By Rolf Crocker

There is an old saying – “Everyone has shoes but the Cobbler’s kids,” meaning that I can dispense what some perceive to be valuable, sage advice for their life and yet be in seemingly short supply for my own.  That’s kind of been my story over the last few months.  Due to several factors both internal and external, I’ve found myself hitting a bit of a wall, with no apparent way of scaling over it or blowing through it.   So what do you do when the “Not A Through Street” sign shows up?  Two things – 1) go to friends whom you trust to tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear and 2) seek out someone else who has gone through similar circumstances has written about it.  The latter is how I came across the book for this month’s review – kind of a literary ‘Russian Roulette’ to help me blow through some mental roadblocks.  Let’s take a look…

The Power of Focus – How To Hit Your Business, Personal and Financial Targets With Absolute Certainty by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt (©2000 Health Communications, Inc.).  If a couple of the author’s names sound familiar, they should.  Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen are the authors of the wildly successful ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ series.  As I said above, I was looking for a literary ‘Russian Roulette’ quick-fix.  Needless to say I chuckled that in the Forward, the Authors dispelled the notion of this being a ‘quick-fix’.  Funny to me because I should know better (see – none of us have it all dialed in!).  The Authors take the reader through a series of ‘Focusing Strategies’ which combine a specific Principle (i.e., ‘Your Habits Will Determine Your Future’) with real-life anecdotes, then end with a series of ‘Action Steps’ to help you implement the principle just discussed.  There are 10 of these ‘Focusing Strategies’ including ‘Do You See The Big Picture,’ ‘Building Excellent Relationships,’ and ‘Living On Purpose.’  Each Focusing Strategy is specifically designed to upon the next.  I am actually only at #4 “Creating Optimum Balance’ (how ironic).  The Authors are right – this isn’t a quick-fix.  But it is full of key principles and helpful strategies to assist you in implementing the strategies discussed.   If you find yourself in a mental cul-de-sac, give it a shot – it could be your ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’.  3 Stars