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2 Chairs by Bob Beaudine

2 chairs, by Bob Beaudine is not exactly a self-help book that Bob is famous for, it is a book about spirituality and belief. In 2 Chairs, Bob tells the reader to connect with God, and find the answers to their questions.

2 Chairs
Bobs mother once told him to set up two chairs every morning, one for himself and one for God. She told him to try connecting with God and find his answers. So, each day he does that, and hopes that God will show up.
He encourages the reader to do the same, saying that though the chances are low, He might show up.

3 Questions
Through the book Bob gives out three questions and tells the reader to ask God, when He shows up:

Does He know your situation?
Is it too hard for Him to handle?,
Does He have a good plan for you?

He has tried to indirectly answer the questions with his stories and tells the reader to have faith. He says that when God will show up, He will not only answer all your questions, but He will make changes in your life. He will fix everything and show you the fatherly love He has for His children.

The Content
The length of the book is 200 pages and the content runs 170 pages. The book is not long but feels like a long read, since there is little content, and a lot of fluff words to meet the word count. The content of the read is good, there are no second thoughts about it, but the same content is repeated or the chapter has random irrelevant stories, forced to sound relevant.

Conclusion
2 Chairs is a book meant for the believers and those who seek help. Though it is a book about God, one could read it as a guide to life, things you need to know about yourself, and the things the universe has planned for you. The pace of the read is, however, slow and could be a turn off for a lot of readers.

2 Chairs by Bob Beaudine
book review by Pervaiz “P.K.” Karim
CalcuttaKid.com

The Power of Who by Bob Beaudine

100/40 Strategy
The book tells the reader to create a list of 100 people that are close to them. Not the influential people they have just met or could seek favors from, Networking as we know is crap, say Beaudine. But, people who have been with them and are their well-wishers. Next, he tells the reader to create a list of 40 things they want from life, their 40 goals.

It is impossible to get every 40 of those without seeking any help. These 100 people are the ones that are going to help you on your way up. They are going to make it possible for you. Know the power of who is going to be with you and who is here for fun.

The Life Events
The author has shared his life events to show his ways work, but more than that, it is just adorable to see the way he walks his talk. He shares an incident from his life about a basketball match and that chapter alone is the crux of the book. There are a lot of other events backing up every sentence in the book.

Reading it!
Each chapter has nearly same bite size length and the book being fairly small, yet it feels like a long read. There is a lot of repetition of the message and after a while the life events, which are funny and at times witty, seem to be the only difference in chapters. The advice is nothing the reader will have heard before, but the way you realize it, is different.

Conclusion
Beaudine says, that you’ll meet thousands of people over the ages, there are going to be hog callers, dream killers and people who want to see you succeed. Its you who decides, where you want to be. There are parts and events in the book that make The Power of Who, a book you’ll turn to, when you seek advice.

The Power of Who by Bob Beaudine
Book review by Pervaiz “P.K.” Karim
CalcuttaKid.com

How to Meditate by Lawrence LeShan

How to meditate by Lawrence LeShan, is not a usual book of mediation and will not tell you that questioning is against meditation and the less you know the better you meditate. It wouldn’t lead you to show life’s depths, auras, your death and the chakra’s. Its a scientific book, which tells you the whys, hows and whats of meditation. The book seeks to teach everyone meditation irrespective of their caste and beliefs.

Why Meditate and The Benefits of Meditation
A psychotherapist himself, he shows you the scientific path. He tells the reader the benefits of meditation and the psychological and physiological benefits of meditation. He has seen results which he says are secondary benefits of meditation and the meditator should not focus on them. The book also shows the reader a way to avoid pitfall while meditating, like dropping heart pulse rates.

The Purpose of the Book
There are hundred of self-proclaimed scholars and teachers who teach people how to meditate if they do not ask questions. This, LeShan says, is not how you learn and is against methods of meditation. It is difficult to find a good teacher, and until you find one, start on your own.

The Ways of Meditation
LeShan gives a briefing and then a detailed insight of 11 different methods of meditation. He separates them as 10 structured types and 1 unstructured meditation. The previous chapters, build up to this differentiation. He shows the close resemblances and yet the different ways of meditation.

Afterword
The first 3/4th book is beneficial to the reader. The latter chapters are the ones you can skip, unless, you want to know the medical benefits of meditation. LeShan has shown the benefits he was talking about so far and then there is a foreword by Edgar N. Jackson saying what should one take from Leshan’s book, which contains nothing about meditation and one can call it useless.

Conclusion
This book isn’t for the ones who believe in auras, deeper meanings of life, supernatural and, astronomical activities. This book is for the ones who seek to find peace in meditation and even for those who think meditation is not going to change anything.

How to Meditate by Lawrence LeShan
book review by Pervaiz “P.K.” Karim
CalcuttaKid.com

Emotional Intelligence by Dr. David Walton

Emotional Intelligence by Dr. David Walton is a book that shows the importance of EQ in our lives. The book mainly focuses on describing what is EQ and its necessity in our lives.

What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional Intelligence or Emotional Quotient is a measure of ones emotional understanding and stability. The term just like IQ is relative, however, there is no way to measure it.

The Process of Thoughts
Our days productivity depends on the thoughts running in our mind. On the cycle of thoughts that plan our next act. We could be doing great until there is a heated argument with someone, when someone doesnt fulfil their duty and it delays your work. It could also be something as trivial as missing a bus.
In situations like these, it is important to understand the reason why the other did what they did. It is important to hold yourself together and not let the situation affect you.

It’s not the IQ
Though, we are firm believers that IQ is the measures of ones success, but that is not always the case. IQ could get you a nice job, but your success at job, depends on EQ. Dr. Walton shows exactly how, one can emotionally manipulate situations in their favor.

Though most big business owner we look up on seem to have high IQ, but they also have high EQ and we are unaware of it. Most small business, run on strong conversations which comes from high EQ.

The Content
The whole idea of Emotional Intelligence runs deep, and it is hard to capture it entirely. The author instead produced a Read Me First book which gives a brief overlook on the subject. David has shared some few tips and tricks we can use in our daily lives to turn things around for ourselves.

Conclusion
Who should read the book, Everyone! Though the brief content, there is a lot of information one can pick up from the book. The unusual way of presenting a psychological fact in a non-scientific manner is what makes the book stand apart.

Emotional Intelligence by Dr. David Walton
book review by Pervaiz “P.K.” Karim
CalcuttaKid.com

Making Your Dreams Come True by Marcia Wieder

Making Your Dreams come True by Marcia Wieder is a book that seeks to pull you out of your comfort zone. Written by someone who left a dream job and set out to San Francisco to chase her dream and fulfill her long lost missions. The book could be broken into 3 simple parts.

Decide What You Want
Most of our lives we are lost in the chase. We are after what everyone else wants, we are studying in grand universities and chasing a dream job. Wieder asks you to question yourself about what you really want. With tricks and tips, she tells you to determine what you, the inner you, wants. Finding out, probably, a long-lost passion.

Remove Self Obstacles
Wieder says that the only thing probably stopping you from getting to your goals is yourself. If you remove your self-doubt and have a little more belief in yourself, you will get where you want to be. All the materialistic and worldly problems are inefficient to stop you, if you think you can beat them.

Take Simple Steps Towards IT
Once you’ve decided what you want, there’s nothing that could stop a person chasing their passion, says Wieder, but wait! Don’t run, don’t jump onto something. Nothing is done in a day. It takes years to build something from scratch, that’s what you are out for. Take it slow, one step at a time, you have your goal ahead of you not break it down into easy steps and work towards it.

You’ll reach there, slowly, eventually, but when you’ll be there there’s nothing you’ve felt like it.

Verdict
Though a good read, there are books that explore each area of the book more deeply and In a much better way. Its the appearance of Wieder on TV that attracts in curious readers and thinker who want inspiration from someone already on the peak of the mountain.

Making Your Dreams Come True by Marcia Wieder
Book review by Pervaiz “P.K.” Karim
CalcuttaKid.com

Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn, by John C. Maxwell

Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn, by John C. Maxwell is not a book that will quote the same idioms that we have heard a million times. Never give up, Failure is not final and all the others you are tired of listening to. Its not a book that will tell you how to be a winner, it is more of turning not wins, into wins.

Maxwell, very briefly, but very often quote that the best teacher is not experience, it is the evaluated experience. He sets out a loose foundation, a framework to turn losses into gains.

The Traps or The Paths
The eleven elements could be called the traps that people tend to fall into, when they are struck by failure, or when they see things not going their way, or they could be called the path that the fallen take to build up back to where they were and where they want to be.

The eleven elements are general, and they are not a very strong piece of advice, its nothing you wouldn’t have heard of in a different book. However, how you learn the way to them, is what makes the book different.

Stand Apart
In Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn, unlike most authors, Maxwell explains terms with his personal experience. He shares his mishaps, failures and mistakes. It makes it easier for the reader to connect with Maxwell, owing to the relatable content and what does he mean when he takes an action.
His sensible insight and his way of looking back at things, while most say, never look back, is what keeps the reader bound to the text. The clear framing of all the topics over 13 distinct chapters with no repeated content, makes the read un-boring or rather, a pleasure.

Conclusion
Maxwell doesnt guide you to the mark of the victory, he just tells you that not winning: is inevitable and we shall learn from it to winning. And I say, not winning because according to him, failure is off the table. Since those who learn from their mistakes, win, well eventually.

Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn, by John C. Maxwell
book review by Pervaiz “P.K.” Karim
CalcuttaKid.com