DECEMBER 28th, 2010
Finding Your Road to
Success--How to get there without getting lost, by Patrick Daniel, CA, is a
roadmap to attaining success--and shattering this notion that success is a
myth based purely on luck. Through a series of inspirational quotations and
personal experiences, Daniel provides his easy-to-understand principles that
lead to success.
From adolescents to young adults, and even the elderly, Finding Your Road to
Success is aimed at a variety of age groups. Indeed, all can benefit from the
proven methods and mindsets presented in Daniel's book. The author reminds us
that the human mind cannot retain more than 40% of what it reads the first time
around, therefore he suggests adopting a textbook approach with a series of
routines that will make this book a cinch to comprehend:
1) Highlight, underline, or use sticky notes for the areas that resonate most
strongly.
2) Read, Reread, and Refresh.
3) Attempt to apply and implement into daily routine whenever possible.
Finding Your Road to Success does quite an impressive job in fusing the
philosophical nature of success with practical experiences that reinforce an
idea. Right from the Preface, Daniel presents readers with inspirational
quotes--an excellent way to align their minds with the purpose of the book.
Examples of motivational quotes include, "If you expect to be
successful, you'll be successful. If you expect to fail, you probably will."
This book emphasizes the journey to success and the need for a map to help in
negotiating the twists and turns that occur along the way. More than anything
else, Daniel is adamant in pointing the reader away from a negative attitude
toward a more positive and constructive frame of mind. At the same time,
readers will appreciate his straightforward nature, especially when they come
across passages that hit home. For example, one such hard-hitting,
eye-opening truth is, "If you feel that your life is not going as you
planned, it's most likely your fault. Don't forget, the biggest obstacle to
achieving your success is you."
With a number of practical examples to help illustrate important points in
achieving success, Finding Your Road to Success is invaluable in uprooting
destructive attitudes that serve only to defeat. Furthermore, the book is
thoroughly engaging and entertaining as a result of Daniel's down-to-earth
examples, many of which deliver moral lessons while imparting a refreshing
touch.
One such moral lesson is captured in the tale of the "Donkey in the
Well." Instead of being buried in dirt by the townspeople, the donkey in
the well used the dirt to climb up, and ultimately out, of the well. The
take-home point is that life will throw a barrage of obstacles at you;
however, those who succeed use each obstacle as a stepping stone rather than
a source of misery, depression, and defeat.
Daniel uses his life experiences and managing of finances to build a strong
rapport with the audience. As a successful chartered accountant and owner of
his own accounting company, the author's credentials are unquestionably well
suited for this book. Finding Your Road to Success is a must-read for anyone
who needs a shot of optimism. "Life is filled with solutions, not
problems," is at the core of Daniel's "glass half-full
attitude," and you'll find this attitude with every turn of the page.
Todd
Rutherford, Book reviewer