Customer Reviews

Simpleology: The Simple Science of Getting What You Want

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I wrote about listening to the audio book back in June and have since checked out the web site. I feel I have better footing now to give an assessment. Unfortunately, I have to side with the naysayers. I am not sure whether or not I would use the term "scam" to describe the book, but I would certainly go with "Bait and switch". The book claims to teach you a system to get what you want in life. It then spends the first 80% or so of the book talking about how marketers think and how they manipulate. The part that is the reason most readers presumably bought the book is underdeveloped and tacked on at the end. It contains such advice as "don't be distracted from your goal". Well, I'd like not to be distracted, but I already knew that. How? It doesn't say. It does give an oversimplified example using a glass of water. But there is nothing in the book that translates the philosophy from glasses of water to real life.

To learn what you need, you have to sign up for the "free" web site. I put "free" in quotes because although you pay no money, it will cost you in time. Joyner is a marketer by trade and this site is pure marketing. You do get some material for free, and it may be helpful. I wasn't able to get much out of it, but that could be because I was not in a place to really embrace the system. Instead, I was overwhelmed by the barrage of emails with other products and services from Mark and people he trusts (his affiliates) that would "take me to the next level" or be "the next big thing" and were "limited time opportunities". I had to get in before he "opened it up to the rest of the world". In this respect, I found Simpleology amusingly like Penn and Teller. He told us exactly how the trick was done with all the chapters on marketing. Then he used those techniques on us to get us to give him more money.

Mark seems to have used the web site to create a pool of people who are mentally receptive to his sales pitches. I'm sure some of them have made lots of money as well. But this review is not about the efficacy of his methods, it is about whether his book delivers what it says it does.

The verdict is that it does not. Save the money. If you really want to, try the web site. That is where you will get the exercises that purport to help you cut through distractions and get reach your goals. Just be prepared to deal with a lot of suggestive selling to get through it. And be mindful of the fact that, although these techniques can probably be applied pretty broadly, the focus appears to be on making money by marketing to people on the internet. If that drives you, then you will probably find it rewarding. Otherwise, I'd even pass on the site.

I must admit I bought this book because I think Mark Joyner did a terrific job with his online Simpleology program. I signed up for that program and found it useful, informative and inspiring. Considering the title of Mark Joyners book I thought I would receive an in-depth elaboration about achieving what you want similar to his online program. This however was not the case. And I must admit thus a little disappointing.
Although the book didn't fulfill my expectation I found nevertheless easy to read and the subject it covered interesting enough to read the whole book.

Simpleology is a book that will alternatively have you scratching your head and thinking and then blowing your mind with some of the most insightful ideas on success you'll ever hear.

The author helps you draw a very clear path from where you are to what you want, not what you think you should want, but what you really want. He makes getting it simple, efficient and predictable.

The chapters on defective mental hardware are some of the most sound thinking and well described examples of how we defeat ourselves. Those are followed by the final chapters which give you the programming language you need to easily and completely create your future and have all the things that you really want.

At the end of the book you'll find yourself scratching your head again and wondering, how was I hoodwinked so easily for all those years.

But the book explains that too.

This is a must read if you are a seeker, entrepreneur, parent, thinker or skeptic.

I wasn't able to put it down and I don't think you will either.

Well first of if you like The Secret or are into anything to do with manifestation, metaphysics you will not like this book as a good part of it attacks it and puts it down. The Irony is that the review...

"Shocking! It's dynamite for your brain!"

--Dr. Joe Vitale, author of "The Attractor Factor"

Who was in The Secret is recommending this book. Basically anything to get his name as many places as possible it seems. Which made him lose credibility in my eyes and I won't buy another product based on his recommendation again.

The book has some good parts on how to see the B.S. we are being fed. But then attacks anything to do with the "Law of Attraction", "The Secret". It uses is ridiculous examples of trying to think water from a glass into your mouth vs. picking up the glass and drinking it. That's just stupid and an insult to people that do practice the law of attraction, visualization etc.

Basically beyond bashing Metaphysics and calling everything related to that field pseudo-science (which is just lame, becuase every modern invention we have today was once pseudo-science, cars, airplanes, space travel, ipods, cellphone you name it. Imagination, science fiction and pseudo-science ALWAYS preceded science fact. Science fact tells you what's not possible and imagination and faith tell you what is possible, then science later confirms it after is has been manifested into reality by those that believed. Look back though history and you will see this is true.

When you actually get to the chapter on how to get what you want it offers basically nothing except follow a straight line. Well no duh Mark. I need to read through the rest of your crap to hear that. Then he tries to get to do his website for his free tools. By the way I think you can get an ebook version or something like that for free from his site that will never stop emailing you it seems.

Oh and he talks about changing you mental programming but gives very little info on practical methods. He like hypnosis and tell you to focus on the positive and on your goal...hmmm isn't that the Law of attraction Mark?

The truth is he is using the very same manipulation tactics he discusses in the book. And is setting up a Us .Vs them frame so that you will think he has the answer but to get it you have to go to his website. This is just a lead generation tool for him to get you to sign up at his site. How people are saying this book is amazing I don't get it. Maybe I have just studied a lot more than the average reader. This is a pointless waste of time. Save you money, save your time.

Oh and by the way the Law of Attraction does work...and often with very little physical action. Now if you combine that will massive physical action you have a system that actually get's you what you want.

Title of the book and reviews were one of the main reasons that I purchased the book..Well,if only the book was as nice as the cover!

The Author from newzealand meanders on everything like someone who writes a personal journal in bedtime with sections like Asylum,Invisible Walls,Disposable reality and slowly taking us to the 'ultimate' section.." The simple science of getting what you want"..The book offers no real solutions, not even close to a simple science..Most of the topics are discussed by nearly every 'feelgood and motivating' author ( example :power of using emotional words like enemy and patriot,creating our model of the world with using computer as an example -CPU = mind processing power and RAM = amount of info you can process, OS = your model of the world etc)

I would excuse the author wasting my time, had he be little mindful of how annoying to read this book with funny ( as the author might have thought) discussion between fictitious characters Dave, Barrat and Fool. Equally annoying are the paragraphs that are small and tiny . Each paragraph is 2 or 3 lines, empty space, a paragraph of 2 lines, empty lines etc..makes it an eyesor..A sampler from page 136

"""So perhaps these hardwired Limitations are a blessing

What do we know of these mechanisms?

Not much , we have a few clues """

The book goes on and on like this ..in bits and pieces..Skip this book and read something sensible like "road less travelled" . If you have read that book, read it again..and again..!

I bought this book when it first came out. After eagerly reading it in one sitting (on an airplane) I kept waiting for it to tell me something useful. It did not. I also signed up for the Simpleology 101 course. It is entirely possible that I have done enough productivity improvement work over the years, but I did not find anything useful in the course either. The part that I find the most odd, is that despite the fact that Mark tries to help you become more productive, he floods your e-mail box with incredibly long time wasting e-mails daily. Whats up with that? His software crashed my computer. As other reviewers have stated, "it took over my computer." That was a bummer because that was the only thing of Mark's that I found remotely useful.

The simple science of getting what you want boils down to a few statements toward the end of the book that few would care to argue and fewer still would find novel. However, if you need to hear someone tell you something you already know to feel motivated, this is the book for you.

I was pretty disappointed with this book, given the positive editorial and customer reviews -- it didn't in any way make me feel like I was better equipped to achieve my goals in life. The "Golden Rules" are comical, as Joyner pretentiously calls concepts like focus and logical thinking "laws" and providing absurd and unnecessary justification to confirm that yes, indeed, being focused or having a goal can be helpful in getting something done.

That being said, this book provides some basic philosophical schooling that I believe is much needed in our today's society, especially for the less open-minded. I would recommend one of many great books on philosophy before this one (Sophie's World, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance), but for those who have never thought deeply about these types of issues, this book might on some level serve as an oversimplified introduction.

An interesting read, though the title is slightly misleading - if you're looking for a self-help book, this is not it, search for Napoleon Hill, or Brian Tracey, etc., instead. On the other hand, Mark Joyner does cover some very interesting topics in the context of 'invisible walls': language, self-serving reality, positioning, authority, and much more. Primarily a synthesis of many psychological studies, 'Simpleology' serves as a good and a thought provoking overview.

I don't disagree with the sentiments expressed in this book, but I fail to make the connection with the title. This is not 7 Habits or Psychocybernetics type material. More like an editorial on some topics the author is passionate about.