Friday, March 4, 2016

Living Forward by Michael Hyatt & Daniel Harkavy

Living Forward is a necessary book for anyone interested in taking control over the trajectory of their future in both the personal and professional spheres!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I received Living Forward in the mail. I just knew that I had been following Michael Hyatt's blog for a little over a year and that he had formerly been the CEO of Thomas Nelson. I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Michael and Daniel have come together to create an in-depth solution to something that plagues our society. They could call it "the drift". I realize I suffer from it to an extent as well, and the minute I started in on Living Forward I knew it was just the right book for this time in my life.

Basically, Living Forward is about Life Planning and thinking ahead to the future in order to plan out the present. No, it's not about putting yourself in God's place and figuring out your life yourself. In fact, done the right way, it hinges on God's involvement in the process and His sustaining power to live the plan out.

The book is quick--10 chapters that are easy to read and understand--and includes a lot of "extras" in the back to help you start and live out your Life Plan. I found myself reading with a highlighter and sticky tabs just to make sure I knew where to come back to. As it is right now, I'll be planning a day where I can create my own life plan.

@createexploreread
I also really enjoyed Michale and Daniel's personal stories. They obviously live out what they've shared in the book and it isn't something that's just an "ideal" for them. They are working hard to live out their life plan and they share their wins and losses along the way too.

I definitely recommend this book to all types of people. You don't need to be a CEO of a large company to create a Life Plan. I think stay-at-home moms, corporate workers, freelancers, non-profit workers, or high school teachers (just to name a few job areas) would benefit from this. Why? Because Life Planning is ultimately not about success being defined as making a lot of money and having a prestigious job. It's about balance. It's about being satisfied in your work life as well as your home life. It's about having something to head toward and putting in the diligent work to get there. Pick up a copy of this book and take control over your future.

 I'll leave you with some favorite quotes:
It's all about being fully awake to the realities of our personal and professional worlds and using that fresh level of awareness to make better decisions and tell better stories in our lives. (pg. 21)

Unless we have a destination in mind, it's tough to separate the opportunities from the distractions. (pg. 31)

Keeping your eye on the future is essential for making the most of today...You get what you focus on. (pg. 51)

Rating: 4.5*
Purchase: Living Forward

Book Description
(from Amazon)
Each of us has but one life to live on this earth. What we do with it is our choice. Are we drifting through it as spectators, reacting to our circumstances when necessary and wondering just how we got to this point anyway? Or are we directing it, maximizing the joy and potential of every day, living with a purpose or mission in mind?

Too many of us are doing the former--and our lives are slipping away one day at a time. But what if we treated life like the gift that it is? What if we lived each day as though it were part of a bigger picture, a plan? That's what New York Times bestselling author Michael Hyatt and executive coach Daniel Harkavy show us how to do: to design a life with the end in mind, determining in advance the outcomes we desire and path to get there. In this step-by-step guide, they share proven principles that help readers create a simple but effective life plan so that they can get from where they are now to where they really want to be--in every area of life.
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I received a free copy of this book for review purposes, but was under no obligation to read the book or post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own.

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