Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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
Reviewing for Real Page Turners

A nice little book, but not one that will do much good. The book has some interesting ideas, but doesn't elaborate on implementation.

The book sounds like a great idea; the enthusiasm seeping from the description alone makes you want to buy the book. But inside you'll find pretty much the same things you've always heard -- To reduce stress, delegate or be realistic; when a relationship ends, don't mope or focus on the past; when you have gripes at work, look for a better job or share your concerns with others; to be healthier, eat breakfast and veggies. Gee, that's helpful--so new and insightful!

Sometimes the problem isn't really addressed. For example, when your neighbor complains about a noisy party, invite them over. If their party is noisy, crash it. Uh-huh.

There are a few good ideas scattered through the book, but not enough to warrant an entire book. Moreover, there are no how-to's, no in-depth advice. The headings for many of the suggestions do not even really speak to the action being advised. At its best, the book is a compendium of superficial, over-recommended sound bites.

A complete waste of time & money.

I wasn't sure what to expect from a book entitled "The Life Guide" but I figured it wouldn't hurt. Now, I am not one who frequents the "self help" section of the books store (not that I couldn't use some....) but what IF I had passed by the one book that actually could change my life?

Okay, it did not turn out to be a life altering book; still, it did end up making my life a little easier and I'm all about that! It is not written from a new age perspective; rather, as if an older family member had passed down the information (s)he had learned over the years for your benefit. Bearing that in mind, some of the advise given will be useless or not to your liking - just like a real family member's.

I liked it. Short, concise and covered just about anything life throws at you. The book is divided into general topics (time, health, etc.) and then into more specific topics with ten ways to help achieve it. Yes, the lists are brief but that is needed in order to cover all the ground the author manages in one slim book. Yes, some of the 10 things listed are vague or useless (just keeping thinking of that family member). The 10 Ways to Avoid Being a Victim seemed to condone rather then help avoid from my reading and one of the few topics completely off base.

Overall, I liked most of the lists provided and the best 10 lists are shaded grey for convenience. A definite keeper and great addition to my personal library.

This book is full of lists of ten items about common sense, every day situations. The lists are pretty brief and don't go into much detail, and they almost seem like magazine article snippets. Topics range from health to career to relationships. And just to give an idea of what you get, one of the "how to be healthier" lists contains items such as "exercise," "eat healthier food," etc. This is how basic it is. I think that this book might be good for a high school graduate who is just starting out in the "real world," but for adults who have any life experience, you will not really learn anything new or astounding.

This book is jam-packed with practical advice on things you can do to enjoy greater success, increase productivity, improve your health, fitness, relationships,etc.

What I really like about Ashton's work is that it is very easy to read and understand. The Life Guide is written in clear, plain English and doesn't have a lot of "filler" as do many self-help books. It reminds me a little of a chapter in my book, "Attract Money and More" which I titled "Quick Tips for Successful Living."

You can read this book cover to cover or, better yet, check the Table of Contents and go directly to a section that contains tips on how to deal with a problem or challenge that you are currently facing.

Granted, some of the advice offered may be something you already know, but even then the tips can serve as a reminder or reinforcement of that which you already knew. You may also find the advice helpful as a support for a plan of action you are contemplating or have already initiated.

To maximize your benefits derived from this book, I suggest that you re-read some sections to reinforce the ideas and strengthen your resolve.

Subtitled "10 Things You Need to Know About Everything That Matters," Ashton's pragmatic book takes on, well, everything. Lists seem to be required on every magazine cover these days: "10 ways to take off those pounds," "15 ways to keep your man," and so on. This book carries on that tradition, and encapsulates every self-help topic under the sun into lists of 10 items. I'm sure everyone who picks up the book thinks the same thing: what if there are really only 6 or 7 "ways to get better sleep" or "pitfalls that might await you"? What if there are really 15, not just 10, good things "that make everyone happy" or "can help you stay healthy"? Ashton seems determined to squeeze or expand everything into lists of 10.

If you like books of lists in general, and don't have the patience to read chapters of prose, then this book is for you. Ashton is anything but verbose in these lists--most are only about a page and a half long.

Readers might not at first notice that the book does have a flow--the lists do build on one another. For example, he starts with very general goals like "Success" and narrows down the topic with other lists that aim to center the reader on a solution. Besides success, he tackles how to manage time, how to create and manage change, dealing with health and fitness, stress, work, leisure, parents, children, money, relationships, and retirement. As I said, he covers "everything."

The problem with all self-help books is that they may or may not connect with the vastly different people who read them. Some of Ashton's lists are so general ("10 Questions to Ask Yourself") that they could apply to anyone. Others, like "10 Questions That Will Get Your Parents Talking More Openly," are not for everyone. But this is not a book to be read from cover to cover--it's to be read in whatever bits and pieces that might pique the reader's interest. Some items on the lists are obvious, but others might cause the reader to think, "why didn't I think of that?"

Like those lists on the covers of magazines, they cause you to pick the book and check it out, but how much influence they have depends entirely on the needs of the reader.

I really wanted to like this book. Even though there were some pearls of wisdom 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.
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.
Some of the lists contain advice that is so simple you wonder why have it here. 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!
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.