions. Peace in who I am.

The modern age has forced us to become narrowly focused and compartmentalized in a small world. Isolation sets in and two inescapable questions haunt our thoughts: "Who am I?" And, "What should I be doing with my life?" Through a series of teaching sessions followed by times of reflection, DIVING IN offers valuable insights for moving beyond success toward significance--discovering who we are and answering our calling.