This is a review of The Type-Z Guide to Success: A Lazy Person’s Manifesto for Wealth and Fulfillment, by Marc Allen.
I’m by nature a somewhat…well, I can be lazy, at times. This book was right up my alley.
If you’re not a Type A person, someone who is eternally motivated and works hard all the time with ease, then I’m sure you at least know some of them. If you’re anything like me, you envy them in a way. How do they get themselves to work so hard?
Instead of teaching us lazy types how to become more hard-working, Marc Allen shows us how to succeed while staying lazy. Seems like a crazy idea, which is why I like it.
Allen is a multi-millionaire who, apparently, never worked hard for his success. His success came “in an easy and relaxed manner, a healthy and positive way, in its own perfect time, for the highest good of all,” which are phrases he recommends the reader append to his/her affirmations. Affirmations are positive, encouraging statements such as “I am creating the life of my dreams” that are supposed to be repeated in your head or aloud throughout each day, and after a while the ideas are supposed to permeate your subconscious as a form of self-development. While I have mixed feelings about the effectiveness of affirmations, I have no doubt they work for some.
The Type-Z Guide to Success gives an entirely different mindset than most self-development books. While it has spiritual undertones, it’s not just a shitty remake of The Secret. It’s not some foo-foo book that claims we can “attract” wealth in our lives just by thinking about it. Allen recognizes the obvious need for action, but the point is that the action we need to take to become successful doesn’t have to be stressful, it doesn’t have to be painful, and we don’t have to overcome our lazy natures in order to achieve our goals.
In the end, the belief that we have to work our asses off for years and years in order to be successful is just that: a belief. Beliefs can be changed, and when they are, the reality those beliefs support changes as well. As I say on the homepage of this site, “You can have anything you want by changing your beliefs.”
Allen says, “Our beliefs are not true in themselves, but become true in our experience if we believe they’re true.”
I like the way he thinks.
Here’s the obligatory photo of my copy (as per The Best Way to Read a Book):
And now, a few quotes:
“I knew how important it was to do what I loved. I knew that in some way, if I went for my dreams, it would all work out somehow.”
“You will be what you intend to be. When you dare to dream, and then make a written plan, the creative forces of the universe rush in to support you in countless, endlessly creative ways.”
“I’ve never known anyone who has gone for their highest dreams and later regretted it. Regardless of what happens, even if it is a spectacular failure, you won’t regret it – because you’ve given your dreams encouragement and support. You have given your spirit a chance to soar. You will find a satisfaction, a fulfillment, beyond anything you’ve ever experienced.”
“Allow yourself to be lazy at times – if you do, you’ll find you have a lot more energy at other times.”
It’s a short book, 159 pages, and not only useful, but entertaining. Click the link below to check it out on Amazon: