I was offered the opportunity to read and review You are Awesome by Neil Pasricha prior to its publication on November 5th. It was a great opportunity for which I am thankful for as it is a simple, accessible, 9 point plan to a better life. It is short and punchy, easily consumable and practicable. Each of the nine points of the plan are presented as “secrets”. You are easily able to read each one during one or two days and spend some time working on applying it in your life and business.
Anyone in business, particularly small business owners, have times where they needed to be reminded that there is more to life and that our perception within our business bubble is not necessarily the reality. Neil’s secrets become tools which we can use to calibrate ourselves to stumble upward. The tools can help us deal with challenges on a day to day basis, and without giving them all away cover strategies that deal with:
- Negative and defeatist self-talk by adding a dot dot dot to the end of a defeatist sentence. Ok, I gave away that one – Add a dot dot dot.
- The idea that we are always being watched and judged, and the impact that has on being able to learn from set backs.
- Positive ways to approach failures using perspective, time and evolution, and the big picture.
- How to overcome shame via reframing techniques, a growth mindset, and three big questions.
- Embracing failure in the name of ambition and the long game. In fact, seeking out opportunities to fail!
- The power of confession or owning by enacting a reveal of limiting beliefs and empowering ones.
- Finding and exploiting your perfect niche.
- Time blocking time for yourself, getting clear of distractions.
- Determination and drive to go forward. Never ever stopping.
Neil shares personal failures which is common in self-help books, but he goes beyond that in this one by sharing VERY personal issues, tragedies and setbacks, a very generous way to put the secrets into perspective.
The book is highly accessible and can be used as a plan, working on each secret in turn until they become habits. It is important to note, in order to utilise Neils key secrets and maximise their potential, it requires application of two personality traits of an effective business manger. The first is having the ability to demonstrate emotional intelligence for not only yourself, but as importantly your fellow colleagues in the business environment. This means to recognise when your own emotions or colleagues may be getting out of control and it is time to apply the key concepts in this book to pivot or change a situation with respect to these negative emotions. It can lead to a positive outcome that produces better results if emotional intelligence is understood. Further, possessing a high level of self awareness and knowing what is within your own capabilities or when it is time to seek assistance from the “secrets” in this book is equally as important. By harnessing both factors, it will allow for the secrets in You are Awesome by Neil Pasricha to be implemented with ease and produce positive results across both business and your personal life.
