The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
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Good principle, not much detail.
The intention of the book is sound: Learn to get to where we are going from where we are. However, as the blurb says⦠âÂÂYour Direction, not your Intention, Determines Your Destination.â The book promises that it will give us a âÂÂPrinciple of the Pathâ to guide us. It does.
It also promises that the book will be âÂÂa road map to proper direction and discipline.â There I am not as convinced.
As I said before, the idea is sound. We need to look at what we are doing, not what we want to do. Our intentions are noble, but if we arenâÂÂt following them we are not in the correct path.
Just do it.
But the book does not give any concrete examples of how to do this, or strategy for moving in the right direction. To me, it felt like a text book teaching me something I already know, but not how to apply it.
Maybe the Principle (Direction, not intention, determines destination) was new to some people, but I have read it in a number of similar books. I expected something more than just a re-hash of old clichés, and I guess that was where I was disappointed.
The book is well written, and easy to read. Everything about it makes sense. I just expected⦠more. Especially from Andy Stanley.
July 8, 2011
The Principal of the Path By Andy Stanley
Why is it that smart people with admirable life goals often end up far from where they intended to be? Why is it that so many people start out with a clear mental picture of where they want to be relationally, financially, and professionally and yet years later find themselves far from theyr desired destination? Why do our expectations about our own future often go unmet?
It is these questions that Andy Stanley focuses on in his book Principles of the Path that we received to review from Thomas Nelson Publishing.
I have appreciated other books from Andy Stanley in the past and was quite excited to have a chance to review this book. Overall, this book was good in premise, but not quite there in fallow through. The thought that began this book, to illustrate and explain how the results that we get in life are most often a product of a series of discisions and ways of doing things that make a path to those results. This is certainly a very important realization, and as a pastor I have met and had discusions with many people that need to better understand that fact. As simple as it is, it is amazing how all of us can decieve ourselves in seperating the many smaller choices and paths we put ourselves on from the results we get ourselves into, and often that leads to a lot of complaining, both to others and to God.
The problem arrises in that instead of developing this idea into a fully rounded book and working it all through, it was kept at the basic level of development and surrounded by personal stories and other re-iterations of the same idea.
Now, this by no means should be taken as a reason to not read the book, or to have one on your shelf for when you find that person who trully needs to hear that basic truths of this book, it just means that you need to keep your expectations in check, and to be ready to do a lot of the work yourself in bringing it to a fully developed point, which might be twice as good in the long run.
So pick up a copy, and start thinking about the paths we are on, and where it might go.
June 20, 2011
Oh donâÂÂt we all wish for our dreams to come true. We pray, plan, desire, talk about themâ¦.and wait for them to happen. We begin engaging in activities that we truly believe will give us guidance and direction on the same. We buy all the self-help and motivational books that we can, read them, get excited, and a bit puffed up with the knowledge. But the principle lies in wait for usâ¦because unless we engage it, we will fail. We will not achieve our goals. Because direction, not intention determines our destination.
This book makes for great conversation between spouses, and people who would like to move in the same direction. For people already taking a journey towards their goals and dreams, this book will enlighten as well as empower in matters regarding decision making, and this in light of the big picture.
Relevant also for girls who are reaching for their goals. To stay pure till marriage, to get married to the right person, to have their career and home dreams come true. To know their placement and their directionâ¦the principle will always work.
Using very interesting stories from his own experiences, Andy clearly demonstrates this principle of the path. It gets even more interesting towards the end when he talks about the legacy that we would want to leave behind.
Quoting from Page 112: âÂÂAnother way to ask the third question, the wisdom question, is to ask, What story do I want to tell? As was the case with David, some decisions are legacy decisions. To some degree, every decision becomes part of your story. In light of the story you want o tell, what should you do? David decided that killing the king while he was relieving himself was not the story he wanted to tell his grandkids one day. Imagine the scenario: âÂÂGranddaddy, please tell us one more time the story of how you snuck up behind king Saul and ran him through with your spear while he was on the potty. You are such a mighty warrior.âÂÂâÂÂ
This certainly helps us see the eternal impact of each of our decisions, made in public or in private. Andy handles all types of decisions, including financial ones. ItâÂÂs a must-read!
This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade CommissionâÂÂs 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html>: âÂÂGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.âÂÂ
June 15, 2011
Disappointing read.
I thought this was going to be a great book, packed with helpful ideas on achieving your dreams. I was sadly disappointed. The title of the book is based on the principle that you should live your life with direction as opposed to intention, which makes complete sense but it's not enough to base an entire book on! The book is mostly stories and anecdotes with a little bit of Scriptural interpretation thrown in. There is very little advice about getting to your desired destination in life. A lot of what Stanley says in this book is just plain common sense; I did not learn much from this book at all.
Thompson Nelson Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
May 6, 2011
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