Reviews

BOOK/TAPE

Balancing life and work

The Heart of Success, by Rob Parsons. Hodder & Stoughton £6.99. Also available on cassette.

Keen to succeed in work and have a life? Struggling to get a decent balance between work and everything else? Rob Parsons’ book offers some sound guidance through its seven 'laws' – as the book’s subtitle puts it, 'making it in business without losing in life'.

If you have been inspired and challenged by one of Rob's seminars, this book will touch you. It is full of stories and real life examples, written in an easy to read style; ideal for busy people who want to do something positive about their work-life situation.

The book is based on Christian principles, but implicitly rather than explicitly; so don’t expect to find lots of Bible verses or references to theological doctrines. Some Christian readers might want a little more detail to show the basis of these assumptions, but I like this implicit approach given the purpose of the book – it makes its messages accessible to a wide audience but without losing touch with its Christian basis.

I found I could sign up to the seven 'laws', each of which made me examine my own life. The opening chapter tackles the dilemma of money versus time – don’t burn up all your best years, miss your family growing up, and lose your health working – there is life outside the workplace! The message underpinning the book, to which it returns in the last chapter, is that work is important, but that it should be seen in the context of the whole of life.

Putting family before career is picked up in law 5, which builds on Rob’s bestseller The Sixty Minute Father. Other chapters cover principles such as believing the job you do makes a difference, playing to your strengths, following your dreams, and keeping the common touch. There are some powerful quotes from influential business leaders, and the practical tips for individuals and companies at the end of each chapter are useful summaries, as well as prompts to action.

Although it is quite a thick book, the print is widely spaced so that it is relatively quick to read, and difficult to put down. However, I would have liked to have read more on some of the topics. The mechanism of prefacing each chapter with a student learning these laws from an aged professor in an American setting I found a little clichéd and unnecessary.

Overall, this is a helpful and timely book. It should encourage both individuals and organisations to tackle better some of the dilemmas of work and life.

Peter Curran worked in the oil industry for many years and is a member of an advisory panel at St John's College, Nottingham

TAPES

Care for the Family has a new series of Adventures in Odyssey resources available via US-based Focus on the Family. The latest resource is a new series of six-episode audio cassettes entitled Amazing Stories.

These new collections feature selected stories along a specific theme, chosen from previously released cassettes. Each 30-minute episode explores a different aspect of the theme through the lives of the popular characters who live in the town of Odyssey.

Current collections available are:

Sibling Rivalry
Self-Esteem
Friendship
Honesty
Peer Pressure

My six-year-old thinks the world of these, and they're a popular choice for bedtime listening. Occasionally the all-American style and content doesn't travel too well, and some tapes will hit the mark more with older youngsters, but they're bright, well-voiced and easy to listen to, with good Christian-based lessons taught.
These collections are available to purchase on line at http://www.care-for-the-family.org.uk/resources/category.asp?catcode=12

Russ Bravo

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		BOOK/TAPE Balancing life and work The Heart of Success, by Rob Parsons. Hodder & Stoughton £6.99. Also available on cassette. Keen to succeed in work and have a life? Struggling to get a decent balance between work and everything else? Rob Parsons’ book offers some sound guidance through its seven 'laws' – as the book’s subtitle puts it, 'making it in business without losing in life'. If you have been inspired and challenged by one of Rob's seminars, this book will touch you. It is full of stories and real life examples, written in an easy to read style; ideal for busy people who want to do something positive about their work-life situation. The book is based on Christian principles, but implicitly rather than explicitly; so don’t expect to find lots of Bible verses or references to theological doctrines. Some Christian readers might want a little more detail to show the basis of these assumptions, but I like this implicit approach given the purpose of the book – it makes its messages accessible to a wide audience but without losing touch with its Christian basis. I found I could sign up to the seven 'laws', each of which made me examine my own life. The opening chapter tackles the dilemma of money versus time – don’t burn up all your best years, miss your family growing up, and lose your health working – there is life outside the workplace! The message underpinning the book, to which it returns in the last chapter, is that work is important, but that it should be seen in the context of the whole of life. Putting family before career is picked up in law 5, which builds on Rob’s bestseller The Sixty Minute Father. Other chapters cover principles such as believing the job you do makes a difference, playing to your strengths, following your dreams, and keeping the common touch. There are some powerful quotes from influential business leaders, and the practical tips for individuals and companies at the end of each chapter are useful summaries, as well as prompts to action. Although it is quite a thick book, the print is widely spaced so that it is relatively quick to read, and difficult to put down. However, I would have liked to have read more on some of the topics. The mechanism of prefacing each chapter with a student learning these laws from an aged professor in an American setting I found a little clichéd and unnecessary. Overall, this is a helpful and timely book. It should encourage both individuals and organisations to tackle better some of the dilemmas of work and life. Peter Curran worked in the oil industry for many years and is a member of an advisory panel at St John's College, Nottingham TAPES Care for the Family has a new series of Adventures in Odyssey resources available via US-based Focus on the Family. The latest resource is a new series of six-episode audio cassettes entitled Amazing Stories. These new collections feature selected stories along a specific theme, chosen from previously released cassettes. Each 30-minute episode explores a different aspect of the theme through the lives of the popular characters who live in the town of Odyssey. Current collections available are: Sibling Rivalry Self-Esteem Friendship Honesty Peer Pressure My six-year-old thinks the world of these, and they're a popular choice for bedtime listening. Occasionally the all-American style and content doesn't travel too well, and some tapes will hit the mark more with older youngsters, but they're bright, well-voiced and easy to listen to, with good Christian-based lessons taught. These collections are available to purchase on line at http://www.care-for-the-family.org.uk/resources/category.asp?catcode=12 Russ Bravo © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.