I picked this up partly because of its price–$3 at the Bookworm–and partly because of my favorable impression of McWilliams from his Ain’t Nobody’s Business If You Do. The writing style is reminiscent of that book, but the topic–self-help for people who want more money–is more obscure, more abstract, than the treatise on libertarianism. In fact, a majority of this book would probably send most realists screaming. It’s a “I feel good, you feel good” soft of namby-pamby new-age book. But, surprisingly, there is a gem of information contained herein if you can stomach the bonhominie. The sections regarding the setting of one’s purpose and one’s goals can be useful, as is the section regarding how one should “keep score” on their progress towards their goals.

If anything, this book was good for jump-starting my thinking about what I want to do with my life. I think I’ve gotten side-tracked in the past year, what with finally obtaining one goal (my bachelor’s degree), and quickly moving through another (a better job). While I am happy to have achieved both of these goals, I have to be reminded that they are ancilliary to my purpose to become a self-sustaining writer. They may help in the long run, but I cannot rest on them. There are also several tools here that can enable one to help concentrate on goals, as well as a questionnaire to determine if the goal you have chosen is actually what you want.

[Finished 15 March 1995]