Brief Thoughts On Making The Most Of Your Life - Life is Short And So Is This Book

This book is a compilation of most generic wisdom bits -- common truths expressed in bland language, neither engaging nor very actionable. The author is just chatting away contentedly, a spoonful of this, a little bit of that - like an elder sharing his tried and true advice for the umpteenth time. And then it is over.

We live in an epoch when the publishing industry is highly differentiated and very clever - every book you read nowadays has some sort of "personality," is written from some specific "angle," it has a "hook," so to say. This one doesn't. The author doesn't have a "method" from which he is approaching his subject (or rather, his many subjects). It is just common regurgitated wisdom that every adult could dispense, like: "Try Not to Worry", "Laugh", or "Build Character and Make Friends" (these were actually chapter headings). Or passages like: "Habits form when we are young, and solidify before we know it. So forming the right habits early is critical, whether that means eating well, exercising, saving money or being honest". or: "The people with whom we associate can have a huge impact on the development of our personalities, particularly when we're young." I guarantee you already know everything in this book. It focuses or nothing in particular, it talks about everything in general. I am delighted that it is as short as it is - this would be an angry review otherwise.

The ONLY use I can see for this book is as a gift for teens and young people. They probably will find said truths more fresh. But even they are so sharp nowadays, they might have heard those things already from a rectitudinous grandma or some other gab-tongued goody-goody.

Thanks for reading my review and, if it was helpful for you to get a feel for this book, I'd really appreciate a click on the "yes" button.

This was very average. Nothing original or new. Parts of it sound like a newspaper article. Even though it is cheap, justdon't waste your time. I gained almost nothing. Disappointed. I am not convinced other reviews are genuine at all.

I’m quite pleased with this short “self-help” book. I’m sorry to say I knew everything in it...yet I haven’t been practicing what it’s preaching!

Sometimes we need to be reminded of what we’re capable of accomplishing!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️??☄️?

Please excuse my English, it is not my native language. I found this to be a very inspirational book. I an happy that the author, who is obviously a smart and successful gentleman, decided to share his insights and life experiences with readers of his work. I found it especially gratifying that he did NOT patronize us or come across as preachy- his tone was one of a mature, tolerant and open minded person.

One of his thoughts that resonated with me particularly was, "As an adult it is important to take responsibility for your life." I agree completely and have always believed that a person can be considered an adult only when he/she takes responsibility for the events in one's life, good and bad, rather than blaming others for past mistakes.

Although it would seem to be an obvious statement, when he wrote that being a parent is the most satisfying and enriching experience he'd ever had, I could not have agreed more. These are words to live by, and people who choose not to become parents or indeed choose not to fulfill their responsibilities as parents just don't know the joys that they are missing out on.

At the same time as many of the author's thoughts rang true to me, I have to respectfully disagree that it is "impossible to change adult personality." I believe that if someone is willing to change, it is possible- not easy, but possible. I have changed myself a lot, and will continue to try and change for the better every day of my life by continuing to seek the counsel of, and listen to the advice offered by people who are smarter and wiser than I will ever be. Certainly, there are core traits of one's personality that cannot be drastically changed as an adult, stubbornness for example, but even in that case I think one can learn to recognize that behavior and limit its negative effect on one's life.

In closing, I would also say that even though I enjoyed the book tremendously, it also made me a bit uncomfortable because the author is big on not wasting your time in life and I have felt at times that I have wasted too much of mine with procrastination. But self-awareness and growth does not happen if one stays in their comfort zone all the time, so I will try to take that lesson to heart and continue to strive to be happy, have fun and be funny and to appreciate all aspects of this journey we call "life."
Thank you, Peter A!

Life is Short And So Is This Book: Brief Thoughts On Making The Most Of Your Life captures the fundamental core values that many of us forget and often take for granted. Peter Atkins' book is a refresher course that peels away the layers of uncertainty to reveal life's true meaning and purpose. In our day-to-day mad rush through the clutter of our lives we often lose sight of what really matters. Real friends, real people and spending your time doing what moves you--these are the essential principals of life. On the subject of spending time with good friend, there is a premium placed on defining exactly what is a good friend. Reference is made to the legendary entrepreneur Rose Blumkin (She started the Nebraska Furniture Mart in a basement in 1937)who described a good friend as someone who would be willing to hide her from the Nazis. In this day of fickle Facebook friends, really pondering the true meaning of friendship is a wake-up call and reminder of the values and relationships that will create meaning in our lives. Life is too short to squander our precious seconds. Our two most valuable assets are time and money. You can make money, lose money and make money again, but time is different. Time is one thing that once you give it away, you can never get it back. Time is the most valuable commodity of all. This book begs the question: How are you spending your precious time? It's something we all need to think about.

Every once in a great while, someone writes a little book with a big impact. Often these tracts are direct to the point of being blunt -- and steadfast in their assertions -- that life is what you make of it. This is such a book. It offers insight into the small ways everyday that we choose to give ourselves what we want... or not, mostly by the fault of not actively choosing and letting circumstances choose for you. Admittedly, I know the author well -- he is my brother -- so I have unique perspective that few will ever have into what makes him tick. But just as well as I know my brother, I was surprised to find his book to possess the type of wisdom that few ever attain. To know oneself so well or to believe in oneself so completely as to be able to convert dreams into reality, that is the remarkable talent that is shared in these few pages. This book is full of little life lessons that pack a powerful punch. And that is what you will gain a little something of when you buy "Life is Short".

Atkins' short book is packed with useful advice on making our lives more meaningful and more enjoyable. Not difficult steps, but steps which require us to be aware and to work tirelessly towards that end. A great, little instruction manual.

This book goes through a broad range of subjects, but does not go deep in any of them. It is short, so I could not go deep anyway. But as it is very superficial, it doesn’t really bring any practical useful information, just general guidelines on how to behave at work or private life to be as much productive as possible.

While I enjoyed the quotes from some of the world's greatest minds, the advice is time worn and redundant. The ending was irritating. The wealth gap MAY cause societal instability??? Does the author get out much? Once the book dissolved into right wing nonsense it lost me completely.