Awaken a Better You: 4 Simple Steps to Create the Life You Want

This upbeat if vague program by life coach Thompson (A Better Him) explores how to become the person that “God intends you to be.” God gives people all they need to better themselves, Thompson contends, detailing the four stages one must go through to become the “best version of yourself”: desperation, information, application, and transformation. He illustrates the process with the story of a client who, feeling aimless, began to set goals for himself and started reading books and seeking mentors, becoming more confident and socially fulfilled; however, the conspicuous lack of details limits the anecdote’s utility. Riffing on the 1978 film The Wiz, Thompson warns readers to beware of “wizards” and explains that one doesn’t need a wizard to make one’s dreams come true because everyone already has that power within themselves. However, the author’s failure to describe what real-world “wizards” might look like again leaves readers in the dark. Thompson also emphasizes the importance of keeping a healthy diet, describing it as “good stewardship of the one body God gave you.” The straightforward style makes the advice easy to digest, though the lack of specifics for many of the suggestions make it difficult to tell how to put them into practice. The results are hit-or-miss. (Jan.)