Book Review: Good old motivation for a new day-"No More Dreaded Mondays" by Dan Miller

Do you and I need another motivation book?  It is a fair question and the answer is more challenging than it is obvious.

Times, markets, management policies and other long held assumptions are changing for all of us.  Miller not only challenges long held work assumption but points out their danger. The volatility of the "Idea Age" does not allow us to get sign on, get the time card and turn off our brains.  "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he..",  from Proverbs 23, is Miller's starting point.  "No More" offers a process to redefine work by redefining our attitudes toward work.  This way it becomes a calling rather than a settling.  The book's helps the reader identify unhealthy attitudes and fears then take action.

 "No More Dreaded Mondays" provides the reader an online "no more monday.blog" community to reinforce these concepts too.  Miller is upbeat, ultra-positive, honest, teaches with many stories and keeps it personal.  His writing style is fun, efficient, includes good end-notes and resource list but is not one to skim.  A lot is said in its  260 pages.

The book seems to take the attitude that "doing what you have to do" is somehow a failure and that we always have control over our situations.  Can everyone drop a dreary job and become a novelist?  Miller does drives home the fact that everyone can and should find God's calling and its satisfaction wherever we are and change the world. Even so, this book is far more focused on self-help than spiritual growth.  Scripture and God's principles are assumed throughout but seems an afterthought at times.

Do we and do I need this book?  The short answer is yes.  It has value to both those mired in job loss-they will find practical motivation to get un-stuck- and those of us with great work situations.  We need to "fire ourselves" every now and then and lengthen our vision to see the world's changing  rhythms.  They are at work in every ministry, field and trade and create dread and dissatisfaction in many people.  Miller offers an alternative and positive response to fear.  All of us need to be reminded of how to be and become fresh, excited and pliable in these rapidly changing times.

Multnomah Press gave me this book free in exchange for writing this review.  I thank them for risking negative comments and you for reading the review.  More information, including an excerpt of Chapter 1 can be found at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400073856

Please do me a favor and go to http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/index/book:209 and give me a rating for my review. It will only take a minute.