want to achieve personal excellence? read this!

  

( ♥)

On Positively Present, I'm often recommending books and e-books to check out because, as an avid reader, I'm always looking for new things to read and I hope to help others find great new material with these posts. I almost always give the books I review on the site a positive recommendation because, if I read a book I don't like, I'm not going to waste your time writing about it so you can read about why not to read it. Recently, I was given a copy of Celestine Chua's The Personal Excellence Book: Your Handbook to Live Your Best Life and I am in awe of all the great contact Celes has been able to gather for the 700+ page book. I've been reading Celes' blog, The Personal Excellence Blog, for some time now (in fact, it was one of the first blogs I ever read!) and I've always been thrilled to find great, inspiring content there. Therefore, it was no big surprise when I read her book and realized that it too was filled with wonderful wisdom and inspiring advice -- but I had no idea just how much great content could be fit into one e-book! 

The e-book features 120 articles grouped into nine key categories of personal growth: 
 

• Purpose & Meaning, 
• Awareness & Growth, 
• Passion & Dreams, 
• Goals & Success, 
• Cultivating Life Transforming Habits, 
• Emotional Mastery, 
• People Skills/Relationships, 
• Maximizing Productivity and 
• Inspirational Quotes. 

Clearly, a lot of very important topics are covered in these sections. It might seem like a lot of heavy stuff to cover in one book, but you won't be disappointed with the quality of information Celes provides here. (Not to mention, the extensive collection of quotes, which I found incredibly inspiring.) No matter who are you are or what you're looking for in terms of personal development, I guarantee you'll find a something in this e-book that helps to make your world a better place. As Celes writes in her introduction (and I completely agree with!), "You'll find this book a critical tool in your journey of growth." If you're interested in growing your self personally and achieving the personal excellence you know you deserve, this is absolutely the e-book for you. It's a nearly 800 page volume of work that Celes has spent countless hours writing and creating and it's an amazing resource for anyone interested in cultivating personal excellence in his/her own life. 

Though I can honestly say that each section of Celes' book provides valuable content, there is one article in particular that stuck with me. "Dealing with Energy Vampires," found in the People & Relationships section of the book, addresses how to deal with negative people in our lives, the people that suck the positive energy from us (sometimes on a daily basis!). Celes writes, "Negative people tend to leave others around them drained, tired and lethargic. No matter what you try to say, they always seem to find a way to counter with a negative opinion of sorts. When they face a problem, they soak themselves in the issue rather than deal with it constructively. They adopt a self-victimizing mindset, complaining about whatever happens." No matter how positive you are or how many positive people you surround yourself with, it can be difficult to complete avoid the energy vampires (a.k.a. negative people). It's something everyone is faced with and the information and suggestions Celes provides on how to deal with negative people are both timeless and extremely helpful. Her advice on this topic really stayed with me and helped me to overcome some difficult situations with the energy vampires in my own life. 

In addition to gaining priceless advice from Celes' words, after reading this e-book, I found myself inspired to work on some of the things I'd been putting off. I was actually more productive than I'd been in a long time and I'd picked up quite a few tips on how to make that productive energy work even more efficiently for me. Celes' articles provide readers with such great content and it's hard to imagine anyone who would read this and not learn a great deal about how to create a truly excellent life. If you're looking for a great personal development resource (or just some inspiration!), check out Cele's The Personal Excellence Book: Your Handbook to Live Your Best Life. 

Comments

[J.D. Meier]

It sounds like a great book and I think we can always use some methods and ways for dealing with energy Vampires. Some fangs sink deep.

[Celestinechua]

Thanks a lot Dani for the wonderful review :D I really appreciate this! I hope all's great at your side currently!

[positively present]

J.D. - Definitely a great book! Check it out!

Celes - You're welcome! It was a great read and I hope lots of people check it out!

[Syd]

Energy vampires--I like that. I find negative people to be so tiring as well.