This This, Not That, Josh Axe

I’ve read so many self-help books over the years that I rarely bother with them anymore, since they mostly seem to say the same things I’ve heard over and over again. I picked this one up only because it was on an Audible daily deal, and I’m familiar with the author for his work in natural health–and also because the book is categorized under faith and religion, which I found intriguing.

The first few chapters were (as the title suggests) just about entertaining positive and affirming thoughts rather than negative ones. Nothing earth-shattering there. But I became more intrigued with chapters that emphasized not just positive affirmations, but reevaluating life goals, and making sure that you’re not merely a high achiever, but you’re becoming a better person, since ultimately that matters far more. (There were a lot of missed opportunities for quoting scriptures here, but I think the book is meant to appeal to a wider audience, which might be why it didn’t go there.) I was especially intrigued when the author linked this concept to Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey,” encouraging readers to be inspired by and to view their lives through the lens of some of their favorite stories. I’ve always found the concepts from “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” to be fascinating.

One thing I will say about this book, that might be specific to me (but then again, since self-proclaimed “achievers” are the ones who will likely read a book like this, maybe not): the author tells a lot of personal stories as well as stories of famous people in his own inner circle, all of which are spectacular, glowing, and larger-than-life. They were things like building this multimillion dollar business empire before the age of 40 (and then moving on to the next big adventure because, conquered that mountain), creating a mastermind group with that superstar, going on those fabulous vacations, spending time with their perfect families, building their dream houses, etc. I understood the reason: he’s trying to illustrate the power of these principles in action, but rather than being relatable and inspirational, it was too much. It made me feel like, “why bother? I’m never going to be anywhere near that league.” I felt this way until I read the last chapter, when the author revealed his own major health challenge, and how he used some of the principles in this book to overcome it. I felt like that humanized him, and I wish he’d included that or something like it earlier in the story.

My rating: ****

Language: none

Sexual content: none

Violence: none

Political content: none

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