Activate your Goodness

Hello Friends!

If you remember a while back, I signed up to be a blogger/book reviewer for Hay House Publishers. This is my second book review.

Activate Your Goodness” by Shari Arison is a motivational, feel good book. On the front jacket is a quote by Bill Clinton I want to share with you. He says, “Shari, your work has impacted the world in a profoundly positive way, touching lives everywhere in your everlasting pursuit to make the world a better place.”

I expected to be razzle dazzled by this book, especially after reading all the endorsements. And in many ways, it is impressive. Ms. Arison survived a challenging childhood, three marriages and divorces and came out of it all, transformed and with a strong desire to do service for the greater good.

Her father was the founder of Carnival Cruise Lines and she makes it clear that he struggled financially for many years before he succeeded in business. Ms. Arison served on the Board of Directors for her father’s company and started The Arison Foundation. In 2007, she created “Good Deeds Day” in Israel and it has since gone worldwide.

I have to admit though that I was expecting something different from this book. Looking forward to some author introspection, I was surprised when Ms. Arison delivered only a small chapter on her childhood and nothing on her (three!) marriages or divorces. Her words at one point were this: “I felt that for years, in order for people to understand me, I had to bang my head against the wall. I managed to move a few walls and break a few glass ceilings, but I began to feel overwhelmed, tired, and sick. “ That’s about as deep as she goes with her own personal feelings.

The rest of the book tells us how to do good for ourselves, our family, our community and for humanity. The rewards of doing for others are endless and I agree with this. Ms. Arison has examples of powerful, motivating situations and chronicles them in a simple, friendly manner. If you belong to a group or organization looking for positive ways to integrate into a community in a more service oriented fashion, this book could be very helpful.

Though overall I was not impressed by her writing, I was impressed by what Ms. Arison has accomplished and what she continues to stand for in her life. Best wishes to her for continued success with “Good Deeds Day.”

And of course, here is my disclosure per Hay House. I get to choose the book I wish to review, it is given to me free of charge, and I am not compensated for my endorsement of this book. This review is my personal opinion.

It's nice to share. Thank you.

10 Replies to “Activate your Goodness”

  1. Happy Easter! And congratulations on your second review. A Good Deeds Day sounds like something we should all put in our diaries. Even a good deed minute would make a difference.

  2. First Happy Easter my friend! I am fascinated by book reviews, some “give away” the surprise without saying spoiler alert. Others, just review the grammar and such. I love that you give an honest, heart felt review. You are the ideal person to read a review from, while honest, you give the potential reader clues and insight that is valuable without being mean. Hats off to you and your new passion. You have found your calling! Hugs from the left coast.

    1. Well thank you! I do like doing book reviews but am thinking about moving on to a new writing level. Have you ever thought of writing a book? My next blog post may be about this thought and I’m looking for friends who may “write” along with me. Just thought I’d mention this. Hope you are having a wonderful birthday!! xo

  3. Good review, Joanne. I haven’t read it myself, but it sounds interesting. Perhaps, the author didn’t go in to a lot of detail about herself because her main focus was on helping others improve rather than her past unsettled feelings. But many times readers like to feel as if they have a chance to improve, and they base that on whether or not the author has had similar emotional experiences…it’s the “Wow, she felt like I do now, and if she can do it, then I can, too” thought process.

    Thanks for sharing. May your day be blessed and happy.

    Marianne xo

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