Release The Best You. 7 simple steps to transforming your life, health, and wealth.
Steve Mitchell. Self-published.
Book Review by Dee Blick FCIM
If I’m to buy into what is essentially a book that addresses how I can be the best version of myself, then I must firstly connect with the author and their back story, and believe they walk their talk and have empathy – they’re not going to preach from the pulpit, but rather will hold my hand as we work through their programme, together.
What I really admired about this author, Steve, was his back story, how he has risen above a challenging childhood, punctuated by poverty; how he has overcome addiction, and a disarming lack of fitness, not to mention the big one, moving away from a moment when he was contemplating ending it all – to build an incredible life full of hope and optimism, now living in the country surrounded by a loving family and a menagerie of animals. I appreciated and indeed felt, his desire to share his hard-yards- meets- hard- won, blueprint with me, the reader.
As we move through the book, we learn that Steve was brought up by a single mum with very little money plus the stigma of being poor and working class. I identified, having a not dissimilar background and like Steve, I was told I would amount to nothing. He lived with his mum in cramped and basic, council house conditions, moving from one rough estate to another. He speaks about his career in the army and about having several varied businesses before the moment when he was contemplating ending his life.
At no stage, reading Steve’s story did I get any inkling that he felt sorry for himself which really helped me to read through some of the details of his early life. His epiphany on that bridge after he had spoken to his daughter, frantically trying to ring him, was profound. It led to his sobriety, followed by a campaign to lose weight and vastly improve his fitness.
The Release programme and this book, followed. Reader, this is tremendous stuff. I must say that reading Steve’s story, often viewing the landscape through his eyes made me even more willing and amenable to studying his Release programme, as a reader and a reviewer.
This is a guy who has been there, done the service and worn the t-shirt. You can trust his every word. I can see why he is a motivational speaker of the best sort – authentic, powerful, and empathetic.
I digress!
Writing style and layout
I found the book easy to read and absorb. The layout was perfect for me, a person who struggles with pages packed with dense text. I sensed that Steve is a person who writes as he speaks, sometimes not holding back on the expletives! But the occasional scattering of these did not cause me to shake my head. This is his style and his character, and I have to say I found the pace and tone of the book friendly, informative, and upbeat. If you want a deep dive into the workings of the human mind and a lengthy tome on how you can make adjustments then you might find this book elementary. If, however, you are looking for a great blueprint on how you can adjust your life and your thinking, without shaking your head, baffled at what is being offered up, then you will take to this book like the proverbial duck to water. Just as I did.
Occasionally I found some of the points longwinded in explanation such that they would have benefitted from a little tightening up, but this did not detract from the pace and punch that is evident throughout the book. Besides, I am an author and an editor so sometimes it’s hard for me to relinquish these roles and step back into the reviewer- meets- reader shoes!
Structure of the book
This follows the stages of the acronym RELEASE namely:
Step 1 Recognise who you are
Step 2 Evaluate your situation
Step 3 Learn to let go
Step 4 Expect the best at all times
Step 5 Allow yourself to be great
Step 6 Set yourself up for success
Step 7 Engage your future
I enjoyed every chapter, but the ones that really floated my boat were: Step 3. I appreciated the practical advice which undoubtedly is borne from the author’s experience, with some good ‘mind stuff’ to add heft and credibility to the core messages. I loved the short bursts of tips and advice.
I also loved Step 4, again with Steve giving an insight into a childhood that was at the sharp end of being poor and working class. I liked the task work and the section on Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) I even found myself downing reviewer tools to complete the section on my ANTs!
Finally Step 5, ‘allow yourself to be great with the brilliant sentiment of ‘No better time to be great than right now!’ I loved the DIY section Passed-on Beliefs and My Own Positive Beliefs.
In fairness, I got a lot from every chapter. These were the ones that really resonated with me.
My final thoughts?
This is a great little book, and it comes with my recommendation. I say little because it is 181 pages and for me that was a big benefit. If you want to ‘release the best you’ and you’re stuck or perhaps are just curious, I’m confident that dipping your nose into Steve’s book will give you a real lift, regardless of where you are on your journey. As I mentioned at the start of this review, Steve’s story drew me in, and it made me want to read more about his 7 simple steps, precisely because of Steve. A man that has dramatically turned his life around from childhood poverty to alcoholic drinking, to being on the edge of wanting to end his life, is a man worth listening to and learning from. With this book, you may just find the answers to some of life’s pressing problems and with a little help from Steve you could be poised to release the best you!
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