3 out of 4 stars
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Navigating Through the Valleys of Success is a nonfiction book by Cleon Joseph. The author aims to inspire those on the verge of giving up. He acknowledges that we face daunting obstacles - fear of failure, finances, draining work environments - the list is endless. Yet, he encourages his readers not give up on their entrepreneurial dreams.
In the first few chapters, Cleon narrates how his father, a successful entrepreneur, lost everything and hit rock bottom. That experience rocked Cleon to his core, leading him to yearn for job security. As a result, he became a police officer. After a few years, he jumped at the opportunity of joining the Training Division. Having always been passionate about fitness, he poured himself into his work. Surprisingly, he received negative reactions from his superiors. He then realized that he would not find true fulfillment in his nine-to-five job. He had been suppressing his entrepreneural spirit for far too long. After obtaining the necessary training and certification, he started his own business, CJ's Functional Fitness. Throughout the rest of the book, he shares his life experiences from that point on and highlights important life lessons that he has acquired.
The author emphasizes the importance of embracing our valleys. In the prologue, he explains that these valleys are symbolic of the challenges and difficulties we must face. He goes on to demonstrate this through his personal experiences. I learned that instead of wallowing in self pity when faced with trials, I should welcome and learn from them.
The author narrates his experiences with such feeling and energy. Not only that, but most of these experiences are unpretentious and relatable. I appreciate that the author was willing to share potentially embarrassing moments in his life. For example, he divulges that there was a point in his life where he depended on unemployment checks.
For me, the best part of the book is when the author narrates how he grew his business. He began operating CJ's Functional Fitness while the economy was doing poorly. Instead of letting this put a damper on his plans, he used it to his advantage. What's more, he held onto his day job while growing his business. It was refreshingly different that the author of this book valued job security.
Although the author mentions his faith throughout the book, I am positive that even non-religious readers will be able to enjoy this book. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It contains a disturbing number of typos. These typos obscure the meaning of some sentences.
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Navigating Through THE Valleys of Success
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