Living Forward

March 28, 2016
Hyatt and Harkavy offer a panacea for life's challenges through conscious thinking and creating a Life Plan, which they describe as "the app you need to stay on the path to the life you desire." The basic concept is straightforward and uncontroversial: that setting goals and developing strategies to achieve them, in all aspects of one's life, will improve a person's chances of fulfillment. Their approach is logical and intuitive; readers are advised to begin by acknowledging that they've arrived at destinations they didn't "consciously choose," before setting goals based on what they'd like their life to look like when it's over, and developing detailed action plans to get there. They recommend creating "life accounts," analogous to bank accounts, for all areas of life, to facilitate monitoring their "balances." Though the message is uplifting and the authors will inspire like-minded readers, they don't deal in nuance, or acknowledge that not everyone is in a position to follow this particular path to success. Much of the advice is simplistic, but it will be a welcome reminder for those looking for inspirationâsuch as the author's advice to say "no to good," so that they can "say yes to the great." For those needing a jump-start to sensible life planning, Hyatt and Harkavy will be a welcome one-two punch.