First sentence from the introduction: OVERWHELMED. It was a beautiful spring morning, but I was too busy to notice the trees beginning to bud or the clear blue sky.

First sentence from chapter one: Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe. OPRAH WINFREY

Premise/plot: Dalton hopes to connect with her readers who feel overwhelmed and stressed in her new book, The Joy of Missing Out. What does she mean by the phrase 'joy of missing out'?
Noun 1. The emotionally intelligent antidote to busy; intentionally choosing to live in the present moment by embracing open spaces of unrushed time 2. An intense feeling of delight and happiness caused by centering your life on what is truly important and letting go of the “shoulds” and “have to’s” in life. SYNONYMS: unhurried purpose, intentional, priority-centered ANTONYMS: busy, hustle, frazzled, knock stuff out, having a full plate
The book falls into the 'self-help' genre though it is published by a Christian publisher. It's a book about productivity, effectiveness, goal-setting, and priorities. It's a super-practical book packed with cultural wisdom. It guides readers step by step on discovering their own unique 'North Star' and discovering their own core values that will help shape their vision.
Productivity is not about doing more—it’s doing what’s most important. We need to stop trying to get more done and instead reset our focus on our own priorities. When we do that, our ideal life can become our real, everyday life.
When we treat everything as equal, it means nothing is a priority. It all gets jumbled together and we begin to lose sight of what really matters.
You have more time left in your life right now in this very minute than you will have an hour from now. There is not another point in your lifetime when you’ll have the luxury of the amount of time you have right this very second. If there’s something you really want to do, today is the day to start. It’s possible for your future to look brighter, for you to focus on the things that are important to you. But to do that, your priorities have to take priority.
While we may not be sailors, we still need a constant in our life to help guide us through the darkness. Here’s the hard fact: we don’t just find ourselves on a fulfilling, deeply satisfying path—we create it for ourselves. The clarity comes from within us.
My thoughts: If The Joy of Missing Out was NOT published by a Christian publisher, would I be surprised--even shocked--by its contents? Probably not. In fact, I know I wouldn't. This is exactly what I'd expect to find in any self-help section.

But the fact that it is in fact published by a Christian publisher, well, it shook me a bit. Why? Because the word "God" only appears once. The word "Bible" only appears once. I believe the words "church" and "Sunday School" appear once in the same story. And prayer might accidentally be mentioned two or three times even. Perhaps. But there is not one Scripture verse quoted or even alluded to. The book (the Bible) that is supposed to be the one and only authority in our lives is completely and totally missing. (As is all mention of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.) Oprah is mentioned more than God. Think about that. Think. About. That.

Priorities, goals, mission statements, core values, visions...all without any reference at all to God the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit...without any reference to God's will...to His sovereignty...to the Bible...to eternity. There is nothing remotely Christian about this one.

There are plenty of quotes to be found in this one. All contemporary. All cultural. But not one of them is from a Christian theologian, author, or preacher.

I am conflicted in some ways. On the one hand, I think she's lacking a solid foundation, and I question her questions. The questions and framework she wants us to work with--start from--are not based on anything solid and lasting. They are build on cultural wisdom and pragmatism. On the other hand, it is very true we don't need all the things. Some of the conclusions she arrives at seem true enough. We do fill our lives with things that just don't matter, with things that we don't really want. Sometimes we do not know how to say NO. I do believe in using your time wisely and valuing minutes. But her process...well...I'm just not sure it's biblical enough to build your own system around.

If you're looking for a book where you are encouraged and pleaded with to put yourself at the center always then this one might be for you.

Can Joy be Found in Productivity?

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting. The title, of course, is a spin on the fear of missing out (FOMO), which is quite a catchphrase these days. My thought was that the joy of missing out (this book) would be the opposite of the fear of missing out, but that's not how this book comes across. In fact, it is about productivity and uses the author’s four-part system to analyze and build that. Maybe it's just me, but I don't associate joy with productivity! It almost feels as if the author is combining two buzzwords in trying to cobble together a method. The book is heavily anecdotal, particularly of the author's life, though she also includes discussion of other people’s issues and forays into solving them. In general, storytelling is a good way to get across nonfiction concepts, but it must be done with a light hand. Examples shouldn't go on for too long, and they should definitely correlate to whatever the topic is. These personal experiences and anecdotes often failed one or both of these criteria. The storytelling at times overwhelmed the message, so I wasn't really clear what I was supposed to be taking away. That's the danger of storytelling; the actual message can get lost in a high noise-to-signal ratio. The book, too, seems to be focused more on mothers of at-home children. Whether you're looking at the topic from the perspective of the joy of missing out or productivity, not everyone who needs such guidance fits into that category. All in all, I found this to be a disappointing read.

This is an easy read book aimed at parents and working mums primarily. I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed as I was hoping for something a bit more in depth. All of the tips and advice has been said before but the author tries to angle it from the busy mum perspective. There are lots of personal quotes and anecdotes but all from the over achieving or busy mum perspective. It isn't a book I will remember or would read again but the frazzled working mums out there with young families might find it useful.

I loved this book with all of me!! Everyone out there who feels so overwhelmed with life needs to read this one. It’s definitely one that gets you thinking.

I felt energized right after reading the first chapter and the energy continued to build while reading The Joy of Missing Out or as my good friend calls it, 'JOMO'. Dalton was able to get me excited for the possibilities of how an effective and fulfilling life can be built. I have never highlighted or took so many notes during reading a self-development book before!

If you are a professional, parent, student or anyone who is overwhelmed by the 'busyness' of their lives - this book will help build the foundation on how to identify your purpose and how to reach personal and professional goal(s) and priorities.

It centers around a framework of the simple liveWell method created by Tonya Dalton that is outlined clearly in the book which I am a big fan of because usually for me to succeed, I like straightforward guidance not just concepts. I felt it was not only relatable but also quickly answered my doubts after each concept was introduced. Most importantly, it felt like tough love without the lecturing part of it.

If you admire the work of ' The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Stephen Covey - this book has tones of it but feels like the updated 2019 version where it builds on the principles and introduces sensible, proven concepts.
If you are a learner through storytelling, quotes, reflective scenarios, others' success stories - then you will like how this book is written and find it an enjoyable read.

I recommend this read to add to your tools of self-development and to make your life easier to make way for your personal/professional goals - 4/5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Nelson books for the advanced copy to review.