I. C. Robledo

A very impressive example of one person's suffering leading to successful healing- Robledo provides an explanation of steps to overcome negative thinking using the power of mind and intention. The work is easy to reference and provides evidence of successes of other experts. Robledo creates a positive, sharing relationship, describing his challenges and feats, helping others begin to realize their potential.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.… (altro)

Somewhere in very, very recent history, right - wing America discounted moral behavior. They did so with the complicit approval of the right - wing churches who generously refer to themselves as 'Christian' denominations. The rest of the adult American populace now has the distasteful task of protecting younger citizens from becoming like - minded (by 'younger' I include anyone whose moral philosophy remains pliable in a non-negative sense). Part of this task is to expose people in their late teens and twenties to moral philosophies which do not involve gods who can be leveraged by someone as a stage prop for gain of social power.

Books within a “self - actualization” genre can have a role to play in protecting younger adults from moral decay without the need for dated threats of damnation. Traditionally, moral and self - discipline oriented texts come from religion. In Western Civilization, religions tend to eschetological - preoccupied with death. The self - actualization genre does the opposite, focusing only on life. I.C. Robledo has contributed to this literature with 7 Thoughts to Live Your Life By: a Guide to the Happy, Peaceful, and Meaningful Life.

Robledo shares his life philosophy in a well organized and easily read manner. He does not target a particular age group. The suggested demographic best served by the his work is my own opinion. The strategy for living which he proposes hase a theme of minimalism to it. In this regard, the book is not particularly original, but it remains valuable for adding weight to the genre. Its general spirit has strong overtones of Walden, but it is more operationalized than the musings of Thoreau. 7 Thoughts is also quite Epicurean.

Used in a casual, popular sense, 'Epicurean' might sound derogatory for my having applied it to Robledo's work. I mean nothing of the sort. The following description, quoted from the American Bible Society http://bibleresources.americanbible.org/resource/religions-and-philosophies-in-b... mirrors his theses and also makes clear the philosophical respectability of Epicurus.

“Epicureanism was founded in Athens by Epicurus, who lived from about 342 to 270 B.C. The main goal of life for Epicureans was to find true happiness. They believed true happiness was gained by encouraging serenity (the Greek word ataraxia) and by avoiding pain. They did not believe that fate or destiny ruled their lives; instead, they believed in free will. Since they did not believe that the gods influenced a person’s life, they were considered by some to be atheists. For them, true pleasure came from living nobly and justly and with a healthy lifestyle.”

Though not groundbreaking, 7 Thoughts has its nuggets. He emphasizes comparing self - to - self, across time, rather than comparing self - to - others. He makes the highly non-religious suggestion that life works best by viewing and weighing things with a probabilistic mind set. Don't get hung up on absolutes in keeping goals and judging situations. He loves lists and poignantly suggests fact checking ones thoughts. I particularly like his suggestion of keeping a 'to don't list'.

Like similar works in self - oriented literature (by definition really), a jump to family priorities and societal priorities is not well developed. For example, he states “I find that the more minimal I keep my needs and wants, the happier I am.” That is all well and good, but does the mindset work well for a father? In a parent's world, some material excess brings security in hard times. He does, indeed, list out how personal priorities should anchor to the family. However, if this mind set is transposed to a government, we might get the austere, libertarian governing that favors the 1%. Similarly, he advocates focusing on the present much more than the future. Again, at a societal level, this is pure poison. In today's world, people should be more demanding of institutions in all respects rather than less. The genre, as a whole, trips up on the divide between the individual and the group / civilization. Happiness cannot run from the masses. Nevertheless, self - actualization literature is a useful step to gaining secularization and to limiting preoccupations with scorning others.… (altro)

According to SpiritHome.com, an affirmation is a positive act that helps to give confidence and a sense of being supported. It gives voice to goals and hopes, and it strengthens resolve. This Christian definition coincides with what the author has written in the description for his book, just read his description.

While this book is not a daily Christian devotional book with affirmations for an entire year, it definitely should be read like one in order to achieve the full desired effect which this book has been designed to do.

The quotes in this book have been separated into 7 categories, each one designed to focus on a specific aspect of our lives. They come from a very board range of individuals who belong a myriad of centuries, come from different specialties as well as coming from different walks of life.

For giving his readers, including me, a book that will take an entire year to read to achieve the full benefits it has to offer, I’ve given the author, I. C. Robledo, the 5 STAR rating he deserves.… (altro)