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Showing posts with label personal development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal development. Show all posts
3 out of 5 stars

This book was a 2017 Christmas gift from my Avon upline team leader.  This little book is a fast Read (65 pages with 24 pages of successfull direct marketers stories) and packed with a lot of information which would be greatly helpful to someone new to direct marketing, as well as a good review to someone who is not.

A lot of the points made and information given I have heard before.  Some of it was presented in a different way, which is always refreshing.  I found it quite funny that there were quite a few disclaimers reiterated every few pages throughout the book:

"Geometric progression of your sales team's growth is easy to show on paper as a hypothetical but takes leadership, motivation, and dedicated effort for years to accomplish.  Most people (an understatement) do not maintain their motivation to continue."

"These success stories are exceptional exceptions and are shared here to inspire you and show you people from different walks of life walks of life who have succeeded.  They are not what you should expect to accomplish.  They are 1 out of 10,000 or less.   And yet it is interesting to note where they came from and what they accomplished.  And maybe, just maybe, you could do the same."

I believe these quotes were repeated to make the reader aware that the likelihood of earning the kind of income represented in this book is not common and should not be expected.

The takeaway from this book is that most people who enter into a direct marketing company quit before their 'possible' big financial breakthrough happens.  It takes a high level of discipline, motivation and personally developing for the direct marketing entrepreneur to keep going.  There are no guarantees, just unknown possibilities.



Join my Avon Team here.

Book Review: The Four Year Career by Richard Bliss Brooke

3 out of 5 stars

This book was a 2017 Christmas gift from my Avon upline team leader.  This little book is a fast Read (65 pages with 24 pages of successfull direct marketers stories) and packed with a lot of information which would be greatly helpful to someone new to direct marketing, as well as a good review to someone who is not.

A lot of the points made and information given I have heard before.  Some of it was presented in a different way, which is always refreshing.  I found it quite funny that there were quite a few disclaimers reiterated every few pages throughout the book:

"Geometric progression of your sales team's growth is easy to show on paper as a hypothetical but takes leadership, motivation, and dedicated effort for years to accomplish.  Most people (an understatement) do not maintain their motivation to continue."

"These success stories are exceptional exceptions and are shared here to inspire you and show you people from different walks of life walks of life who have succeeded.  They are not what you should expect to accomplish.  They are 1 out of 10,000 or less.   And yet it is interesting to note where they came from and what they accomplished.  And maybe, just maybe, you could do the same."

I believe these quotes were repeated to make the reader aware that the likelihood of earning the kind of income represented in this book is not common and should not be expected.

The takeaway from this book is that most people who enter into a direct marketing company quit before their 'possible' big financial breakthrough happens.  It takes a high level of discipline, motivation and personally developing for the direct marketing entrepreneur to keep going.  There are no guarantees, just unknown possibilities.



Join my Avon Team here.

Posted at 8:23 PM  |  by Lisa Epler, AVON AMB & Gold Amb. Leader / 10 Star Ambassador
3 out of 5 Stars


"One of the core ideas in his books is that it is possible to change other people's behavior by changing one's reaction to them."

As I read this book the main word that kept jumping out at me is 'manipulation.' 
By doing (or not doing) certain things, you are kind of manipulating the person into doing what you want. I am not a proponent of manipulation by any means. I do feel that helping the other person come to their own conclusions through some of these principles is helpful. 

I read a review on this book by a reader on GoodReads and she said that this book had a negative effect on her life. With any self-help books that you read, you must take things with a grain of salt. With "How To Win Friends And Influence People," I believe many of the insights are mainly geared to a person who is in business (salesperson.) That is not to say parts may not be applied to personal friendships/relationships. I think you have to remain true to your personality and not force something that is not natural. 

The negative reviewer said "The book basically tells you to be agreeable to everybody, find something to honestly like about them and compliment them on it, talk about their interests only and, practically, act like a people pleaser all the time. After being a smiley happy person with loads of friends for about a year, the unpleasant realization began to creep in, that by being so agreeable to everybody else, I rarely ever got my way. I also sustained friendships with people who were self-centered, so talking about their interests was all we got to do together, which drained me of my energy. The worst thing still, is that by trying to find something to like about every person, I completely disregarded their glaring faults. It didn't matter that those people did have redeeming
qualities - they weren't redeeming enough! I ended up with a bunch of friends I didn't really want and, because I was so preoccupied with "winning" those friendships I missed out on the chance to form relationships with good people."

I think what the reviewer did was to conform to the different principles and took them to heart a bit too much. There is definitely a time and place for everything and if you're using these principles all of the time, well that can seriously get tiring in my opinion. If you're thinking of reading this book because you are lonely & want friends, don't read it. 

I read this book on my Kindle and plan on going back to all of the notes I highlighted. A lot of what is presented in this book is common knowledge, it's just that it is presented in a way that really makes you think about how to use the principles. Having examples of each is also extremely helpful.

I think this book should be a requirement for college or anyone working in a business setting. I also believe it was completely written at the time aimed towards salesmen. Not all people have the natural ability to do the things presented in this book; some do. This book is obviously a best seller for a reason and I think the reason is the way the principles are presented.



Book Review: How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

3 out of 5 Stars


"One of the core ideas in his books is that it is possible to change other people's behavior by changing one's reaction to them."

As I read this book the main word that kept jumping out at me is 'manipulation.' 
By doing (or not doing) certain things, you are kind of manipulating the person into doing what you want. I am not a proponent of manipulation by any means. I do feel that helping the other person come to their own conclusions through some of these principles is helpful. 

I read a review on this book by a reader on GoodReads and she said that this book had a negative effect on her life. With any self-help books that you read, you must take things with a grain of salt. With "How To Win Friends And Influence People," I believe many of the insights are mainly geared to a person who is in business (salesperson.) That is not to say parts may not be applied to personal friendships/relationships. I think you have to remain true to your personality and not force something that is not natural. 

The negative reviewer said "The book basically tells you to be agreeable to everybody, find something to honestly like about them and compliment them on it, talk about their interests only and, practically, act like a people pleaser all the time. After being a smiley happy person with loads of friends for about a year, the unpleasant realization began to creep in, that by being so agreeable to everybody else, I rarely ever got my way. I also sustained friendships with people who were self-centered, so talking about their interests was all we got to do together, which drained me of my energy. The worst thing still, is that by trying to find something to like about every person, I completely disregarded their glaring faults. It didn't matter that those people did have redeeming
qualities - they weren't redeeming enough! I ended up with a bunch of friends I didn't really want and, because I was so preoccupied with "winning" those friendships I missed out on the chance to form relationships with good people."

I think what the reviewer did was to conform to the different principles and took them to heart a bit too much. There is definitely a time and place for everything and if you're using these principles all of the time, well that can seriously get tiring in my opinion. If you're thinking of reading this book because you are lonely & want friends, don't read it. 

I read this book on my Kindle and plan on going back to all of the notes I highlighted. A lot of what is presented in this book is common knowledge, it's just that it is presented in a way that really makes you think about how to use the principles. Having examples of each is also extremely helpful.

I think this book should be a requirement for college or anyone working in a business setting. I also believe it was completely written at the time aimed towards salesmen. Not all people have the natural ability to do the things presented in this book; some do. This book is obviously a best seller for a reason and I think the reason is the way the principles are presented.



Posted at 9:55 PM  |  by Lisa Epler, AVON AMB & Gold Amb. Leader / 10 Star Ambassador
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

This book was recommended by one of AVON's top representatives, 
Lisa M. Wilber, Platinum Executive Leader.  
Lisa also wrote a recommendation at the very beginning of this book.


Andrea Patten addresses the fact that everyone has always been told to hush the inner critic within you.  Her approach is to try to work with that voice so that it can work for you, instead of against you. 

"Finding benefits hidden by annoyances is not an easy process.  It takes effort, energy and focus.  And creating a new, more peaceful relationship with your Inner Critic is complicated by the fact that, for years, experts have been offering advice on how to silence the Inner Critic."

She believes that by trying to 'kill off' the inner critic brings it back to be "even stronger and naggier than before."

What is an inner critic?  Patten describes it in this way: 
"An Inner Critic is our brain's misinterpretation of stimulus or data that:
amplifies harsh self-judgement, creates negative self-talk and, interferes with the confidence needed to take action toward personal goals and desires."

The author also gives many ideas and skills to help "transpose the negative into positive."

"Your Inner Critic can brilliantly detect threats but is none too bright about priority-setting." 

Patten also recommends giving your inner critic a new name....something that "brings both comfort and confidence."  

"Personal growth strategies are not Swiss Army knives: I can't think of a single one that works in every situation, that's why it's such a good idea to try them on for size."

"Part of nurturing an inner ally involves deciding which messages to focus on and which ones to let go." 

Some negative key words mentioned within the writer's vocabulary in this book are:  demoralization, enemy, flaws, faults, tension, bad mental habits, threaten, warning, shatter, permanent, worrying, harmful, dangerous, panic and undesirable,

Positive vocabulary used in this book to counter-act the negative words above are: brave, honest, relax, soothe, energize, safe, forgive, strengths, peaceful, strong, partnership, healthy, powerful, brilliant, nurturing, honesty, acceptance, courage, flourish, opportunities, benefits, focus and energy.

I wish I could say more and believe more about the topic presented in this book.
I've tried many times in my life to turn things around by mental ability.
I honestly think this is way to continue to motivate yourself to just keep moving on in life.  I don't think that just by 'thinking' about something that it will happen.
I could post examples here, but will refrain because I do not want to drudge up old memories just to upset myself on a book review.
Change takes action, that I believe.  But even sometimes with action and doing the best you possibly can do, that still isn't enough.
It's discouraging, and unfortunately we learn to live with it.

I do not totally disagree with the thoughts and exercises presented in this book.  Like the author said, it's not a one-size-fits-all type of thing.  Definitely read this book to get ideas to help yourself deal with your inner critic.
Try to apply the mental exercises presented and
 choose the ones that are best for you!


Book Review: The Inner Critic Advantage: Making Peace with the Noise in Your Head by Andrea Patten

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

This book was recommended by one of AVON's top representatives, 
Lisa M. Wilber, Platinum Executive Leader.  
Lisa also wrote a recommendation at the very beginning of this book.


Andrea Patten addresses the fact that everyone has always been told to hush the inner critic within you.  Her approach is to try to work with that voice so that it can work for you, instead of against you. 

"Finding benefits hidden by annoyances is not an easy process.  It takes effort, energy and focus.  And creating a new, more peaceful relationship with your Inner Critic is complicated by the fact that, for years, experts have been offering advice on how to silence the Inner Critic."

She believes that by trying to 'kill off' the inner critic brings it back to be "even stronger and naggier than before."

What is an inner critic?  Patten describes it in this way: 
"An Inner Critic is our brain's misinterpretation of stimulus or data that:
amplifies harsh self-judgement, creates negative self-talk and, interferes with the confidence needed to take action toward personal goals and desires."

The author also gives many ideas and skills to help "transpose the negative into positive."

"Your Inner Critic can brilliantly detect threats but is none too bright about priority-setting." 

Patten also recommends giving your inner critic a new name....something that "brings both comfort and confidence."  

"Personal growth strategies are not Swiss Army knives: I can't think of a single one that works in every situation, that's why it's such a good idea to try them on for size."

"Part of nurturing an inner ally involves deciding which messages to focus on and which ones to let go." 

Some negative key words mentioned within the writer's vocabulary in this book are:  demoralization, enemy, flaws, faults, tension, bad mental habits, threaten, warning, shatter, permanent, worrying, harmful, dangerous, panic and undesirable,

Positive vocabulary used in this book to counter-act the negative words above are: brave, honest, relax, soothe, energize, safe, forgive, strengths, peaceful, strong, partnership, healthy, powerful, brilliant, nurturing, honesty, acceptance, courage, flourish, opportunities, benefits, focus and energy.

I wish I could say more and believe more about the topic presented in this book.
I've tried many times in my life to turn things around by mental ability.
I honestly think this is way to continue to motivate yourself to just keep moving on in life.  I don't think that just by 'thinking' about something that it will happen.
I could post examples here, but will refrain because I do not want to drudge up old memories just to upset myself on a book review.
Change takes action, that I believe.  But even sometimes with action and doing the best you possibly can do, that still isn't enough.
It's discouraging, and unfortunately we learn to live with it.

I do not totally disagree with the thoughts and exercises presented in this book.  Like the author said, it's not a one-size-fits-all type of thing.  Definitely read this book to get ideas to help yourself deal with your inner critic.
Try to apply the mental exercises presented and
 choose the ones that are best for you!


Posted at 7:26 PM  |  by Lisa Epler, AVON AMB & Gold Amb. Leader / 10 Star Ambassador

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