Title: Success Is Within You (4th Edition)
Author: Michael W. Jackson
Publisher: PageTurner, Press and Media LLC
ISBN: 1649084323
Pages: 94
Genre: Self-Help
Reviewed By: Dan MacIntosh
Hollywood Book Reviews
One major factor which distinguishes Michael W. Jackson’s self-help book, Success Is Within You, from most others, is the writer’s occupation. Many similar writers are ministers, such as Joel Osteen, or psychologists of some sort. Jackson, however, is a scientist. This position gives Jackson’s thoughts more weight than others. Instead of filling his pages with happy talk, which is something a lot of similar authors do, Jackson looks at success from the perspective of a scientist. Science is not opinion (at least it shouldn’t be) but involves theories that are put to the test. Here, Jackson places, admittedly familiar, inspirational ideas under a scientist’s microscope, so to speak, in order to convincingly argue his case.
Although a scientist by profession, Jackson is also a strong believer in God. So much so in fact, he often either quotes scripture or paraphrases verses from the Bible. In fact, he writes how earthly success is inseparably linked to a faith in God. In his view, success in life also involves a partnership with God. The Bible tells us there is nothing impossible for God, so if we connect ourselves to the divine, we also receive access to God’s boundless strength and resources. In his opinion, why would someone not want help of an omnipotent God?
Slightly confusingly, however, Jackson sometimes uses ‘the universe’ and ‘God’ interchangeably. This may confuse readers because the universe is generally considered to be an impersonal entity. Scientists often marvel at the vast expanse of our universe, as well as the universes beyond ours. One definition of the universe states: “The universe is everything. It includes all of space, and all the matter and energy that space contains.” It might just be difficult to imagine the universe – as it is defined above – also making our dreams come true. After all, if it is ‘everything,’ doesn’t this ‘everything’ also include negative, as well as positive circumstances? It’s far easier to get our head around God’s involvement in our quests for success, instead. As Jackson rightly points out, one definition of God is that He is love. Yes, we can easily picture ‘love’ only wanting what is best for us. On the other hand, it’s much more difficult to imagine the vast universe meeting our needs and loving us.
One knock against self-help books in general, is that they can be, at their worst, far too narcissistic. Some of these writings encourage readers to basically ask themselves, ‘Well, when am I gonna get mine! I’ve been too cash-strapped for too long, and now I want a nice car, a big house and a large bank account!’ And make no mistake about it, Jackson is not opposed to having nice things. He describes how nicely a Porsche Cayman GTS drives at one point, for example. However, he also titles one chapter, “The Power of Gratitude.” In it, he suggests that we may not be attaining what we want because we aren’t thankful for what we already have. Ungrateful people can also be some of the most miserable people you’ll ever meet. He advises his readers to periodically “take some time introspectively and thank God for anything you truly appreciate or is important to you. Thank God for your iPhone. Thank God for your computer. Thank God for the tires that take you safely to your destination.” Later, he adds: “I believe God is the ultimate source of all things. It makes sense to me to thank him for everything I have.”
Another memorable chapter is called “Choose to be Happy.” I agree with Jackson that happiness is oftentimes a choice. We can’t expect smooth sailing in life, so we shouldn’t be miserable because not everything goes our way. Instead, we should learn to be content, accepting the good along with the bad, and choosing to enjoy life as much as possible.
Success Is Within You really just plants the seeds. In time they sprout into you having a satisfying, enjoyable, and successful life. Very simple yet profound principles that can make a difference not only in how we do business but how we run our own life.