Beyond Success
Redefining the Meaning of Prosperity
With scores of self-help books published each year, it is a wonder any author can come up with a new approach, particularly when it comes to the broad topic of achieving success. Typically, such books combine inspirational stories and a road map of some sort to help the reader embark on a positive path through goal-setting and hard work.
Jeffrey Gitterman follows this basic formula, but he adds a healthy dose of spiritualism to Beyond Success, defining “prosperity” in more than monetary and materialistic terms. In so doing, Gitterman breaks the conventional mold and offers a very different conversation about personal wealth.
Gittermans road map is a four-pillar process that sequentially guides the reader from self-discovery through defining a passion to learning how to “invest our energy and attention in who we want to be in the future.”
The first pillar, which Gitterman admits is the most difficult to achieve, is called “Connecting to Source.” It is all about “harnessing the power of attention,” or more practically, learning the practice of meditation. Gitterman spends a considerable amount of time offering advice about various ways to meditate. He believes that fifteen minutes of daily meditation is a way to leverage the energy of the universe and become more focused during each day.
The second pillar is equally spiritual, but in a different way. Here, Gitterman encourages the reader to find “the thing we are here to do.” The author believes that if an individual does not find his or her real passion, or “unique creative expression,” true happiness will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.
In the third pillar, Gitterman addresses the notion of investing in the future, which he says, “is the only thing we have any control over.”
The fourth pillar offers advice that some may find unsettling: The best way to gain true wealth is to give to others. Gitterman strongly believes that letting go of wanting and giving ones energy and attention to others provides the ultimate in fulfillment and happiness.
The reader searching for a quick way to a better job or more money will not find it in Beyond Success. What he or she will find is a thought-provoking, philosophical discussion of what happiness really is, and what it takes to achieve it. This is a dialogue that should benefit everyone.
Reviewed by
Barry Silverstein
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
