Review appears here: https://becomingperfectlymyself.wordpress.com/2021/03/02/soundtracks/

I’ve been following Jon Acuff on and off for years. His books on business have been helpful in my desire to start and finish goals that were not business related more often than not. When his new book was just an idea, I stopped following him on Instagram because I’d just read Anne Bogel’s book on the same subject and thought “he’d never be able to do it better than her so why waste my time.”

He passes the book off as overcoming overthinking but it’s more of a thought-work/rewriting your brain method. The preorder bonuses were good so I ordered, then joined the launch team, then got an ARC to read early, then signed up for his OOC event the first week of March. Read the book in just a few hours and wrote so many notes during day 1 of the challenge (less than an hour) that I ran out of post-it’s.

It’s so good I’ll probably read the paperback then listen to the audiobook all before the middle of summer. So many practical suggestions about rewriting the soundtrack (that thought cycle you listen to all day, every day) that I can apply right away.

When a thought comes ask: Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it kind? If all three aren’t a YES then find a new thought. It takes time to rewrite your soundtracks. That time is the effort needed to live a happier life, one where you’re the biggest fan of you and all you do is root for yourself. Even if the world is crashing down and seems to be entirely against you, what help does it do for you to be against you.

You’re the narrator of your story … and if the narrator isn’t rooting for the main character then why should anyone else?

I've read most of Acuff's books and enjoyed each one of them. Here's the best part—each one he writes is better than the last. They each have his unique style of humor mixed with practical advice. But each successive book gets a little deeper into an important topic backed by research.

'Soundtracks' takes this to the next level. Acuff tackles an issue that nearly everyone struggles with—overthinking. But he approaches the topic in a different way than you'd expect. Don't try to stop overthinking. Instead, shift how you think to make it your new superpower.

He presents a few different tactics to get you started down a path to a better future. That's not to say every idea is for everyone, or that this book will suddenly change your life. But it will give you some realistic ideas that can empower your own transformation. And all of it is backed with research.

I've already started trying to implement some of these ideas in my own life. And this will probably be a book I revisit again to inspire a few more changes. Acuff has tapped into something powerful and universal in the ideas he presents in the book. There is something in here for everyone.

Full disclosure: I got an advanced copy of the book as a part of the book launch team.

Jon Acuff does it again. There are a few things you can always count on in a book by Jon Acuff: 1. Humor, sometimes subtle and sometimes laugh out loud 2. Research, Jon doesn't just tell stories he works with experts in the field to get answers 3. His work is actionable. It's that last aspect that really stands out. Business/personal improvement books have a tendency to gloss over the actionable items. Many are stories about how 'x, y, and z' worked for a person, but they never get into the gory details of 'x, y, and z.' The worst offenders try to sell you on more goods for the program.

Not so with Jon Acuff's book. Each chapter gives the idea it is centered around a good plan for implementing the idea in your life. Not all of it is ground breaking. A lot of the ideas are what I would call 'duh' moments. Ideas that we've all encountered in some shape or form, but we haven't had the clarity of seeing them until an author spells them out.

All in all, while I'm still working through how to apply these ideas to my own life I highly recommend this book to all of the overthinkers out there.

As a member of the Launch team for Soundtracks, I received an advanced digital copy of this book. This book is fire (does that make me sound old but I’m trying to be young?!). Soundtracks is full of practical, useful advice to stop overthinking and start making progress towards your dreams. I can not wait to start putting these practices into action.

Besides being useful, Jon is hilarious and I’m sure that’s what makes his so relatable. I can’t wait to receive my hard copy of this book so I can re-read it, highlight it and keep it in my personal library to reference over and over.

Did you know that your brain is a jerk? It repeats tired old soundtracks that get in the way of your goals and your personal growth. Because of a nifty little concept called neuroplasticity, you— yes, YOU, can change that broken old message. Instead of still drudging up that time in 7th grade you tripped over the utility wire in front of the popular kids and were banished from the group, create some NEW soundtracks to listen to. That one from 20 years ago is helping NO ONE! Develop some new techniques to turn down the noise on those ridiculous old lies and pop in some newer, more accurate and more encouraging soundtracks. Just because your brain is a jerk, that doesn’t mean you can’t get it to work! Jon Acuff breaks it down for you into easy, manageable steps, all while backing it up with research. This is another solid title from the gummy bear savant.