Click here to see my review on Goodreads.♡
* This book was kindly sent to me for free. In exchange for the gift, here is my honest review.
I recently got contacted by Jeff Simpson to review his book, Health Mind Soul. The title, I think, is quite self-explanatory: it is a book about your health, your mind and your soul. All fun stuff, right?
You will tell me that there are thousands of books out there discussing the same topics, I can only tell you that I agree: there are numerous books of that sort. However, the whole concept behind this one is, to me, really interesting and makes it fun to read. Let me show you why.
A book inspired by an entire life.
Jeff Simpson gives a lot of tips in this book, whether it is about physical activity or journaling. But you know what? Even though these topics are overly discussed absolutely everywhere, something makes the book unique: the author talks from his own perspective. I think that he has understood something that not a lot of people have figured out. What is that thing? Simply that you are an absolute expert and the only one expert when it comes to telling YOUR story. Thus, even though he tackles highly covered topics, he does it in a unique way, which I appreciated.
He covers a wide variety of topics but knows how to summarize and if you have been reading my reviews for a while, you will know that I have a big problem with « too long » self-help books, so this one was perfect for me!
Of course, these topics are widely discussed, but I realized that usually, they were not discussed together in one book. There are books about journaling, about exercising and about improving your relationships, but not that many books about doing it all following the same purpose: living a better, healthier and more fulfilling life.
A practical way for the reader to take action.
My biggest problem with self-help books in general is that they tend to be rather theoretical. The authors tend to give insightful advice, but not actual ways to follow the advice. What I loved in this book is that you have access to real resources and worksheets in the end of every chapter. You have two ways to use these worksheets:
- You can write on the book if you have a paperback version and do not mind doing so.
- You can download the sheets directly here on the author’s website by clicking here.
I really found it cool that the book called to action and not only to reflection. Of course, thinking is good, but there is a time when you just need to take action to change your life.
It is both a book and a workbook in one book., which is an important bonus.
My personal favorites.
I have personally loved several quotes of the book, and I have especially loved one, that we have heard a million times, but that we still need to hear/read in my opinion:
« There is only one true way for your to motivate yourself to work hard: don’t think of it as hard work. »
This is the kind advice yo will get in this book: something you have already heard, but you still need to hear. I deeply think that being given real examples taken from the author’s life can help feel ready to take action: he has done it, so why not you?
The plan given in the book, in my opinion, is the following: solve your problems, change your mindset, and then create solutions. I think it is a right way to live; not neglecting problems but facing them and creating solutions that suit us.
To conclude…
I unfortunately need to say two « negative » things which are all about the form of the book, not about its content. I would have liked a wider space between lines (but I know that this is usually a problem for me, so that may not be a problem for you) and, above all, the references to be put differently. I loved that the book was full of references and, thus, did not plagiarize at all: it is a great point! However, in my eBook version, the references were noted like this: « ref 1 » in the end of the line and I would have preferred them to be put more discretely, maybe in another font for instance.
These are not necessarily important things and absolutely do not prevent you from enjoying the book but I can’t not be 100% honest with you.
To conclude, I would like to tell the author that I have been really happy to read this book, and that I am impressed by how much he loves his wife. It is beautiful to see that love while reading the book (If your read it , you will understand what I mean!).
The English-speaking Frenchie 