Personal Brilliance

Jim Canterucci
AMACOM ( 2005)
ISBN 0814408389
Reviewed by Bette Daoust, Ph.D. for Reader Views (2/06)

Every now and then everyone will sit down or at least think about their goals. Some will even take it one step further down the road and place action steps to achieve those goals. They will faithfully follow the actions for a very short period of time and then falter. The goals and actions become something they intend to do but soon fall into old habits. The result being the goals are never achieved to the level desired.

By giving the reader four main areas to work on (awareness, curiosity, focus, and initiative), Jim Canterucci directs the reader to places where those goals and dreams can become reality. The book does not focus on only the goal, but pushes you towards thinking about how you achieve that goal with success. “Personal Brilliance” is not about just setting goals, it is about how you conduct your life through balance and being aware of the things you do in everyday life.

Mr. Canterucci gives you insights as to how much of life we let pass by just because we have forgotten how to be in touch with our internal and external worlds. He explains how we have lost the curiosity of a child through suppressing of our desire to learn and be interested in the world around us. He tells us we have moved from posing 98 questions a day to 2 and should find ways to start probing and be more curious.

One of the key topics is focus. I have read many books on focus and have always thought it needs to be razor thin in order to achieve success. Through reading “Personal Brilliance,” I have discovered that focus has a periphery and I need to use it for continuing to hone the focus so it reflects the reality around me. It is the periphery that gives the inputs for changes that need to be made based on external factors. This alone makes the book a worthwhile read.

This book takes you past the curiosity into looking at the initiatives we can use to create our own successes. The section on initiatives asks you to tear down your current methods and find reasons why you do the things that hinder your progress. This sections opens your eyes for being aware of the things that stop you from being successful.

In summary, it takes 100 days of creating a habit to make a behavioral change in ourselves. Take this book, read it, do the action steps, and create your own personal plan for success, you will not regret it. This is an excellent launching pad for your own personal brilliance!

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