Book Review: The Power of Self-Confidence by Brian Tracy

The Power of Self-Confidence by Brian Tracy provides food for thought about how we are the ones who hold ourselves back from the goals we hold. The book discussed how self-confidence is built through perception and action that enhances character. It sheds light on how self-confidence is an inner game that once it is mastered moves to provide new ways of overcoming environmental challenges. 

The book has approximately seven chapters that include the foundations of self-confidence, purpose and personal power, achieving competence and personal mastery, the inner game of self-confidence, capitalizing on strengths, and overcoming adversity, and self-confidence in action. Each of these chapters will help readers gain greater awareness of what self-confidence is and where it can lead them. 

Self-confidence is a very personal game one can master with themselves. It is one in which you are both the player and the opponent. The world is a reflection of what you believe and this confirms our self-beliefs. There will always be those who desire to hold you back or gain at your expense but ultimately you are the one who chooses to allow them. Once you make the choice to stand up to yourself and for yourself the possibilities become endless. 

True self-confidence is missing in the vast majority of society even if most refuse to acknowledge it. The very act of not perceiving areas of weakness and a need for improvement is the very essence of lacking self-belief. Self-image is so low that some cannot bear the responsibility of viewing themselves how they truly are, the battery of skills they maintain, and the ones they need to add.  

 Before one can pull themselves up from their current station in life they must first acknowledge room for improvement and where to capitalize on the strengths they have already developed.

Those people who are unstoppable in life are the ones who can set goals and use the power of confidence to go after them. They allow no one to stand in their way or to tell them such goals cannot be achieved. With confidence they can blow by the competition and head straight for the goal posts. They are unstoppable! 

The last chapter of the book provides for the Four Ds of Success and Self-Confidence.  They include:

-Desire: You must desire to become a self-confident purpose.

-Decision: You must make the decision that you will work on yourself.

-Determination: You must be determined to change the way you act and spend your time.

-Discipline: Do it and get it done. 

The book is not scholarly by nature but does provide some sound advice for its readers. Each of us has a few places to learn, develop, and grow. There is no such thing as perfection in human life and those who cannot see the room for improvement are delusional. The book will move through a sequence of steps that help others gain a better perspective on how to achieve their goals.  It is in the genre of business.

Tracy, B. (2012). The power of self-confidence: become unstoppable, irresistible, and unafraid in every area of your life. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 978-1-118-46401-4

Price: $15-$25

Pages: 156

Blog Ranking: 3.7/5

Author: Dr. Murad Abel

Book Review: Goal Setting: A Motivational Technique that Works!

Goal Setting: A Motivational Technique that Works! by Edwin Locke and Gary Latham discusses in great detail the nature of employee goal setting and how this can improve performance within organizations. The book elaborates on how to set goals in a manner as to produce motivation, implement goals within organizations, and how to design goals that further corporate strategies.

It discusses how goal setting has become supported by science as a plausible method of developing higher forms of activity within organizations. Such concepts as laboratory testing as well as real world validity have been assessed to lend credibility to the overall work. Through these studies the advantages of goal setting include productivity, performance, clear expectations, thwarting of boredom, task satisfaction, performance satisfaction, recognition options, competition, and self-confidence.

There is also some practical advice on how to set goals. The book suggests:

1.) Specify the general objective or tasks to be completed.
2.) Specify how the performance in question will be measured.
3.) Specify the standard or target to be achieved.
4.) Specify the time span.
5.) Rate goals as to difficulty and importance.

The work offers root explanations on how to successfully set goals and encourage both productivity and motivation in the workplace. It is a must read for any person who desires to work in business. Through understanding such basic concepts one can understand a greater method organizational improvement. The work is written at a college degree level and is fairly easy to read and understand. It is an important book to put in your library. Lots of references for expanded reading are included.

Locke, E. & Latham, G. (1984). Goal Setting: A Motivational Technique that Works! Prentice Hall: New Jersey. ISBN 0-13-357467-9

Pages: 171
Blog Ranking: 4.8/5 (no age penalty as it is a root theory book).
Cost: $104 New $20 Used