In A Beginner’s Guide to Perfection, David J. Saffold aims to help readers solve personal problems using a method that worked for him.
Writing with refreshing honesty, he describes past foibles in his career and relationships that prevented him from being a happy problem-solver at work and a loving partner in a relationship. He reveals his low self-worth—he was, he writes, “the biggest piece of junk God ever created ”— and his struggle with alcohol. But through years of self-study of human psychology, he comes to realize that “As You Believe, It is Done unto You,” a concept he introduces in the title of the first chapter.
All problems, he writes, stem from a person’s beliefs: Whether conscious or unconscious, beliefs cause actions. But because transcending a negative belief is difficult, he created a tool: a personal god to whom one can turn for help. This “entity” doesn’t have to conform to a god of religion. It is made up by each individual, with the qualities an individual values, such as a god that loves unconditionally and whose “will for my life is all good.”
The narrative’s flavor is Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich) meets Esther and Jerry Hicks (Ask and It Is Given). Christianity is in the mix also, with the occasional insertion of bible verses to validate a point being made. Diagrams are also provided. The narrative flows logically, and while the text can be repetitive, the repetition is useful for underscoring the message. Both the bible quotes and diagrams seem extraneous, however, since the text is clear and imperative.
While some of these ideas will already be familiar to self-help readers, the author’s concept of creating a personal god offers a fresh perspective. Readers will find, in these pages, inspiration and a usable method for overcoming life’s large issues, or even, as the author notes, for making “minor changes to an otherwise prosperous and contented life.”
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
