Definition of Believe: 1. To accept as true or real; 2.To credit with veracity I believe you; 3. To have confidence in, trust. 4. To expect or suppose; think 5. To have firm faith
In the winter of 2011, I commuted from New Hampshire to San Diego to be an Interim Controller for a plastics manufacturer. Once a month, I would stay over for the weekend and see the local sites. Those who know
me know 
I’m directionally impaired.
I’m directionally impaired.
My time in San Diego was no exception.
I decided one Saturday morning that I would try to find Ocean Beach from my hotel in Mission Valley. I trusted and believed my GPS would get me to my destination without an issue.
Even though you (or I) might not think so, you’re always exactly where you’re supposed to be (I think the GPS lady is in on this grand scheme). While I was screaming, I passed a sign that read, SEA WORLD ahead. I was frustrated and had no idea if I would ever find Ocean Beach and the meter was running out on my fun day off. As a side note, I’m single with no kids so a trip to Sea World would never make my top 10 places to visit while on vacation. I decided this is where the Universe wanted to take me that day so there I was—me and thousands of little mini me’s wearing neon sneakers with flashing lights carrying stuffed whales—all excited about spending the day at Sea World.
All in all, it turned out to be a fun relaxing day. I got a high out of watching how excited the children got seeing the dolphins and whales perform. You can’t help but feel joy in the presence of an ecstatically happy child. Personally, I fell in love with the Polar Bears. I have a soft spot for these beautiful animals. I didn’t think Sea World would've been their top choice for a vacation day either but we both made the best of it.
It was 4 PM when I attended my last show of the day—the killer whales. It was a show I will never forget. Instead of the usual announcement with whales racing around the pool jumping through hoops, there was an inspiring introduction called Believe. They taught the children (and adults) in the audience that if they believed in themselves and what their potential could bring, they could do anything. They told the story of a whale trainer on their staff. The trainer had loved whales since he was a kid. He lived in a spot where he could see them and ride along in his boat with them. He always dreamed of growing up and working with these animals. The program showed how his dream came true. He came out and waved to the crowd. It was a truly inspiring story. I get chills today thinking of it. It inspired me (and I read a lot of inspirational books) and I have no doubt it inspired those in the audience.
If that wasn’t synchronistic enough, I pulled out of the Sea World parking lot and guess what I saw? A sign that read Welcome to Ocean Beach. I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
When I saw the release of Eldon Taylor’s new book I Believe – When What You Believe Matters! I got the chills again. I was hoping this book would be as inspirational as the Sea World presentation I had seen a year ago in San Diego.
The book is split up into twenty-six chapters where Eldon discusses what he thinks or believes about each topic such as Goals and Ambitions, Instinct and Intuition, Afterlife and End of Life, and Relationships.
The last paragraph of the book jacket states that, “Eldon Taylor has spent more than 25 years researching the power of the mind and developing scientifically proven methods to enhance the quality of your life. I Believe is a book that will not only inspire you, but will highlight the kinds of beliefs you hold that may be causing you to fail. In the process, it will provide you with the opportunity to choose, once again, that will drive your life.”
What I Didn’t Like About this Book
That’s six you’s or your’s in one book jacket paragraph. Problem is, there was nothing about the You that is Me in this whole book. The reader is an afterthought. I started counting how many times Eldon started a sentence with “I Believe,” but then lost count. For someone who has spent 25 years in science, I wasn’t expecting to read parables, quotes and some Bible stories to support his thoughts about how he arrived at his beliefs. Does the reader really care what Eldon believes? Some people might. When a reader picks up a book with this title, they want to gain a deeper understanding about themselves, what they believe and then be inspired to pursue that belief. The reader should not be an afterthought in the last paragraph of each chapter in a section called Reflection where Eldon asks, “So what is it that you believe?” Do you really care?
What I Did Like About this Book
I liked Eldon’s personal stories. I liked where he used real examples to support his belief or position. I loved his mention of his wife and his devotion to her. That was lovely.
There was nothing new here except if you care to know what Eldon Taylor believes about various aspects of life which might be best put into an autobiography. I don’t think what I believe matters at all to the author, therefore I was not inspired by this book. I was hoping for a book that would prompt some introspection but instead I got talked at. My recommendation-Pass.
Explore Beyond the Usual gives this book 2 stars.
Disclosure: I am a Hay House Book Reviewer which means I may receive a book free of charge for review. My credibility is extremely important to me. This site is independently owned and the opinions expressed here are my own. Sometimes that's very obvious. I am also an affiliate of Hay House Publishing and Amazon. This means I receive a commission if you purchase Hay House or Amazon products linked from this website. True Story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
R. Ann Rousseau writes about metaphysical, spiritual and astrology topics on her blog Explore Beyond the Usual. She is author of the new novel Portsmouth, A Love Story. If you would like to be notifed when the novel is available for sale, please email us info@explorebeyondtheusual.com
Other Blog Posts by R. Ann Rousseau: Do You Have a Paralyzed Will? Hay House Radio Show Discussion, Living On Purpose - Oprah's Life Class Tour Discussion, My Titanic Family Legend, Pearls of Wisdom Book Review, Enough Already - The Power of Radical Contentment Book Review, Astrological Forecast April 2012, What Do You Really Love to Do? Wishes Fulfilled - Oprah's Super Soul Sunday Discussion with Wayne Dyer, A Facebook Message from a Friend in Spirit, Are You Having a Life Crisis? Do You Know What Integrity Is? Wishes Fulfilled - Mastering the Art of Manifesting Book Review, Authentic Power - Oprah's Super Soul Sunday Discussion, KEM - Sophisticated, Sexy, Soulful and Spiritual, Are You Out of Alignment? Choice Point Book Review, The Middle Lane, Clean Your Mirrors, Three Feet From Gold - Book Review, Do You Need a Most Benevolent Outcome?, We Are All Connected Oprah's Super Soul Sunday Discussion, Release the Anger: Oprah's Super Soul Sunday Discussion, One Big Global Blogging Family, Book Review - Psychic Exploration A Challenge for Science, Hay House Radio's New Show SoundWave A Bit Hit!, Do You Believe in Soul Mates, The Future of Astrology, You Always Had the Power- Oprah's Life Class Discussion, Love Doesn't Hurt - Oprah's Life Class Discussion, The Unconditional Love of Animals-Oprah's Life Class Discussion, Your Life is Whispering to You. Pay Attention. Oprah's Life Class Discussion, The Power of a Second Chance: Oprah's Life Class Discussion, Aging : Oprah's Life Class Discussion, Connecting the Dots- Steve Jobs' Stanford Commencement Speech, The Truth Will Set You Free, Discussion of Oprah's Super Soul Sunday Premiere: The World Beyond, A Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom Moment, Breaking Out the Top Shelf Advice for Rough Times, Eat Dessert First -The Art of Extreme Self Care, Queen of the Law of Least Effort-Seven Spiritual Laws of Success Book Review, The Secret of Instant Healing Book Review, Transforming Fate into Destiny Book Review, Awakening the Lightworker Within Book Review, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane Book Review, Trust Your Gut Book Review, The Spirit Whisperer Book Review, Astrology for the Light Side of the Brain Book Review, My 9/11 Story, How to Be Inspired Book Review, Infinite Quest Book Review, Biology of Belief Book Review, The Morning Breeze Has Secrets to Tell, The Gentle Way II Book Review, Do You Fear or Respect Mother Nature?, You Can Heal Your Life Movie Review, Hereafter Movie Review, North Wind Blowing -Time for a Change, Presence University, Impossible Situations are Great Opportunities, Do You Have Enough?, Moon Tides Soul Passages Book Review, Compromise with the Varmints! Yankee Doodle Discord Book Review, A Wright Brothers Moment! The Sacred Promise Book Review
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