You’re Not the Boss of Me: Discover Your Authentic Self

As someone who enjoys self-help books, I find that many of the books out there regurgitate information from other books I have already read. This is not one of them. Author Alma C. Lightbody does a wonderful job of integrating personal experiences into a book that urges the reader to find her true self. And although this book seems to be geared toward females, there are many activities in the book that would be great for brainstorming for males as well. What I really enjoyed about the book is that it wasn’t long and drawn out. There weren’t words on the page just so that the author could make a particular word count. Each chapter and each paragraph had meaningful words that the reader could read and think about how those words and thoughts applied to her life.

The book is organized into four parts: Creating a Map of Your Belief System, The Body Speaks, Finding Your Way Home, and Call Off the Search–You Are Already There. The title of the book and its parts are all catchy and easy to remember. Part one explains the patterns, imprints, and masks that we all have integrated into our lives whether we like it or not. Recognizing what has been imprinted on us versus what we have come up with as individuals may be confusing at times, but when you stop and think about the origin of a particular thought or belief, it can really be eye-opening. From the day we are born, our parents imprint their own beliefs on us and this can carry on through many generations. Lightbody explains under the category of “Freedom” that “Freedom exists when you are free of patterns, controls and imprints imposed by others’ agendas. It will take awareness, time and acknowledgement to keep bringing you back to your goal of freedom, because imprints are well embedded as unconscious habits.” This really struck me as I feel that most people I know just go along with the flow without thinking about what it is that they truly want. It made me want to try harder in my own life to make better decisions for myself.

Being aware of the influences around us and the energy we give (see the chapter on Chakras, it’s a good one), is so vital to the success of the human race. You’re Not the Boss of Me gives its readers a wonderful plan for happy and fulfilling lives. The tools in this book are valuable and easy to use no matter who you are.