iSucceed because iCan, even in Pattaya

[Pattaya One]

There are literally dozens of books, mainly groaning on the shelves of American bookstores, covering the subject of self-help and self-development. There appears to be an entire industry devoted to giving out what seems to be pretty much the same stock-standard series of tips and suggestions designed to help people achieve everything they’ve ever wanted in or out of life.

A friend of mine gave me a copy of one of these tomes, entitled iSucceed, written by an Englishman named Adrian Shepherd. What happens to make this book unique from many of its brethren is that Shepherd begins by recounting his fortune in escaping the Indian Ocean tsunami which struck Thailand and a myriad of other countries on 26 December 2004. What adds a little more local interest to the book is that Shepherd’s mother lives in Pattaya and Adrian had gone to high school in Thailand. Even without all the self-help material, this looked like an interesting story.

Shepherd and his Japanese wife, Kyoko, were enjoying a holiday on Khao Lak when the tsunami hit. His account of that day is poignant and the chapter, simply entitled ‘Gratitude’, is a salient reminder that each day could be your last and so life should be lived, to its fullest.

iSucceed is just 177 pages. The font size is such that even someone with poor eyesight (my hand is up, as, no doubt, would those of about sixty percent of the rest of the expat population of Fun Town) can navigate it with ease.

Overall it is divided into 10 chapters with headings as diverse as ‘People’, ‘The Mind’, ‘Language’, and ‘Time’. Thankfully, Shepherd presents his commentary in simple, straight-forward and commonsense language. He’s an English language teacher in Japan, which might explain why the book is as seemingly ordered as it is.

The following excerpt impressed me because instead of repeating what I understand is the standard ‘always think positive’ mantra, Shepherd understands the reality of everyday life. ‘A common theme that links many self-development books is positive thinking. That if we somehow rid ourselves of negatives we instantly and abundantly will be in the fast lane to personal and financial glory. But life isn’t all red roses and clear skies…Life is full of both positives and negatives and, unfortunately, in some cases or at some times the negatives win.’

Shepherd also spreads the word about those who have been his self-help mentors, people like Tony Robbins and Robert Kioysaki and uses quotes from many others to start his chapters.

If I have a criticism of the book, I guess it’s the clichés: ‘Red roses’, ‘clear skies’, ‘people are still people’. It’s a minor criticism, and in some ways I even understand why they’re there. After all, Shepherd needs readers to be able to relate to what he is saying, and both major and minor clichés help in this task.

The book does not need to be read from cover to cover; open at any chapter, or almost any page, and there is something worth mulling over.

Anyone interested in learning more should check out Adrian Shepherd’s blog at www.isucceedbook.com

©Duncan Stearn

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