Be Great

Image courtesy of bauerticker.uh.edu

“The price of anything is the amount of life you are willing to pay for it.” – Henry David Thoreau

The recently released movie “In Time” portrays a world in which people stop aging at 25.  At this time, they are given only one more year to live. Their currency, however, is not dollars and cents, but hours and minutes. As people work, they are paid in time to live. As they buy things, they lose time off of their life. Although this is not a current reality, the concept is thought provoking. What if everyone looked at price through Thoreau’s eyes? Would exchanging hours of life for something change the way you view material possessions? Perhaps it is time to re-prioritize.

This month’s book review is on Peter Thomas’ Be Great: The Five Foundations of an Extraordinary Life. Thomas believes that life should have an operating manual available to those who would prefer to use it. His book now provides one based on his five foundations of an extraordinary life. These fivefoundations--values, focus, visualization, inspiration, and reflection--can be used and applied to find success in life, no matter what success looks like for you. Certain books can have positive impacts on people’s lives by suggesting new ways to live and empowering them to follow through with their preferred lifestyle; essentially, providing a road map for success in life. Be Great is one such book.

The vast differences in physiological and psychological make-up of people generally causes me to be suspicious of any “one size fits all” approach to anything, whether it be nutrition, exercise, school, or life in general. I initially thought this book would have a similar type of set-up and, therefore, I would not enjoy reading it. However, this book was different. Thomas understands everyone is different and encourages people to use what works for them. For example, his four life values are health, happiness, freedom, and integrity. Rather than saying these are what your values should be, he shows you techniques to determine your own life values. In this sense, his ‘life manual’ can be completely customized to the individual. He then explains how everything you do in your life should be in line with your values, and if they aren’t, then you shouldn’t be doing it.

Not everyone has the same goal in life or the same idea of success, so a one-size-fits-all life manual is rarely a source of inspiration. However, a broad life manual with the tools to individualize should be applicable for all different types of people and all different types of goals. Peter Thomas captured the latter in his book Be Great. Life is too short to live in a way that you are unhappy with. Take the actions necessary to allow whatever dreams you have to come true. If you would like assistance on where to start, I strongly recommend this book, or any of the others I have reviewed. Remember, each day we are given 86,400 seconds of time that we will never get back. It is up to each of us to make the most of the time we are given. Maybe someday we will stop thinking about how much money we make per hour, but rather, how much time we have given up per pair of shoes we buy.

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