Customer Reviews

The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

5 star:		(117)
4 star:		(87)
3 star:		(44)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you could relive your life, what would you change? More importantly, how would you change? Andy Stanley, in The Principle of the Path, gives us a blueprint for a successful life.

This book is not what I expected. When I read that Andy Stanley is a highly successful preacher and pastor in Atlanta, I thought this volume would be full of sermonizing but it is not. Instead, Stanley writes in a conversational style full of stories and humor. This is an easy, delightful narrative that is like chatting over coffee with a good friend.

The Principle of the Path is a self help book for life. Pastor Stanley shares with us his single guiding principle for success and serenity in life. He begins with a relevant story from his own life, explains the principle and then leads us toward implementing that truth in our own lives. Stanley's applications can be useful in our relationships, our finances, our career, and even our parenting.

The wisdom is subtle. When I first read the "Principle" I thought it was a bit simplistic, but the more I read the more profound it became. The Principle and its application is brilliant but practical. Although the author is a Christian minister and often refers to scripture, this book would be useful for anyone who wants to lead a better life. The wisdom is universal.

I highly recommend The Principle of the Path. This has a very valuable message. I intend to give this book to my closest friends.

I finished Andy Stanley's most recent book, The Principle of the Path, last week. Andy is one of those guys that seems to have figured out how to get from here to there, so I figured I'd read his book about how to get from where I am to where I want to be.

Here are some of the highlights from my reading:

* "To get from where we don't want to be to where we do want to be requires two things: time and a change of direction."
* "Direction-not intentions, hopes, dreams, prayers, beliefs, intellect, or education-determines destination."
* "We should break the habit of drawing a circle around individual decisions and events and dismissing them as isolated occurrences. These are steps. Steps that lead somewhere."
* "Prudent people look as far down the road as possible when making decisions."
* "Christians start talking about forgiveness as if somehow forgiveness serves as an escape hatch from the outcome of bad decisions."
* "When happiness points in one direction while wisdom, truth, integrity, and common sense point in another, that's when really smart people start doing really stupid things."
* "Your heart can't be trusted... The truth is, if you let it, your heart will direct you down a path that leads to the very spot you most want to avoid."
* "The choices are now. The outcomes are later. The decisions you make today have ramifications down the road."
* "One never accomplishes the will of God by breaking the law of God, violating the principles of God, or ignoring the wisdom of God."
* "I am constantly amazed at how resistant folks are to take their cues from people who are where they want to be."
* "We don't drift in good directions. We discipline and prioritize ourselves there."

Simple principles in this book, but their implications have an enormous impact on the outcomes of our lives.

I encourage you to pick up the book. I'm leaving lots of great quotes and stories out of this post. Among other things, I cracked up when I read Andy's version of "The Italian Job"...and it made me want to visit Italy that much more.

Andy Stanley is the senior pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia.

His book, The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be is the ultimate self-help book. To be honest, I normally can't stand books like this. I just find them to be simplistic. I feel like the authors are talking down to me.

But there was something different about this book. Maybe it just hit me at the right time. His point is this: Good intentions are all well and good, but in the end it's the PATH you take that determines where you end up. Am I on the right path?

Am I following the right map? Are my fellow travelers going where I want to go? What changes in direction to I need to make in order to end up in the right place?

Proverbs 3:5-6 says it well: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

I've heard it said that my systems are perfectly tuned to get the results that I'm getting right now. I've also heard it said that insanity is doing the same things again and again and expecting different results.

Sounds like a simple concept, and it is. But I found it to be a challenging and encouraging read. It's the perfect thing to remember as we start a new year.

When I first received this book and looked at the author's photo on the back, inside flap, he looked quite young, and when I read that he was a pastor, I have to admit that I thought, "Oh boy, this is going to be another book by someone that is advising far beyond his understanding."

This preconceived notion was totally wrong in this case. I was VERY impressed with Andy Stanley as an author! He has a flowing, intriguing style of writing that makes you finish an entire chapter in one sitting when you planned to only read four or five pages at a time. The author has numerous stories of his own to highlight his points, but most stories in this book draw from scripture, particularly the Old Testament, and even more particularly, the king of Israel, David.

I would say that the biggest surprise with this book was that it was so entirely Bible-based, but, if you've ever read the Bible at all, even if you aren't particularly religious, you must admit that it is full of wisdom and is certainly an excellent source to draw from.

This book is wonderful, because IT doesn't convict you, or accuse you, or show you your missteps. You come to realize them on your own as you acknowledge the universal truths laid out. For instance, one of the most important, simple facts pointed out in this book that I never had given enough thought to is that paths lead to wherever they end up, and that path followed ends in the same place for everybody that takes it. The author gives an excellent example of when, in his youth, he and a friend decided to go ahead and cruise down an unfinished, barricaded section of highway, only to be warned off and stopped by another person shortly before they reached the unfinished bridge over a swamp! It would not have mattered if the person that disregarded that barricade and charged ahead had been rich, poor, Christian, atheist, young, or old - that path ended in a plunge into a swamp for whomever took it to its completion.

The author points out that paths are unbreakable principles. They are no respecter of persons. This also applies to the positive aspects of life. No matter who you are or how unlucky you have considered yourself in the past, if you follow a path that ends in a good result, when you arrive, you will reap those good things, because that is where the path leads to, for everybody! As Andy Stanley says, cars, computers, lawnmowers - things - have problems that can be fixed, but generally speaking, people have directions that need to be changed.

Perhaps the most important, single quote in this book is:
"Direction - not intention - determines your destination."

This book is an excellent read! It's advice gets entirely centered on doing the will of God for your life by the time you're about halfway through the book, and that is perfectly fine! That is the most important thing anyone can do. However, this may come as a total surprise if you came upon this book by linking from more business-centered success titles in your shopping. I give it four stars because I think the book should be more clearly advertised as what it is: a religion-centered, deep look at yourself. As long as you know that is what you are getting, it's a five-star read. Indeed, seeking a purely secular success book versus a religiously-enriching, self-examination book such as this may be a clear indication of one of these life paths the reader has set himself on. Are you seeking the path to riches or seeking the path to richness? If you're seeking the latter, this book will enrich your life.

First, allow me to tell you what this book is not. That's because, if you're anything like me, you despise all of the New Age and occult teaching that pawns itself off as Christianity these days. And a name like "The Principle of the Path" might set off a few alarm bells in your mind as it did in mine. But there is absolutely nothing New Age or occult in this book. It is not "The Secret." Nothing like it. It's also not about "self-actualization" or any of that nonsense.

Second, let me tell you who this book is not for. It is not for those of you who have it all 100% together, who go to bed every night with the calm assurance that you've lived the day to the best of your ability. So, the two of you who fit that description may stop reading here.

This book is for the rest of us, and what it does, it does very well. I've never read anything by Andy Stanley before, but if this book is any indication, he is one of those rare talents who can take the obvious and state in a way that makes it seem fresh. He drives his commonsense points home in such a way that I never found myself saying, "Well duh, I knew that." Instead, I found myself wanting to begin applying the simple but profoundly true principle that I've always known, but never really embraced.

And what is that principle? Let me summarize it in one sentence:

Your final destination is determined by the path you choose and where it leads, regardless of your intentions.

Nothing earth-shatteringly new, and certainly nothing metaphysical. But even so, this book is enlightening, entertaining, convicting and inspiring because of Stanley's gift for imparting wisdom. In fact, I need to read it again. I waste too much of my life pursuing activities that lead nowhere, while all the while intending to have my life end up somewhere.

Perhaps the best endorsement I can give it is this: It was so good that it made me want to put it down...and go pursue God's path for me!

This book is talking with you in an amazing way, very simple language that make you feel that you set with Andy Stanley himself in the same room. The book has helped me to analized my life, reviews my plans, and correct my directions in life. I think this is the most important book I've ever read in the past 10 years.

We are doing a men's group study following this book at our church. Making for a great class. Wonderful insights. Highly recommended.

Andy Stanley is one of the best communicators I know of. He is thought-provoking, inspirational, and memorable. Best of all, he is a great story teller that knows how to keep my attention! I just finished his latest book, The Principle of the Path. The book revolves around a very simple principle: Direction--not intention--determines our destination.

This principle seems obvious, but as we travel on the journey of life we don't really think about it. Or, when we do think about it it's because we realize we've chosen the wrong path.

Everyone has dreams and desires for their future. Most of us have great intentions. But our intentions alone aren't enough to get us to our desired destination. We must be making choices and decisions that keep us moving in the right direction. Life is connected. Yesterday affects today, and today will affect tomorrow. The things you do and the decisions you make today will affect tomorrow's experiences.

Some other helpful takeaways from Andy are:

*The best question ever: "In light of my past experience, and my future hopes and dreams, what's the wise thing to do?"

*Our quest for happiness often trumps our appreciation and pursuit for truth.

*There is a relationship between submission to God and our ability to pick the best path.

*"You will never reach your full potential without tapping into the wisdom of others."

*"Your life would be better, richer, and more enjoyable if less of your attention had been hijacked from the things you should have been focusing on."

*"The things you give your attention to will influence the direction and destination of everyone in your circle of influence."

*Disappointment creates powerful emotions. Emotions fueled by disappointment can drive people to behaviors that put their dreams (and the dreams of others) out of reach.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, but I think it is especially helpful for young people. The sooner you understand and live by this principle, the greater your chance of avoiding future regrets.
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Overall "The Principle of the Path" is a solid Andy Stanley book. Easy to read. Not complicated. However, I found it to have a depressing tone overall. After the first few chapters we get it: Our choices determine the path we take in life. Good or bad. For the bad though, Stanley doesn't offer much hope. If your marriage fails, too bad, you took the wrong path. In debt? So sorry, you are messed up for life. There seems to be no answers given, and no hope instilled. I rate the book only two stars for that.

I really enjoyed this one! It was a fast read, but very effective...a fresh perspective of why we "need" God to be a part of all decisions we must make in life. Clearly stated and stays on point and offers a practical application of Biblical teachings to everyday life. I remember this book and the Bible stories Andy uses now when I am having to make decisions...whether thought out decisions or decisions that are having to be made under tremendous emotional pressure on the spot. Well worth it!