Ryuho Okawa (1956–2023)

When I saw this title was available for reviewing I just clicked. The title sounded like something I would really want to work on: having a strong mind. I have read about procrastination, anxiety, stress, habit building and such, so I was really into this one, but it wasn't exactly what I expected it to be.

In the first chapter, it introduces us to the idea that every 10 years we are faced with a life crisis, the following chapters focus each one on a different subject: "inner maturity", "inner richness" and finally "the power of a strong mind". It is a highly anecdotal book, from the point of view of Ryuho Okawa, founder of Happy Science (a new religious and spiritual movement, according to Wikipedia). This is a book not based on research, it feels more like listening to someone's advice on life, founded by his own believes and experiences. Most of the time the examples are too specific, meant for a Japanese way of life (with couple of them having extra explanations as footnotes) and more aimed at adults in their 40's or older than to any other demographics.

All in all, this was not a self-help book meant for me: it is not scientific, I can't relate to the examples and I disagree in more than one aspect. As an anecdotal type of book, it is inspirational, interesting and with some words of wisdom, but I wouldn't add it to my bookshelf as a self-help book for building inner strength. If you are interested (or belong to) Happy Science, this book can be a great addition because it is easy and fast to read and it contains a lot of anecdotes, specially about Ryuho Okawa’s father.… (mehr)