Is it always necessary to find someone to help you solve your problems? Is it possible to have the tools to diagnose and fix your own issues? Olivia Stefanino contends the answer is "yes" in the book Be Your Own Guru: Personal and Business Enlightenment in Just 3 Days! This was a fun read with a lot of food for thought...



Contents:

Introduction - The Banker

Section 1 - Me! Me! Me!: Meeting the delegates; Why most training simply doesn't work; Jenny dumps her emotional baggage; Why healing the past is the only way to guarantee a great future!; Pete turns stress to his advantage; Getting to the real cause of stress; Matt discovers the childhood reason for his shaking hands; Learning to deal with negative emotions

Section 2 - Free! Free! Free!: Discovering the amazing power of the subconscious mind!; Getting to grips with what makes you tick; Experiencing the mind/body connection; Using your body to read your mind; Learning to talk the talk; Watch your language; Death is our teacher; It's only when you can face death that you're ready to live; Are you simply a figment of your imagination?; Are you the product of your history or your potential?

Section 3 - You! You! You!: Different views, same world; It's our differences which make live so exciting; Using intuition and energy to create phenomenal relationships; The Banker announces the results for the pilot project; Afterword

Section 4 - Tools! Tools! Tools!: Tools to be your own guru; The Self Journey (using PEAR), The Relationship Journey (using PEAR), The Soul Journey

Index



Stefanino takes an interesting approach to presenting her material. The book is structured as a story about her working with a group of sub-par employees at a company. Her friend "The Banker" gives her the job with the condition that she only has three days worth of time to work her magic. She accepts the challenge and proceeds to guide the people through some challenging exercises that explore their inner selves and limiting beliefs. The chapters alternate between the story and the principles that were just exhibited. Because the format brings personality and being into the material, it's hard not to find yourself thinking about your own circumstances as you read along. The PEAR process is one that I felt was extremely powerful to apply in your life. It's a conversation you have with yourself, but it's focused on the person you see in the mirror. It starts with Expression, stating the negativity you feel towards yourself. Forgiveness comes next. You forgive yourself for the feelings you've lived with. Acceptance follows, followed by Love. This same technique is also applied to relationships with others, with the additional step of Letting Go at the end. Letting this pent-up emotion out can be painful and difficult, but living with the anger is more damaging than you can ever imagine.



I enjoyed this book a lot. It's a bit more "touchy-feely" than I normally go for, but the practical application with the characters made it something that was vivid and real rather than fluffy and ethereal. If you're wondering why you can't break through some of your personal and professional roadblocks, you might well find the answer here...