Book Club
First rule of book club ....
In this section we will be reviewing all things books, focusing on the burgeoning wellbeing genre.
This quarter we have reviewed 'Not a Life Coach' by James Smith
If you need someone to gently guide you through life then this book is not for you.
If you’re after someone to give you a kick to start chasing your goals, James Smith might be the man for the job.
Widely known as the enfant terrible of the personal training world, James Smith has garnered an extensive following from his no holds barred Instagram videos and weight loss opinions. The Australia-based, British PT often hits headlines for his divisive comments on fitness and diet trends, but following the success of his first book ‘Not a Diet Book’, James Smith has now turned his hand to helping people find accomplishment in life.
‘Not a Life Coach’ encourages you to reframe what success and wealth really mean to you. Do you want to spend more time with your family instead of working late? Is it more important that your job is outside than being tied to your desk? Do you actually enjoy living in a city? Are you staying in an unhappy relationship because you’re worried about what the alternative is? In helping you consider what is actually important to you and what brings you joy, James Smith seeks to help you move away from the Western belief that striving for financial wealth is the only path to success.
Once you’ve identified what would really bring you fulfilment, the book then goes about dispelling any possible barriers that you could put in your way as reasons why you can’t go after that goal. Much like in his social media posts, there is no room for excuses in James Smith’s book. Whether it’s the people you surround yourself with who aren’t adding anything to your life, the fear of failure, not having enough time or being scared to push yourself out of your comfort zone, the book gives you small tasks to alleviate these obstacles and make changes more realistic.
Despite his online persona, James Smith writes with more empathy than he’s often given credit for. Referencing his own struggles with his self confidence and lack of belief in himself at times, he encourages people to take time for mediation and self reflection to stop getting bogged down in other people’s opinions. He appreciates that we’re brought up in a world where people are raised to compare themselves with others rather than simply set their own goals, accept that they can’t always be the best at everything, but be proud of their own small wins. He explains that you should take happiness from progress, rather than only being satisfied when you’re the most successful at something, which will often lead you to feel demotivated and give up altogether.
'Not a Life Coach' is a great book if you feel dissatisfied with something in your life and you either can’t pinpoint what’s causing it, or you don’t know how to start making real change. James Smith is exactly right – he’s not a life coach, but his book will support you to be your own life coach by helping you to refocus your efforts into the things that make you truly happy.