The Seven Minute Difference

I was recently given a couple of materials to peruse and review.  This is the first time I've actually been asked for a "formal" review about something and, I'll be honest, I'm a bit nervous.  Bear with me :-)

Allyson Lewis has written a few books and I've had the privilege of reading The Seven Minute Difference over the past few weeks.  To be honest, I have had the book for quite a while but just haven't found solid time to really "dig" into it til just about a week ago.


"The Seven Minute Difference."  In this "microwave" society, the thought of something having an impact in just seven minutes (the average attention span of people- yes, I learned that from the book!) is quite intriguing, especially for this busy mom of a zany almost-two-year-old boy!  Sign me up!

Ahhh.  Were you thinking about a quick fix?  This is a book, silly!  The "Seven Minutes" part is only a fraction of the whole enchilada that Allyson lays out for us.  It is the main ingredient, if you will, but we are talking about changing how you look at life and how you look at yourself.  Where are you now and where do you want to be?  What is your purpose in life?  Oh wait.  Too heavy?  Well, I thought so, too, but we must take time to sit and really think about this kind of stuff if we want to do more than just eke our way through life.

This book is pretty much geared for professionals and entrepreneurs.  People who run a business.  Wait.  People who run businesses manage people, right?  They work with budgets, yes?  They try to maximize efficiency and productivity, oftentimes wearing different hats.  Hold on.  Sounds like a position I'm familiar with.  BEING A MOM!  Ok.  So, I read on and gleaned a lot of information- not only from this book but about myself.  Yes, it's kind of like homework so be prepared to sit down in a quiet place and have something handy to write with.  Better yet, break out your handy dandy "7 Minute Life Daily Planner."  Don't have one?  It's set to hit the shelves on 10/21 and is the perfect companion to Ms. Lewis' book I mentioned earlier.  I have used both a notebook and the planner so far.

I haven't finished the book yet.  I am only halfway through.  I will admit that a couple of chapters didn't appeal to me because they did seem to be business-oriented (dealing with clients, networking successfully, etc) but I can tell you that some of the concepts presented gave me some ideas for the non-profit I help out with.

Would I, as a mom, purchase this book/planner?  To be honest, I probably wouldn't.  I am super-blessed it was given to me because I have learned a lot from it.  The very first thing Allyson asks of us is to think about our purpose in life.  Have you ever really sat and thought about that?  She encourages us to look at our strengths and ways we can enhance them.  Negativity? Get that out of your life!  "Your negative illusions do not define you."  Those criticisms you have for yourself?  She asks how you think your loved ones around you would feel if you pointed out each and every one of their faults in the same manner you chide yourself.  Wow.  That is really some food for thought.  She implores us to dream big: "Our dreams influence our actions and therefore help form the blueprint of our lives."  This book has really given me the opportunity to sit and reflect on who I am and where I'm going.  Goal-setting has always been really hard for me but she makes it easier by implementing things called "micro-actions."  These micro-actions help give us momentum to plow through what used to be our mundane lives.

Passion. Dreams. Service. Priorities. Goals. Success. There is no room for failure or to dwell on past mistakes.  Allyson provides the tools we need to get moving with our lives by not only sharing her experiences but also giving us another tool for achieving our life's purpose:  "The 7 Minute Life Daily Planner."  We must de-clutter not only our thoughts but our desks and our schedules and this book is something she devised to assist in this endeavor.  It is broken down into 90 day segments because, she notes, in the business world, 90 days is plenty of time to gauge if a plan is working and goals are being met.  It's also short enough to maintain motivation.  I am just now getting into using the planner, but I hope to have some more feedback on it for you guys, soon.  Just flipping through it has me kind of excited.  There are pages devoted to sorting through mental clutter, daily progress reports where you can jot down those you've networked with, unfinished tasks and even how much water and exercise you got on a particular day!  She leaves no stone unturned!  We will see if it jibes with my "Stay-At-Home-Mom-ness."

Thanks for reading!  Stay tuned for more!

[EDIT] I forgot to put the link in for the book/planner! Please click here to read more!

Amy