this book is super important in the current digital age where anytime someone wants something from you they can make your phone ring, or ding. you are never unreachable or so I feels. and you deserve to be. elevate

A nice, motivational book. Uplifting, with some good advice for life. A nice refreshing read.
Though not the best in the genre, it is still pretty decent.

I struggled to get through this book for several reasons. I should note I read hundreds of self-help books a year for my work, and thus feel adequately experienced and knowledgeable on what makes a solid piece of nonfiction in this arena.

Elevate starts with it's presise early. It's a "guide to an optimal life," with, "profound insights and transformative practices".

I found neither.

Instead, there were repeated uses of the same words in short succession, run-on sentences that I found difficult to follow, and constant generalized statements with no backing or proof. I felt like I was being spoken to as if I were a teenager that didn't know any better.

Each chapter or section starts with a story from the author. While normally a great way to introduce a topic or idea in practice, the personal stories here left me wanting. One in particular that had me shaking my head referred to the author's martial arts practice. A short paragraph explained briefly how anyone of any size could take down another if they knew the requisite skills.

Okay, cool. I'm in.. but that was it. That's the story. There's no aha, or even a buildup. It's merely, "I did this, people ooh and ahh".

I think what I'm trying to say here, is that there's no storytelling.

I didn't learn anything new from this book, and I found myself frustrated with all the "we" statements that I couldn't get on board with.

Nutshell: I cannot recommend this book. I feel horrible whenever I say this, as I realize a book is a labor of love - and as a writer myself, it pains me.

I really appreciated the way the author has organized the accumulated wisdom in this book. As he says, "It's not my wisdom, it's our wisdom." He's collected and organized wisdom from both Eastern and Western philosophies into a very readable and logical format, with two parts. The first part is "Awareness" and is about cultivating awareness for improving your life. The second part, equally important, is "Action". The author compares it to the Eastern concept of yin and yang, both are equally necessary.

I enjoyed how the author presents first an inspirational quote for each section and then elaborates on the quote, often drawing on examples from his personal life to illustrate points.

I usually don't gravitate toward self-help books because I am skeptical of "one size fits all" solutions for a wide range of people with different backgrounds, issues, and in varying stages of life. When I read the introduction to "Elevate", what immediately appealed to me was its flexible approach, inviting the reader to set their own pace and adapt the reading to their personal needs. The scope of this book quite large, so it is hard a write an in-depth reaction to something that will take a while to digest. This great scope has the advantage that most readers will probably find something that resonates with them, maybe even different things at different times. Beyond the personal usefulness of "Elevate", I was struck by its relevance to our current political environment regarding our personal biases, cognitive dissonance and our tendencies to perceive the world in a rigid, set way. While this is a personal guide, I think it provides food for thought regarding society at large. I look forward to delving further into this book in the near and distant future.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“...when our awareness expands, so does our world ... and it becomes increasingly wondrous.”
~ Joseph Deitch

Years ago, I devoured many of the self help books on the market, after going through a particularly rough period in my life. I learned a lot that over the years has been very beneficial. When I saw this, I wanted to read about what a man who wrote a book about lifelong quest for wisdom and self-improvement would have to say. I feel I was very fortunate that I received this book in giveaway.

Some of this came across to me as reminders, and other parts of the book definitely opened my eyes to new ways of thinking. For years, I’ve been so bogged down by all the things I had to do, I’ve been running on autopilot much of the time. Within the past few months, I came to an awareness that I didn’t want to continue living this way. I wanted more moments to stop and smell the roses, and actually take time to appreciate the experience of living. This book covers just about every area of life I could think of and then some. Joseph has suggestions for your workplace that are applicable whether you are the boss or an employee. There is lots of helpful information on how to get along with others and yourself. He covers topics such as diet and meditation, as well as other things that add to our experiences.

I really like how the book is set up. You can skip around to any area you wish to read about. I also like that he wrote the book so that each chapter is broken down into insights or skills, which made it possible to read a few pages whenever I had a few free moments in my day.

This massive undertaking is easy to read and I think everyone would find some helpful information in it.

Like many of the other reviewers, I am a self professed self help junkie. It is a genre I am drawn to and have read and re-read the master works, as well as some of the books by people just repeating a few short concepts, while trying to make a few bucks simply.
Joseph Deitsch's lengthy and complete work goes among the former, masterful, works. His ideas are well researched and well presented. He addresses not only actions to undertake but mindset and the WHY behind the process.
Most people will not read this book in one sitting. It is also not a one and done type of book.
You also will not see results just by reading this book once. You must also absorb the information, think about it, and take action on what you learn.
Deitsch divides the book into smaller concepts in an easy to follow and build upon sequence.
The book has techniques that can be applied to an individual's success and growth as well as the a manager or supervisor dealing with employees and even to the healthy and growth of a company or corporation.
I also enjoyed the relevant quotes which headed each section.

This book has the potential to change the way the reader sees himself and the world.

Elevate is an inspiring book filled with wisdom to help us be our best selves. I highly enjoyed it and found it inspirational.