The 5 Keys to the Great Life

Author: Dr. Tomi Bryan and Dr. Jerry White

Publisher: R2 Media Group Publications

ISBN: 978-0-9824587-0-9

Reviewed by: Karen Cioffi-Ventrice for BookPleasures.com

The 5 Keys to the Great Life is unique in that it is written by a brother and sister team. Both authors have impressive credentials in their chosen fields of law, management, education, and psychology, combined. With the number of self-help books out there written by every Tom, Dick and Harry, it's refreshing to read one from writers who actually have an educational background and job experience in the area they are advising others on. In addition to all this, they have both been through burdening health and family problems. These personal experiences provide them with additional insight into coping mechanisms and tools that they impart to the reader.

The Foreword and the Introduction to the book both make reference to the speed at which life is changing, and to the overwhelming amount of information that is bombarding our senses, and to our incapability of absorbing the changes and information as fast as they come. The authors explain that with so much change, the family unit and individuals are now being affected. They devised The 5 Keys to the Great Life to help people not only cope with life in today's fast paced societies, but create a better...a great life.

One of the aspects of the book I like is that the authors, in a couple of sections, use two familiar movies and a television show to convey their points. Using these shows, the authors are able to bring out the importance of knowing who you are, what your values are, your current status; the importance of knowing where your boundaries are so others don't overstep them; and the importance of knowing what you want. This engages the reader and allows for an easier understanding.

While the book offers many of the same tools to improve one's life that other self-help books offer, such as positive thinking, changing harmful or stagnant thoughts, setting boundaries, and forgiveness, the authors add their own personal touch to the topic. They provide a number of assessment quizzes or tools that are geared to make you search deep down for the answers. And, they offer many quotes from qualified and even famous people and philosophies.

One point in The 5 Keys to a Great Life that I like in particular is the MapQuest analogy, "In order to obtain directions from MapQuest, you must enter a starting point and an ending point." The authors explain that you need to know where you currently are, and you need to know your destination in order to find the path and tools to get there. If you don't have these two points, you have no direction.

In the self-help arena of books, this one holds its own. While I don't agree with everything the authors reveal in the book, on a whole I think it is a worthwhile read.

About the authors:

Dr. Tomi Bryan's professional experience includes working in the legal, compliance, and educational fields. She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences with a Specialization in Leadership and Organizational Change from Walden University, a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law, and a B.A. in Political Science from North Carolina State University. She has been a practicing attorney since 1989, and is a huge ACC basketball fan.

Dr. Jerry White's professional experience includes working in the education, psychology, technology, and training fields. He holds a Ph.D., Ed.S., and an M.Ed. from Georgia State University and a B.S. from North Carolina State University. Currently, Dr. White serves as an adjunct professor teaching Master's Degree and Doctoral Degree students. He has dedicated his life to helping people reach their highest potential through training and counseling.