The Courage to Be Brilliant How Five Acts of Improvement a Day Will Make You Shine
The Courage to Be Brilliant How Five Acts of Improvement a Day Will Make You Shine
Have you ever believed that you can do more, be more, or have more? Do you see flashes of your lost brilliance in the accomplishments of others? Are you hiding your truth simply to keep the peace?
If so, The Courage to be Brilliant is just for you. Marta Monahan, one of the USA’s leading voices on personal achievement, shares her secrets for avoiding the dullness that comes from settling for less. Her Five Acts of Improvement begin working the moment you try them. You will also discover:
• What holds you back and clouds your purpose • The Three Levels of Thought and how they affect your actions • How to develop your unique Five Acts of Improvement to alter the course of your life • Why radical changes never work • What to do if you cannot envision a life of brilliance
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Excellent
One of the best self-help, motivational books I’ve read in a long, long time. Monahan is a wonderful, insightful writer. I would recommend this book to anyone who is willing to do some soul-searching & work to attain a high ideal in their lives and to stop living in mediocrity and instead in brilliance. Brilliant book!!!!
1 Star Questionable content
I am compelled to take an unpopular stance on this book. The author’s writing is clear and engaging, and I delved into the first few chapters, wielding a yellow highlighter with gusto. But then… The overall tone–rise higher, shine brighter–devolved into an elitist manifesto. You want to be one of “us”–the wealthy, the accomplished, the admired–because you certainly don’t want to be one of “them”–the average, the mediocre, the common.
The implied caste system no doubt has a certain appeal, provided one is not among the majority of human beings. One is only brilliant if one is stellar. One telling quote from the book seems to be highly representative of the author’s view of people: “Since the largest group of people live in the mediocre or inferior levels of thought, the vast majority of the impressions we are exposed to are negative. Most people come across as weak, dull, or offensive.”
Most people… Those who do not rise to breathe the rarified air of superiority are not average–they are “mediocre”. Monahan’s superior people are (from one of her own lists)wise, inspiring, and successful. The mediocre are imitative, self-serving, and stagnant. And woe indeed to “inferior” thinkers who can only be predatory, violent and evil. Ironically, one of the author’s later statements was: “We are not attractive when we speak badly of someone.” No kidding.
The overall gist of the book–strive to excell, pay attention to how you interact with the world, set goals–are the bread and butter of self-improvement guides. Hoewever, any book professing to be a pull yourself up by the bootstraps guide is seriously weakened when the author seems to be sneering at the average person whose boots came from Payless or WalMart.
In my view, self-improvement is not achieved by self-satisfaction or self-congratulation; it is achieved by blooming where you are planted. Monahan’s bloom is a rare orchid–beautiful and coddled by ideal conditions. It is admired and fussed over by others. Far more common–and infinitely more accessible–are the wild profusions of flowers that spring up in rocky soil along the roadways. They are varied, hardy, spirited, joyous, a celebration of life in no uncertain terms. Alas, poor daisies–they are mediocre. Monahan’s overall purpose with this book has merit. But I believe many in the great field of daisies, those hoping to improve themselves in some way, will detect, as I did, a not-so-subtle undertone of snobbery. Debasing the average only serves to widen the gap between the majority and the “superior”.
1 Star “Feel good” clap-trap. No substance
The title sounds interesting. Five acts of improvement a day will make you shine. Wow. What you don’t find out until reading this piece of garbage is: You have to create your own five acts. Basically, the authoress tells us to come up with five acts of “improvement” to our lives. And when the five chosen acts are practiced daily, our lives will improve. Like I said earlier: “Wow.” I mean, who would have guessed? Five acts, huh? Not four? Not six? Nope. Five.
Oh, and if your life doesn’t improve after faithfully practicing your five chosen acts of improvement? Well, it’s not her fault. You obviously chose the wrong five acts.
5 Stars Self empowerment and self improvement made easy!
Marta has brought forth a learner’s manual for self empowerment. “The Courage to be Brilliant” is a step by step guide that gently teaches a new way of being-through love. I highly recommend this wonderful self improvement and life changing tool.
ElanthRa Maitreya
5 Stars The Courage to be Brilliant
Ms. Monahan is gifting us all with her brillance. With her easy style she outlines five acts of improvement to challenge us and direct us to our greater good. She is like a “kinder-gentler” personal trainer, however, she helps us develop our most important attribute – integrity. Required reading for anyone interested in real self improvment
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