Customer Reviews

The Way of Adventure: Transforming Your Life and Work with Spirit and Vision

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

 

 

In his Introduction, Salz observes:

"This book is about facing everyday life, work, and relationships with the spirit of adventure. And one thing is certain: most folks in modern civilization are seriously in need of adventure. Never before has a species been locked in a struggle with its own datebooks for survival. We are moving so fast that the phrase human race has taken on a new meaning; each day we feel as though we are falling farther and farther behind. And there is a modem to our madness."

Years ago, someone whose name I do not recall suggested to the effect that there is so much pleasure in our lives...but so little joy. Salz seems to agree. The subtitle of his book indicates that it is about "transforming your life and work with spirit and vision" and that is quite true. He engages his reader in a spiritual as well as physical journey which consists of a series of six "steps", each of which he discusses with meticulous care and engaging sensitivity. These "steps" are:

Leap Before You Look

Aim Higher Than Everest

Give It All You've Got

Work Some Magic

Keep On Your Bearing

Enjoy the View

It would be a great disservice to Salz and to you for me to reveal more about the aforementioned "journey" except to add it is one which really can enable anyone to transform her or his life and work "with spirit and vision." If you are among those who now feel (and are concerned about) an absence of joy in their lives, read this book and then seek out your own "mountains" to climb. Whitman once said, "I am large. I contain multitudes." So are you. I am certain you will find Salz to be an invaluable source of wisdom and inspiration as you prepare for your next "journey."

This book tells the story of the author's travels to exotic locales in search of adventure, self, and the meaning of life. Along the way he discovers that you don't need to leave home to find meaning and fulfillment, you just need the courage and willingness to discover the adventure of being human.

Salz's writing is authentic, his observations simple but profound, and his stories entertaining and inspirational. Each chapter is sprinkled with adventures and exercises you can create that cost nothing, require little time, and are sure to make a difference in your experience of life.

You don't have to be a mountaineer, athlete, or traveler to enjoy this book, all you need is a desire to squeeze every juicy drop out of life. I plan to give copies of this book to many friends.

Here's a "self help" book that is a joy to read. The spirit and vision of the author shines through in his personal experiences and life searches. He writes with humor and just a bit of sardonic wit that entertains at the same time as it educates. The hands-on exercises are easy and illuminating and EVERYONE will find a way to apply these lessons to his(or her) everyday life. This book is a must!

Salz is someone who does more than talk about teamwork he has lived it.

A must read for all executives!

I have read a lot of non-fiction selp help and spiritual books and I must say this one was a pleasure to read. The writer, who spent 20 years he says, completing this books shares with the reader what he learned mainly from his life experience not just "book larnin", so to speak, which makes this book a somewhat light but pithy and very interesting read.

The author uses a pattern whereby he writes a chapter that tells the story of one of his adventures in what I found was an engaging, honest and delightful way. It was hard not to want to find out how things turned out I found and hard, at times, to put the book down.

After you read a fact based chapter, the author then writes a chapter that summarizes the life lessons he learned from his experiences in a point by point manner although he still weaves his life into these chapters as well. These chapters I found easy to follow and yet packed with good life advice. Some of it is probably a review of what you may have heard somewhere else but has the ring of experience behind it that makes it seem more real. For example, from one of his encounters with one of the last real life gaucho's we are given his (the gaucho's) meaning of life summarized in a few sentences- "There is nowhere to go. There is nothing to do except to be of service." Then, the author expands upon that statement in the following chapter.

The author's proclivity for action makes this a good read in particular for those seeking to become better people but lack the personal motivation to pursue a more sedentary sitting meditation practice. The author's perspective is interwoven with a spiritual foundation but emphasizes an active pursuit of one's growth to reach a more spiritual point of view. That is, using everday life as a tool for growth. It also emphasizes the fact that one can become a more complete person without having to embark upon the adventuresome and risk taking life that he did. (Oh yes, some of his fellow adventurer's were woman as well and there is definitely something in here for woman, even householder's, as well.)

My only criticism is the author's political naievete' which he sort expresses at the end but not blatantly, but that doesn't detract from the highly entertaining way that hard earned and quite useful life messages are communicated to the reader. (I probably only noticed the political stuff more because of my own sensitivity to that arena not because the author is trying to blantly push a political message because he is definitely not.)

If you are a "seeker" looking for a change of pace and refreshing read I think you will find it in this book. At least I did. In fact, I hope to reread it to remind myself of the useful messages conveyed if I can put down all of the other books that I have committed myself to, that is.

Salz tone of high adventure combined with self-deprecation (he actually advocates falling off your horse as an excellent way to establish rapport with the natives) definitely makes for an entertaining read.

While his of the Andes and Patagonia (from which one can learn an astounding number of ways to use one's hands when they are frozen solid) are gripping, Salz should be more readily compared to Richard Bach than Sebastian Junger.

Salz manages to give concrete ways of getting the spirit of adventure into your life without having to get your passport stamped... or even leaving your own backyard!

I'd recommend this book highly to anyone who feels like the grind of everyday life is getting them down. I look forward to his next book!

Jeff Salz is adventure. Every minute of his life is filled with the quest for it. His talent at sharing this with others is amazing. To follow Jeff's sharing is to find the love of adventure within the folds of your own life. Or to break out of those folds and do something that is so you, so on your edge and so filled with aspects of your own unlived life that you know aliveness from the inside out. You can live great aliveness and inner peace at once. Jeff has the gift to show how.

I SAW THIS BOOK WHILE I WAS ON CHRISTMAS SHOPPING SPREE AND I BOUGHT IT AS A GIFT. I STARTED READING IT AND I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN.I ENJOYED IT SO MUCH THAT I HAD TO RETURN TO THE BOOKSTORE AND BUY TWO MORE COPIES. THIS BOOK STIRS THE ADVENTUROUS PART OF THE SOUL. GREAT READ!!

I saw Jeff speak at a conference and I have to say that the experience was enlightening. I took copious notes. At the time, I didn't even know his book existed; it wasn't for sale at the conference. After finding it online, I purchased a copy.

In a nutshell, the book reveals unchanging truths about what happiness really is, that life should be about experiences and adventures, not material possessions. It should be about sharing and giving.

If you need to get out of a rut or see your life from a clearer perspective, you'll like the book. Reading it allows you to see existence with a more focused lens. From gauchos to spirit encounters, you'll enjoy his adventures as if they were your very own. Follow his advice and they can be. Don't just exist, live your life. Highly recommend.

I had this book on my wishlist for over a year before I finally bought and read it. I couldn't decide how good it would be, if it would really be worth a $10 bill--or if other books were more deserving of my cash. If you're in that position, this review is for you.

The chapters of this book alternate between stories of adventure and motivational or self-help chapters.

The adventure stories are enjoyable, and if, like me, you haven't had enough adventures lately they might inspire you. The story of his experience as a gaucho, near the middle of the book, is a great one. In the end of the book he compares fatherhood to an adventure, entertainingly comparing his daily routine to the imagined routine of a cave-man. These chapters are the better parts of the book.

The motivational/self-help chapters are filled with the standard exhortations, although here and there the adventure theme adds an intriguing twist, or a unique suggestion. If you really take them seriously, they might be quite helpful. So, although this book is not bad, it's not great, and I'd recomemend "Less Traveled" or "7 Habits" above it.

Conclusion: If you've read those two books, and if you think adventure is something your life is missing, then this book is worth the money and time.

Further conclusion: If you haven't done anything adventurous lately, and your life feels boring, then it's time you did. Reading this book might help you get off your tush, and then it's important that you read it.