(Reviewed by JD Jung)
Are you stuck in your life? Are you bored with your job or want to connect with people? Do you just want more out of life? Mark L Wdowiak gives a convincing and motivational guide to changing your life in If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your But’s: A No-Nonsense Guide to Happiness and Success.
He states that the sole purpose of the book is for readers to make some positive progress in their everyday life.
How do you do that? Take responsibility, take control and take action. He urges you to accept and appreciate what you already have and where you are right now. Your life is a reflection of your past choices and actions. Yes, your entire past, like your childhood, may not have been your own doing, but only you have the power and responsibility to dictate where you go from here. You must stop making excuses and blaming others. The author does acknowledge this in his own life as he takes personal responsibility for becoming a teenage father.
He stresses the words “decide”, “commit” and “effort”. This differs from many self-help books in that it’s not a matter of entitlement. You must take actual steps to improve your life. Though keeping positive thoughts is essential, you must take actual steps and do the work. You need to consistently work on your character and integrity to attract the same in other people. Let go of limiting relationship. Also, if you don’t take control of your thinking, others will.
Success is consistent with the effort you are willing to put in. Little successes in life add incentive and confidence to do more. Success is continuous, not a destination. This concept especially resonated with me.
He repeats a lot of the principles throughout the book, but I appreciate that. If at first it doesn’t click, when he restates an idea in another way, it just may.
Many people don’t really know what would make them happy. For instance, some don’t know what type of career would satisfy them. Even though Wdowiak gives brief examples of how one’s life could be improved, it would help if he included some nuts-and bolts exercises to help those who need a concrete plan of action. He mentions that self- awareness is a must, but it’s easier said than done.
That said, I still think that everyone will benefit from If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your But’s. We can all improve the quality of our life, and this will provide the motivation to do so.
