Review of How To Be Successful
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Julia Nasri
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Review of How To Be Successful
[Following is a volunteer review of "How To Be Successful" by M. Curtis McCoy.]
When we need extra motivation, we look for different things that will inspire us. Some people like to do group exercise, others listen to podcasts, but many people find a motivational book to be an excellent source of inspiration when we are looking to improve ourselves or our outlook on life. How to Be Successful by M. Curtis McCoy is a self-help book that takes the personal anecdotes of the author and mixes them with interviews with business associates, friends, or family members of the author.
The author breaks down in this book how his life has gone through peaks and troughs of success. The event that changed the author’s perspective on success was their diagnosis with a brain tumor that was considered inoperable. The author overcame this hardship and used his experiences before, during, and after that time to reflect on his own ideas of success. He shares throughout the rest of the book how he views success, how success can be measured, and how people can build success in the personal and financial lives. The interviews that he conducts follow the same structured format, where candidates are asked how they measure success, what are their good habits, and what areas of their own life are they trying to improve. Interviewees include a Navy SEAL sniper, a CMO of a communication company, and leaders of churches. The eclectic group of leaders who he interviews offer differing opinions on leadership and success, but also share a lot of foundational practices that are considered habits of successful people.
I liked the positive moral messages in this book. There were good pieces of advice by the author and the people he interviewed, and their perspectives about leadership, success, and good habits are things that any of us could implement into our own lives. The examples of leadership that he offers cover a wide range of careers, and the author’s own personal experience is admirable. His ability to overcome a life-threatening condition and have it push him to achieve even greater strides in his professional career offers a positive example of hope and perseverance.
I found, however, that some of the people he interviewed provided very similar answers, and the impersonal, repetitive nature of the interviews meant that you were constantly being subjected to the same answers. I think if the types of people he interviewed were more diverse, and if he had chosen to diversify the interviews to be more personalized, than it would be easier for certain people to connect with the messages in the book. Also, I think the interview-anecdote format can be a little confusing at first, so readers should make sure they are carefully reading the numerous headings throughout the book. This, of course, could just be a symptom of reading the book on Kindle instead of having the physical copy of the book.
Overall, I would rate this book as a 2 out of 4 stars. Some people may find the interviews and anecdotes inspiring and interesting, but once you’ve read the same things a few times it begins to feel dull. You never feel like the book is building to a bigger message, so I would not recommend this to friends or family.
However, I would recommend this book if you enjoy self-help books and are looking for something that could motivate you or inspire you in your own journey of success. I think this book would resonate greatly with Christians who are seeking leadership roles in their communities and careers, as there are multiple Biblical quotes throughout the book and many of the people interviewed are either involved in Christianity or refer to their faith.
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How To Be Successful
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
When we need extra motivation, we look for different things that will inspire us. Some people like to do group exercise, others listen to podcasts, but many people find a motivational book to be an excellent source of inspiration when we are looking to improve ourselves or our outlook on life. How to Be Successful by M. Curtis McCoy is a self-help book that takes the personal anecdotes of the author and mixes them with interviews with business associates, friends, or family members of the author.
The author breaks down in this book how his life has gone through peaks and troughs of success. The event that changed the author’s perspective on success was their diagnosis with a brain tumor that was considered inoperable. The author overcame this hardship and used his experiences before, during, and after that time to reflect on his own ideas of success. He shares throughout the rest of the book how he views success, how success can be measured, and how people can build success in the personal and financial lives. The interviews that he conducts follow the same structured format, where candidates are asked how they measure success, what are their good habits, and what areas of their own life are they trying to improve. Interviewees include a Navy SEAL sniper, a CMO of a communication company, and leaders of churches. The eclectic group of leaders who he interviews offer differing opinions on leadership and success, but also share a lot of foundational practices that are considered habits of successful people.
I liked the positive moral messages in this book. There were good pieces of advice by the author and the people he interviewed, and their perspectives about leadership, success, and good habits are things that any of us could implement into our own lives. The examples of leadership that he offers cover a wide range of careers, and the author’s own personal experience is admirable. His ability to overcome a life-threatening condition and have it push him to achieve even greater strides in his professional career offers a positive example of hope and perseverance.
I found, however, that some of the people he interviewed provided very similar answers, and the impersonal, repetitive nature of the interviews meant that you were constantly being subjected to the same answers. I think if the types of people he interviewed were more diverse, and if he had chosen to diversify the interviews to be more personalized, than it would be easier for certain people to connect with the messages in the book. Also, I think the interview-anecdote format can be a little confusing at first, so readers should make sure they are carefully reading the numerous headings throughout the book. This, of course, could just be a symptom of reading the book on Kindle instead of having the physical copy of the book.
Overall, I would rate this book as a 2 out of 4 stars. Some people may find the interviews and anecdotes inspiring and interesting, but once you’ve read the same things a few times it begins to feel dull. You never feel like the book is building to a bigger message, so I would not recommend this to friends or family.
However, I would recommend this book if you enjoy self-help books and are looking for something that could motivate you or inspire you in your own journey of success. I think this book would resonate greatly with Christians who are seeking leadership roles in their communities and careers, as there are multiple Biblical quotes throughout the book and many of the people interviewed are either involved in Christianity or refer to their faith.
******
How To Be Successful
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Amora by Grant Hallstrom
