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beautywonderjoy 's review for:
No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline
by Brian Tracy
A mixed bag. When Tracy sticks to defining the nature of self-discipline and the character qualities one needs to cultivate, the results are very inspiring. He has a no-nonsense approach that's not overbearing. However, if you're not like Tracy, that is: white, male, straight, able-bodied, and so on, the strategies he advocates may only take you so far. Tracy is of the mind that anyone can do anything so long as you're willing to put in the effort, and that any limits that may exist to hold you back are of your own making. While I generally agree with that, if you've ever experienced sexism, ableism, racism, etc, you know that there are very real barriers to success that are often out of your control. If your boss is racist and you're a person of color, you may never get a promotion despite putting in all the hard work that Tracy advocates. I suppose if you were to bring this to the author's attention, he might advise quitting and going to work for some other company. In this economy, where a lot of people feel lucky enough just to have a steady job, period, that's too high a risk. Also, if you have a family and you're the primary caretaker (even if you split the duties evenly!), the sheer amount of time Tracy advocates you devote to pursuing success is completely out of the question.
Some of the strategies presented in this book are only applicable if you work in the business sector. Tracy assumes, too, that your personal definition of success means making as much money as possible, and unfettered greed is presented almost as a virtue. Or, at the very least, it's not an objectionable quality.
Oh, and something else that struck me as completely disingenuous: Tracy claims that anyone in a high position of authority and power earned that spot because of their impeccable work ethic and integrity and that fakes and the corrupt will naturally be ousted as the frauds they are in short order. Peruse any news source and you'll see this simply isn't the case. Look around, we don't live in a meritocracy.
I did like that Tracy encourages readers to keep learning and growing in their field, whatever it may be. This is sound advice regardless of one's career.
Overall, the book has some highlights, but the majority of the content will be only be relevant (without modification) to a small few, and those few will be among the most privileged.
Some of the strategies presented in this book are only applicable if you work in the business sector. Tracy assumes, too, that your personal definition of success means making as much money as possible, and unfettered greed is presented almost as a virtue. Or, at the very least, it's not an objectionable quality.
Oh, and something else that struck me as completely disingenuous: Tracy claims that anyone in a high position of authority and power earned that spot because of their impeccable work ethic and integrity and that fakes and the corrupt will naturally be ousted as the frauds they are in short order. Peruse any news source and you'll see this simply isn't the case. Look around, we don't live in a meritocracy.
I did like that Tracy encourages readers to keep learning and growing in their field, whatever it may be. This is sound advice regardless of one's career.
Overall, the book has some highlights, but the majority of the content will be only be relevant (without modification) to a small few, and those few will be among the most privileged.