The Life Guide: 10 Things You Need to Know About Everything That Matters [Paperback]

Robert Ashton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0137135556 | ISBN-13: 978-0137135554 | Publication Date: March 15, 2008 | Edition: 1

10 Things You Need to Know About Everything That Matters

 

Want to make your life better? More successful, more productive, more healthy, more fulfilling? Start right here, with the book that gives you 700 ways to change your life, one small step at a time!

 

The Life Guide is for anyone who wants to get more out of life...more health, more wealth, a better career, more love...more of what you want (and less of what you don’t). Here are practical, doable, bite-size tips for having more fun...getting in shape...deepening your relationships and friendships...preparing for retirement...every part of your life. Each section is packed with small steps designed to get you moving in the right direction fast. Start anywhere and dive in...or read this book cover-to-cover for hundreds of great new ideas! Discover what success in life really means to you...set priorities...find time...gain confidence and overcome doubts...and, above all, stop talking about it and take action to live a happier, better life.

 

• Self-improvement that’s actually fun -- and free
  Easy, small steps you’ll enjoy taking...in a book you’ll enjoy reading
• 10 questions to ask yourself
  The fastest way to figure out what really matters to you
• 50 ways to reduce life stress...
  ...and use the stress that remains to your advantage
• Better friendships, better relationships
  Find new friends, improve your marriage, be a better parent (and a better child, too)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Ashton is an author, activist, speaker, and entrepreneur. He works with people who want to make a difference, including entrepreneurs, social activists, charity managers, and individuals working to create their own life plans. Ashton’s books include How to Sell, The Entrepreneur’s Book of Checklists, Copywriting in a Week, Business Alchemy in a Week, and Teach Yourself Life at 50-for Men.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Congratulations! By opening this book, you have taken an important step toward changing your life for the better. That's not to say I'm suggesting the life you're leading now is lacking, it's just that I know that every one of us has the potential to be happier and more fulfilled.

We all have things we'd like to change. Things we don't feel are quite under our control or within our reach. Perhaps you've already tried to change some things and it didn't quite work. Don't worry, what really matters is that you're prepared to keep trying until you succeed.

There is no correct definition of success. Success is whatever you decide to make it. Success is a personal thing and what makes one person feel successful will make another person feel they're failing. Much of it is about how you feel. If you're succeeding and can recognize that fact, you will feel happy and content. Lasting success usually results from the cumulative effect of lots of small steps. It's not about making a big push for some really tough goal, more about working on a range of aspects of your life.

Your life plan needs to be tailored to your life, your aspirations, and your needs. The art of making your life better is to make each of the small steps manageable. Taking many short steps can make a journey longer; giant strides however can be very tiring and there is always the risk of tripping up.

So what does The Life Plan give you that is different? Here are ten good reasons why I think you'll enjoy reading this book.

1. It's simple – This book contains hundreds of small steps you can take to make life better. Each can deliver a small positive change to your life. Add several together, and you'll really see the difference.

2. You're in charge – The book is clearly indexed, and the tips are presented in lists of ten. It's easy to navigate your own route through the book. No two people will take the same path or set the same pace. You can make the book and the plan your own.

3. I'd do it so why not you? – I'm not terribly brave, and there's nothing in this book I haven't or wouldn't try myself. Nowhere do I advocate walking on hot coals!

4. No dictionary needed – This is a book that says it like it is. There are no big words or jargon. Using a dictionary is educational but it does little for your self-confidence. This book uses plain English.

5. It's realistic – We are all daunted by people who are better at things than we are. Human nature is to spot where we're weak and forget where we're strong. This book shows you how to improve things but does not claim to be able to make you superhuman – sorry.

6. It's fun – Personal development should not be like a trip to the dentist, something you endure to free yourself of pain. It should be more like a vacation, helping you create the opportunity to try new things. There's nothing here you won't enjoy.

7. It doesn't cost any more – Changing your life is not about spending money. This book is not a shopping list for things you can't really afford. In fact it shows you how to save money instead!

8. It reaches the parts – You'll be amazed at some of the aspects of life this book encourages you to change for the better. Remember that this game is all about making lots of small changes, not a few big ones. Big ones hurt and small ones don't.

9. There's a website, too – After you buy the book, you can visit http://www.TheLifePlan.net and sign up for my e-newsletters. You can also use the promotional code RDR01 to get one month's free access to the subscription only content. The website enables you to swap ideas with other readers and help each other along.

10. It's yours – We are all unique and different, and this is your personal journey through life. This book is begging you to highlight sections, insert little pieces of paper, and even scribble notes in the margin. It's personal to you and for you alone. Enjoy!

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: FT Press; 1 edition (March 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0137135556
• ISBN-13: 978-0137135554
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #822,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Simple lists, September 29, 2008

By 

Alain B. Burrese "Author, Speaker, Mediator, ... (Missoula, MT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Life Guide: 10 Things You Need to Know About Everything That Matters (Paperback)

(What's this?)

I really wanted to like "The Life Guide: 10 Things You Need to Know About Everything That Matters" by Robert Ashton. However, even though there were some pearls of wisdom and a few real gems to be found in the text, I found myself getting a bit annoyed at the number of lists and the actual content of some of them.

To give Ashton some slack, maybe I shouldn't have just read it through as I did. He suggests that you just open to the relevant chapter at times you need it, or as you design your life. But even then, some of his lists I did not like at all. They were too simple or contained things just not relevant to me. (Or on some occasions information I just didn't agree with)

There are around seventy lists of ten in this book. These lists fall under a number of general headings such as success, time, change, health and fitness, stress, your world of work, Leisure time, relationships, children, parents, money, home, and retirement. Under each of these general topics there were short commentaries that sometimes contained very practical advice, and then the lists.

Some of the lists contain advice that is so simple you wonder why have it here. It was almost insulting. Under the money topic, there are ten reasons why you've never got enough. Number seven was "Children - if you have children, you'll know that they're expensive to raise. They also always want you to buy them the latest toy. Don't give in too easily." Duh!

Yes, Ashton has some good advice in this book. And yes, some of the lists have items that might make you think of doing something in your life. If you like lists, you may enjoy this book. However, too many of the lists contain simple everyday things that everyone knows without any substance. For that reason, this book is not one I believe will help people change their lives, nor really a life guide as the title suggests.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Review of Common Sense Living, September 25, 2008

By 

Jerry Palmerino Jr (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Life Guide: 10 Things You Need to Know About Everything That Matters (Paperback)

(What's this?)

I like this book primarily for one reason: It is about taking a moment to stop and think or reflect.

First of all, its a book, which is ideal for self paced reflection. It starts out with your traditional motivational drivel about success in life and how to achieve it. Yes, I mean drivel. You have heard all of the material at the front of this book before, many times. Then the book quickly jumps into the meat of things, which give it its value and leads us back to why I like this book. It begins a series of "Top 10s" that serve the purpose of reflection. You may find that some suggestions are useful, while others are not. One that puts a smile on my face is "If your party is going to disturb the neighbors, invite them to join in the fun." It is this kind of common sense suggestion that you will find in this book. This book has elements of the Dale Carnegie course on Human Relations. I recently attended a Dale Carnegie training course because my company "suggested" it.

Topics covered include "Top 10s" on the following: Success, Health and Fitness, Stress, Work, Leisure, Releationships, Children, Parents, Money, Home and Retirement.

Here's another: "Drink Milk - It contains and amino acid that calms the brain." Have you ever heard someone say that you should drink a glass of warm milk to help you sleep? Well, according to this book, it is true.

In my opinion, this book is inexpensive enough that if just one suggestion changes your life or allows you to tackle a problem from a different angle, then it was worth it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not much new but critical reflection will change you..., September 20, 2008

By 

M. Bruner ""Deltareviewer" Real Page ... (Oklahoma!) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Life Guide: 10 Things You Need to Know About Everything That Matters (Paperback)

(What's this?)

The Life Guide helps you focus, plan and change in 10-step increments. The easy-to-read book discusses success, priorities, making changes, health, family, work and much more. The reader is encouraged to create and personalize their life plan using suggestions from more than 60 lists on topics that hit close to home.

Ashton creatively approaches ideas on how to change your life. However, the plethora of lists and ideas could be overwhelming for some. There is not much new here but the rearrangement of ideas in a readable format and critical reflection of your life - will change you.

Deltareviewer
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