Steve Arterburn is a well known motivational speaker, and he's written quite a few books geared toward helping people achieve the most out of their life.
Here, in The Exceptional Life, he specifically targets those who have been affected by: shame, resentment, fear, anger, instant gratification, learned helplessness, isolation, and addiction.
For each of these undesirable traits, he offers a way of dealing with them along with the "antonym" cure that you'll receive in return. (For instance, letting go of fear in order to gain back trust.)
I really enjoyed the conversational style Mr. Arterburn employed when explaining relate able situations to each obstacle we face. Humor is woven throughout the book, instantly setting the reader at ease-which is important when talking about tough issues.
Certain chapters spoke to me more than other, which I imagine would be the case for most people. We each struggle in different areas, so what I find useful may not pertain to my neighbor, friend, etc.
I did find some of the writing rather long winded, and felt parts of it could have been summed up more quickly. It tended to "meander" a little and my focus slipped during those points. Also, some of the solutions to the problems addressed seemed a bit simplistic. Just letting go, isn't as easy as it sounds. Diagnosing the root of an issue is very important, yet the therapy afterwards is usually the hardest of all.
But as a starting tool for those who want basic connecting dots to their struggles, I'd recommend this. It's not overly complicated and is written engagingly. I haven't read any of Mr. Arterburn's other books, but am interested in checking them out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
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