Three Simple Steps [Paperback]

I found Trevor Blake through an article on Inc.com on why complainers are bad for your brain. Something about his voice compelled me to look up his new book, and a few minutes later, I had it downloaded to my Kindle. The mixture of riveting personal history and unconventional self-help advice got me finishing the book in two sittings.

Even without the self-help component, the book makes for a fascinating read: Trevor's impoverished childhood in England, with the bullying he endured; his quest to enter England's top military school against all odds; anecdotes from his time as a soldier; his romance with an equally determined young woman; his unlikely early business success; the dream of moving to America; and his subsequent entrepreneurial ventures. Most poignant are the accounts of his mother Audrey, which are alone inspiring enough to be worth the book's purchase price.

However, it is as a work of self-help that I'm recommending this book. First of all, I like its simplicity. The three steps are, in fact, simple. Basically:

1. Think in terms of what you want, not what you don't. Corollary: avoid negative people and media.
2. Take at least 20 min a day of quiet time. This is a daily meditative practice to clear your mind and focus on the void, because the void is the wellspring of all creation.
3. Formulate what you want in life in terms of intentions, not goals: "An intention is a goal but with all doubt about its attainment removed." In other words, assume the feeling of your goal already attained.

This stuff is simple but far from simplistic. In fact, each of the three practices has precedents in ancient wisdom, from Taoism to Buddhism to American Transcendentalism. Although Trevor doesn't reference those traditions, this is stuff that's been around for thousands of years. He does reference contemporary science to back up many of his recommendations, especially on avoiding negativity, which I appreciate.

Second, Trevor has demonstrated real, reproducible business success with his techniques. He makes a salient point that most self-help authors dispensing advice on success weren't successful businessmen themselves (Napoleon Hill being a glaring case in point). There's a certain amount of credibility that comes with being a serial entrepreneur with consistently respectable results, and Trevor has that.

Third, the book just has the ring of truth to it -- a certain mystical, alchemical quality which is hard to define. It just seems to resonate with the structure of experience: 'Y'know, come to think of it, the times when I've been successful, that was what I did.' Thus far, you had been doing it unconsciously and accidentally. I'm grateful to Trevor for making that structure explicit so we can follow it deliberately. I just finished re-reading the book, and I'm looking forward to reporting back on the fruits the implementation of its ideas will bear.

-- Ali Binazir MD, author of The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible, the highest-rated dating self-help book on Amazon

First-time author Blake boasts an impressive set of accomplishments: overcoming a dirt poor, hardscrabble existence in Wales to be selected for the Royal Navy, and jettisoning a corporate career to bootstrap a business which he eventually sold for more than $100 million--during a recession, no less. Unlike many entrepreneurs or masters of the universe, Blake maintains that his success was not merely the result of intelligence, hard work, or even being in the right place at the right time; rather, he attributes his successes to three basic ideas which he identified and incorporated into his life after studying the biographies of self-made millionaires and other inspiring people. Blake expounds on these three characteristics: changing or reclaiming your mentality, creating moments of insight, and turning ideas into new experiences through intention... this is an inspirational and thought-provoking read about how control over your mind and thoughts can yield a more fulfilling life.

I own a small business, and I read this book upon recommendation from one of our clients (who is a business success in his own right!). I'm so glad I took him up on it, as it was a great read! Filled with personal stories from the author, scientific studies, and simple (but not necessarily easy!) steps to help focus your mind on what you really want to achieve. I'd recommend this book to anyone who feels a bit stuck, and is open to making an effort to make small adjustments in their lives for big impact.

The only reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 is that the personal stories -- while relevant to the three steps he talks about -- were a bit long. Mostly I just had a hard time going back through the book a second time (had to "work around" the peronal stories) in order to find the things I wanted to make note of and bookmark!

The three steps themselves are relatively common sense (especially if you're already a reader of books about success, leadership, business, etc. ... I suspect you've come across these concepts in the past.) But for me, I thought these concepts were spelled out in a way that pulled all the things I have already read and learned together in an easy-to-understand and easy-to-implement way.

This book was WELL WORTH what I paid (I read the Kindle edition), and I'm even considering purchasing a few printed versions to give to a few people!