A change of pace today, fellow Life Lovers. I am delighted to present my review of Alex Blackwell’s first book Saying Yes to Change: 10 Timeless Life Lessons for Creating Positive Change.
I have learnt so much from Alex over the past 18 months through his wonderful writings at his blog The Bridgemaker and I thoroughly recommend his blog and this book to you.
Right from the Introduction…..I was hooked.
For the purposes of this review, I will feature “The10 Lessons” & highlight the writings in each ‘lesson’ which were a standout for me, hopefully they will be for you as well.
Bearing in mind that the whole book is a standout, this was difficult, however here goes…after watching this 1 minute (plus a little) video, please read on
Lesson One
Over generalisations…”Over-generalisation is when we believe that if one bad thing happens, then everything else is doomed to go poorly”…isn’t it amazing how people tend to exaggerate their situations, biased toward the negative. It happens all the time. Re think your language, look for the positive & start turning things around.
Lesson Two
“Freedom doesn’t come with a price but it does come with a promise”…prophetic words. Alex goes on to list “three simple but Life Changing words”:
Acknowledge…what’s holding you back, what needs to be changed, your strengths
Accept…that no matter the past, you can begin again
Allow…good things to find you, your gifts to be shared,hope, love
“Freedom’s promise is simple: Nothing has power over you without your permission”
Lesson Three
Stop trying so hard…”be willing to be yourself”
“To change or grow, we must be willing to acknowledge what’s not working.”
These words say it all for me.
Lesson Four
Accept yourself – look for the vibrant colours inside of you
People have a tendency to “cloak” themselves, a protective layer if you will. Take off the cloak and allow your true self/colours to show. Alex has found the strength to do this & will no longer hide his colours from the world…..you can too.
Lesson Five
Life is Beautiful…It is my choice how I live Life and how I view Life
Learn to live without asterisks…exercise your choice to choose Life’s beauty & all that is good about Life…”It’s the small things as well as the big ones, that create my beautiful Life”.
Living Life without conditions frees us to be who we truly are.
Lesson Six
“Love is a Choice”…
“Throughout Life, we often have the opportunity to fall in love.”…..”But I am talking about a more enduring type of love – a ‘whole self’ type of love. In order to live a happy & purposeful life it is important to choose to become a loving person.”…..Choice here is obviously so very powerful
Lesson Seven
Live beyond your skin…”If you are looking for happy life, be happy – right now. Do good things for others – right now. Be kind, smile and look for what’s right in the situation – right now. The way to the life that you desire is within your control – right now.”
Now, Today is where it’s at. Make your choices & act…right now.
Lesson Eight
Find the brighter side of Failure…“I celebrate my humanness”...”I don’t want to be perfect, I just want to be Alex.When my confidence is lacking, I try to remember that I don’t have to be perfect. Part of who I am is the mistakes I have made along the way. These mistakes contribute to my humanness…..” This says it all for me, just be & accept you as yourself & change will accompany you.
Lesson Nine
Take down the White Flag…”Learn to strive for a 10 in all areas of your Life”
“Striving for a 10 is a process”. The reality is that you are unlikely to be giving yourself “10′s” in all areas of your Life however the point of the exercise is to nourish what’s working in your Life, identify areas of personal growth & plan to improve in those areas.
Lesson Ten
Let faith be your Guide…getting rid of excess baggage…”The contents of my backpack change as my Life changes. When I do experience change, it’s healthy to look inside to see what’s no longer useful and what new items might be needed next.”
This is the Faith to let go of the things that no longer serve you and believe in your own power. Use what you need, let go of what you don’t need.
Now, you really don’t have any excuse not to purchase Alex’s book, do you? I bought a copy…..it’s easy.
# For more reasons why you should buy this wonderful book and how to do so, simply click on the link below
http://www.thebridgemaker.com/saying-yes-to-change-10-timeless-life-lessons-for-creating-positive/
David
P.S If you need a Solution for anything that is holding you back in Life, ask me via email, for free!…david@davidstevenslifecoach.com.au
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- Fabulous “Virtual Coach” page here where ongoing support and life changing assistance is just a keystroke or two away. Why not sign up while you are there?
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Hey David
Great post love number eight. To much negativity is placed around failure! It’s just a part of the learning and growing process. An old boily that trained me as an apprentice told me this straight up… A man that never made a mistake, never made anything. Well there were a few expletives thrown in, but I left them out! Lol
Cheers Beanie
Good on you Beanie,
Thankyou for contributing
be good to yourself
I love Alex’s blog – Bridgemaker – I’m a FAN! He points out amazing things here – very powerful statements and so very true!
I love …”The contents of my backpack change as my Life changes. When I do experience change, it’s healthy to look inside to see what’s no longer useful and what new items might be needed next.”
My backpack has changed many times over….
Thank you!
Nancy
My pleasure Nancy,
be good to yourself
Wonderful reminders! I feel drawn to number three right now, but all are helpful guidance for the journey.. thanks for sharing, David!
Thankyou Antonia,
great to see you again
be good to yourself
Hi David,
I would say Nancy is right, i too loved this The contents of my backpack change as my Life changes. When I do experience change, it’s healthy to look inside to see what’s no longer useful and what new items might be needed next.”
And Beanie is right,number eight. To much negativity is placed around failure!
also I really favor is, “Freedom’s promise is simple: Nothing has power over you without your permission”
Great post andalex does a wonderful job and shares many things. Thanks David and you have a great weekend and Blessings to you and Alex,
Debbie
Hi Debbie,
Marvellous comment, thankyou so much…a great w/end to you too
be good to yourself
Hi David,
Thanks for these reminders. I love the advice that Alex gives in his site and in his posts. I’m also sure the book is worth reading. Thanks for sharing my friend
Thankyou for calling in & contributing Dia
be good to yourself
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