Learning to Live: 10 Principles of Success

What secrets do ultra successful people know that the rest of us haven’t yet discovered? Whether you are searching for a way to conquer your fears, improve your career, make more money, find a romantic relationship, or change a disadvantage into an advantage, author Darrick Bronson provides ten principles of success in his book Learning to Live. Bronson claims that his book is ideal for those who “no longer want to live as victims in the game of life, but have firmly decided to rise above the weak veil of ignorance and poverty – and choose to be successful.”

It is true that positive thinking does have a huge impact on how people approach and deal with conflict. But just wishing or choosing success does not make it happen. While it would be nice that merely having “the intelligence and power to read this book” would allow you to become wealthy, that is not how reality works. Bronson includes personal anecdotes; he discusses a horrible car accident that he was in and how he overcame suicidal thoughts and became better prepared for life.

There is a religious undercurrent throughout the book. Bronson refers to God’s plan and how important maintaining faith is when dealing with hardships. Bronson breaks the book into ten sections: Freeing Your Conscious, Taking Responsibility, Self-Esteem and Confidence, Gratitude and Appreciation, Positive Mental Attitude, Affirmations, Goal Setting, Purposes and Service, Perseverance and Determination, and Lifelong Learning. A bonus chapter offers advice on how to use body language to get ahead in life.

Bronson makes many useful points. He starts off each chapter with motivational quotes and wraps things up with a review of main ideas. The writing is simple and a bit repetitive. The book could use a thorough editing job. Expect to encounter lots of exclamation points. Seven appear in the first three paragraphs!!!