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Disclaimer: I have read most if not all of Marden’s
books. They were all written in the late
1890s and 1900s. The most surprising
feature of all of his books involves when they were written. The reader if unaware as to when they were
written would or could think they were written about America in 2019. The lessons throughout all of his books are
probably more applicable today than when he wrote them. The overall lesson, at least for me, is that
in the past 100 plus years we as a country have learned nothing during that
time. The clues have already been
spelled out for our success if only we would take advantage of them. Apparently “history does repeat itself”
otherwise how can you explain that we have accomplished so little in the field
of personal development and improvement when the clues have been known for over
100 years?
I
have a difficult time reading any of Marden’s books. Not because of a writing style but because
like the author most likely intended, his words cause you to pause and think
about how those words apply to you or in my case me. I oftentimes feel as if he were talking directly
to me, other times talking about me but most of the time he is talking with me.
This
book identifies the ideal self; the ideal man or the ideal woman. With that thought in mind you must remember
as you read it, it was written in the 1900s and as such Marden did not
differentiate that much between man and woman and referred to “man” as meaning
both men and women.
What
do I mean when I say his words cause me to stop reading and just sit and think
about what he wrote? Here is an excerpt
from the book that exemplifies what I mean:
“One
reason why the majority of people have such poor judgment, especially employees,
is because they do not depend upon it.
Unused faculties never develop any more than do unused muscles. The habit of using good judgment in
everything, no matter how trifling, will multiply efficiency a thousandfold.”
How
could you read that and NOT think
about how it may or may not apply to you?
Remember he started by saying “the majority of people” and in most cases
that WOULD mean you or me. The question then becomes do I exhibit good
judgment or do I exhibit poor judgment. A better question would be what am I
doing to improve my judgment? This is
why it takes me so long to read any of Marden’s books. I stop to take a personal inventory of what he
has written, something most authors can only dream about doing.
Marden
writes about what has taken place within his environment in the 1890s through
the early 1900s. What makes his books so
sad is that the basic principles he writes about in his time sill apply today
if not more so. We have learned so
little as a society in those 100 plus years and people, certainly not you,
continue to reinvent the wheel when the instructions for the wheel were given
to those who would just listen or in this case just read what was written so
long ago.
I
can only imagine what a world would look like if Marden’s teachings were taught
to the youngest people cable of understanding and more importantly what happens
when they apply those lessons to improving their life and their chance at
success.
If
you can’t tell, I think this book, like all of his books, is OUTSTANDING! If you happen to be one of the millions
of people who already believe they know it all, then there is no sense or value
in you reading this or any of Marden’s books.
But if you are a learning based person it would be impossible to read
his books, especially this one, and NOT
come away with a lot of Ahas as you read it.
Hopefully you can check off some of what he writes about as already
having applied them in your life. Then
making a list of items that need more or specific attention in your life.
Who should read the
book? Everyone! Difficult for me to imagine people NOT taking away valuable life lessons
by reading not only this book but all of Marden’s writings.
Would I read it again? Sections of the book, absolutely!
Would I refer the books
to my friends and family?
Absolutely, already have
Would I buy the book as
a gift? This book
would make for a great gift especially for high school and college graduates
but ONLY if they read it. If you want to give the student the best
opportunity for success, start them reading anything written by Marden. The best part is that some of his books are
actually FREE on Amazon.com and the rest are typically only 99 cents. What a bargain!
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