In The Excellent Choice, a development coach for 21-plus years offers advice in prose and poetry to help readers achieve “the ultimate state of performance based on purpose and preparedness.”
Rather than offering an insightful introductory chapter, giving context to the book’s contents, this volume opens with a chapter on inspiration: first, a vivid painting in bold, blue strokes, then a poem, one line of which is “You are the purpose of my persistent and enthusiastic actions; in your fulfillment I find my own: my peace, my freedom, my strength.” Paragraphs of prose about inspiration follow, written in the third-person, gender-neutral pronoun “one.”
Other chapters address, in a similar format, the energetic toolbox, authenticity, self-accountability, favorable momentum, and more secrets of success. Energy is the driver of each of these qualities: as the manifestation of possibility; as a factor of influence in the environment; for purposeful initiative and active engagement.
The use of the pronoun “one” locks the prose into awkward sentences that hold readers at a distance. In one instance, “one” appears six times in a single sentence: “Influenced by one’s own vision of the optimal performance, one empowers the mindset in which one’s efficacy is enhanced through one’s capability to optimally manage the influencing factors in one’s surroundings and the energetic elements of one’s toolbox.” Readers will struggle to discern the author’s meaning in such convoluted prose.
Thankfully, the poetry— any line could work as an affirmation—uses the first person (“I,” “me,” “mine”), delivering much clearer and more motivating advice: “My uncompromising intention is distinguishable in my traits and actions.” The colorful, abstract illustrations in pastel and paint are more useful, too, for their mesmerizing quality that inspires free thought and mindful meditation.
Unfortunately, the awkward prose combined with the lack of a clear Introduction explaining the book’s purpose and methodology undermines its success. Readers will find some helpful advice here, but overall, The Excellent Choice provides a disjointed reading experience.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.