Got no time for ashrams and gurus but still want to understand your true purpose on this planet? Maybe you’ve already consumed enough self-help material to fill your own library and want something more portable? Melson has you covered with this cogent and concise collection of workaday wisdom that puts practicality and utility squarely at the forefront and drops it all in the palm of your hand. The author sets a galloping pace from the outset, seamlessly moving between topics impacting our daily lives including self-identity, social interaction, and money. The result is a compelling mixture of the esoteric and the utilitarian; for every foray into the philosophical and theoretical, the author includes enough hard-and-fast to-do lists, affirmations, and writing exercises to make readers feel they haven’t lost their heads in the clouds. “The best way to positively feed your subconscious mind is through emotions of gratitude,” Melson writes. “Gratitude comes into anyone’s life who speaks positive words and who gives thanks.” The author gets granular as well, suggesting that readers use audiobooks as “fuel for [their] success” and restrict their spending to “no more than seventy percent of [their] annual net income.” Melson’s discussion of what he calls the “Wheel of Values” is a highlight of the book—it serves as a nifty survival guide all on its own. Consisting of 10 sections (Family, Appearance, Friends, Attitude, Finances, Career, Fellowship, Health, Direction, and Recreations), each part of the wheel is assigned a number value ascending up from the hub. The further out from the hub one progresses, the smoother the wheel—and life—will roll. Many readers may have difficulty relating to the billionaires (Sam Walton, Warren Buffet, and the like) that Melson holds up as aspirational figures, but those who stick with his text will surely find much here to appreciate and incorporate into their own inner journeys.
