Official Review: Achieve Beyond Expectations

shannonkate8 · Post by **shannonkate8** » 19 Nov 2020, 12:10

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Achieve Beyond Expectations" by Bill Blokker, Ed.D..]

4 out of 4 stars

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If you follow or read my reviews, it's easy to see that I am currently on a self-help kick. Who isn't right now? COVID-19 has made many of us stop and take a look inside ourselves. Luckily, there is no shortage of self-help and psychology literature and media. I stumbled across Achieve Beyond Expectations by Bill Blokker, Ed.D. and knew I needed to read this book.

What drew me in at first was that the synopsis talked about self-awareness, avoiding "emotion commotion," and addressing your habits (healthy and unhealthy). I was pleased to see that the author expanded on these topics and discussed so much more. Initially, he notes that it is common that we create our problems. As such, we can solve our problems, right? Bill Blokker says that to do this, we need to start with self-awareness. It can help us monitor our reactions, patterns, and external impacts. This will give us much-needed feedback to move forward. We can then start to develop emotional awareness and address negative emotions as they come up. The author then discusses habits, how to replace old habits, managing expectations, setting goals, and so much more.

I quite liked that the author included anecdotes of other people who had the odds stacked against them. These were throughout the whole book and were amazingly interesting. The stories featured people who put in incredible amounts of work and are still remembered today. For instance, the author mentions that Tom Brady was not a high draft pick, and no one seemed to think he had enough talent for the NFL. However, given his dedication and hard work, he will be remembered long after he stops playing football. The author also included stories of individuals I had never heard of before, like Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor and Tetnia. He highlighted their "impossible" acts of bravery, strength, and commitment. It was helpful to realize that these extraordinary people were once ordinary and that seemingly ordinary people can achieve massive feats with their ambition.

I also really liked that the author added activities, graphs, diagrams, and illustrations. This made the book very visually impactful. I didn't feel like I was reading a textbook but got involved in the topic. The activities, like the emotion awareness activity, were also big helps in identifying where to improve in yourself.

There really wasn't anything I disliked about this book. I was concerned with some of the transitions in the anecdotes, though this was very minor. It didn't majorly disrupt the flow of the story. I only wished for it to be a little more detailed to have better movement.

Overall, of the self-help books I have read, I found that this book had much of what I want in a self-help book. It had activities, was visually engaging, anecdotes, and was based on scientific findings. I also have to conclude that this book appears to be professionally edited as I found no errors. As such, I have to award this book 4 out of 4 stars. I would highly recommend it to those interested in psychology and self-help.

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Achieve Beyond Expectations
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Drianie · Post by **Drianie** » 23 Nov 2020, 02:00

I personally find it difficult to replace old bad habits with new productive ones. This year has awarded me a lot of time for self-reflection, and this book seems like the perfect candidate to help guide me through improving myself. Thanks for the recommendation. Your review is well-written and a joy to read through!

Devika Rajesh · Post by **Devika Rajesh** » 23 Nov 2020, 10:14

During this global pandemic I am also making necessary changes in my life. Turning old habits into something productive being one of them. This book will help me in that. Looking forward to read the book. Thanks for sharing the honest review.

Vannaskivt · Post by **Vannaskivt** » 23 Nov 2020, 17:11

If only every human could possess the high level of self-awareness that the author seems to describe in this book. I like that there are sprinkled examples of people who have utilized this skill. Sounds like a great book to check out, thank you for the great review!