Leadership consultant Cottrell’s latest packs a positive punch in surprisingly few pages. Though Cottrell (Monday Morning Mentoring
), president and CEO of CornerStone Leadership Institute, focuses on states of mind that most people should logically be aiming to attain, each chapter feels like a life lesson learned anew. On reading that one should not remain in a victim mindset, it becomes clear how easy it is to descend into that “why me?” state of mind and readers are motivated to start thinking differently. This first choice sets the stage for a string of positive choices that Cottrell divides into character choices, action choices and investment choices, which include commitment to your goals and taking action instead of saying someday. Presented in short sections with lots of bullet points, Cottrell’s advice sometimes reads like a gallery of motivational posters (choose commitment! don’t beat yourself up for falling short!), sensible if not original. According to Cottrell, the way one experiences life can easily be controlled by mind power alone. Hopefully, the reader won’t be inclined to put off following his advice. (Jan.)
