Book Review: Personal Development for Smart People by Steve Pavlina

Steve Pavlina has a new book entitled Personal Development for Smart People. Unlike most self-help books, which focus primarily on techniques, Steve's book focuses on principles.  What he has created with his book is an abstract model and structure for growth.

He elaborates on three primary principles for growth (truth, love, power), three secondary principles (oneness, authority, courage) and one overarching principle (intelligence).  The first part of the book details each of these principles.  He divides each of the principles into several aspects, details common blocks and provides exercises to come into greater alignment with them.

• Truth consists of 5 parts: perception, prediction, accuracy, acceptance and self-awareness. The blocks to truth are media conditioning, social conditioning, false beliefs, emotional interference, addictions, immaturity and secondary gain.
• Love arises from connection, communication and communion. The blocks to love are a disconnected mind-set, fear of rejection, incompatibility and a lack of social skills.
• Power has 6 aspects: responsibility, desire, self-determination, focus, effort and self-discipline. The blocks to power are timidity, cowardice and negative conditioning.
• Oneness is truth plus love and entails empathy, compassion, honesty, fairness, contribution and unity.
• Authority is truth plus power. It is built from command, effectiveness, persistence, confidence and significance.
• Courage is love plus power and consists of heart, initiative, directness and honor.
• Intelligence is alignment with truth, love and power. Its aspects are authenticity, creative self-expression, growth, flow and beauty.

The second part of the book applies the 7 principles to different areas of life: habits, career, money, health, relationships and spirituality.   The value of the principles becomes clearer as we see how the principles can accelerate growth in each of these areas. The principles can also serve as a diagnostic tool when you are struggling in some area of your life.  For example, if you know what to do but you aren't taking action, you are misaligned with power.  Or if you are getting great results but you are feeling empty inside, you are misaligned with love.

My favourite chapter in the book is Chapter 5: Authority. I especially enjoyed his emphasis on being the highest authority in your own life and refusing to give your power away:

"Despite what you may have been conditioned to believe, there's no higher authority in this life than you-not your parents, your boss, or your favorite supreme being. If you think anyone else has authority over you, it's only because you yield your authority by choice. Sometimes the consequences of not doing so are so severe that you may feel as if you have no choice, but in truth you always do. Even when threatened with suffering or death, you remain the commander of your own life. Some of your choices may be extremely limited, but they're always yours to make."

In general, the material in the book is very dense - the book is full of ideas.  It requires multiple reading to receive maximum value.  Each time I have reviewed the book, I've uncovered a new idea or perspective that I missed the last time around.  It is also a book to reference whenever you are looking to accelerate your growth in a particular area.

Criticisms

My most significant criticism of the book would be the length. It is too short.  There are a lot of ideas in this book but the book isn't long enough to develop some of these ideas fully, particularly in Part 1 of the book. I think he could have gone into greater detail and explained his reasoning when outlining the aspects of each of the principles.  I would have also liked to see more stories, examples and case studies of the principles in action.

Furthermore, I think the book might be somewhat difficult to follow for readers who do not regularly read his blog.  It's easy for a regular reader to fill in the blanks for the reasoning behind some the ideas in the book that aren't given the length they deserve.  For example, Steve writes about relationships existing only in your thoughts.  He has covered similar ideas in his blog before, so it was fairly easy for me to understand.  When a friend of mine who doesn't subscribe to his blog read the book, she felt that the concept was not sufficiently explained and justified.

Applying the Principles

I was interested to see how the principles would apply to being an entrepreneur and running a business. Here's my breakdown:

• Truth - What is the real purpose of running a business? It is to deliver value. Instead of thinking about how to make more money, think about how to create and give more value to other people. Truth also includes having an accurate perception of your business. Do you have the important numbers (profit, conversion ratios etc.) for your business on hand? Can you easily spot trends using the data you have?
• Love - if you are going to start a business, it better be something you are passionate about. There is nothing worse than working extremely hard at something you hate to do. Do you feel good about your business? Another aspect of love is treating people like people. Employees are not drones who just keep your business running and help you earn money. Customers are not just sources of cash. Treat people like people - not means to an end. Furthermore, you want to connect with the right people. This includes the right employees for your company that have the strengths and passion that will maximize the results for your business. Connecting with the right customers means finding those people who have a genuine need for your product and with whom you can foster a mutually beneficial relationship.
• Power - This principle relates to the how of running a profitable business. This means taking action and having the right knowledge. Action requires courage. The knowledge can be gained through a multitude of sources (formal education, experience, mentors, books, seminars).
• Oneness - Running a business affects man people including both your customers and your employees. In order to be aligned with oneness, you must think win-win. That means paying your employees what they are worth as opposed to trying to squeeze out maximum profit from them. That also means providing genuine value to your customers. Manipulative marketing is not permissible - treat them the way you would want to be treated.
• Authority - As an entrepreneur, you are the leader of your company. You make the decisions and take responsibility for the results. Take a principle-centered approach to your business that consists of truth, authenticity, compassion, caring, focus and discipline.
• Courage - Being an entrepreneur is inherently risky. However, taking risks does not mean being reckless. Make sure you take calculated risks, where the odds are in your favor. This principle also entails refusing to give up too early. Many businesses are not highly profitable during the initial stages. Having the courage to stick with it can make all the difference in the long run.
• Intelligence - It isn't smart to sacrifice long-term growth and sustainability to inflate short-term profits. Although short-term profits provide instant gratification, doing so in a financially irresponsible manner can devalue the business long-term. Just look at the state of the US financial sector.

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Overall, I would definitely recommend that you read this book. Unlike the fluff in many self-help books, the ideas in Personal Development for Smart People are more than feel good filler - they are useful and practical.