Matt McAvoy Book Review

I know very well just how much hard work Luis and Aurora have put into this heartfelt motivational book (indeed, I have been fortunate enough to assist in some aspects) and I think the final outcome has really paid off.  The premise is a considered and profound one: theorizing how we can literally live a better life by – to simplify and summarize – taking personal responsibility for our own decisions, by tackling our own fundamental psychological obstacles to doing so.  Of course, there is much more to it than this.  With tools from the schools of psychology and sociology, as well as Aurora’s beautiful introspective art, their approach is holistic and hugely comprehensive, dividing the book into three parts, which respectively present the reasons for our unhappy choices, the exploration of our own wellbeing, and ways to change how we make decisions.  Fictional anecdotes throughout the book enable us to relate and reflect.

The Power of Targeted Choices is incredibly well-written, and Luis and Aurora are very credible professional authors, who draw candidly on their own experiences of life, as well as their profound understanding of humanities.  Their advice, all in all, may seem simplistic in nature, but in fact it is this very simplicity which is its strength; they have managed to turn introspection and self-improvement into both a basic science and an art, and the reader is left in no ambiguity how to deal with their own negative forces.  To help you achieve this, as well as the paintings, the book is full of motivational quotes and studies, diligently sourced and cross-referenced, with useful endnotes and a handy index.  This is self-help at its most academic – yet it is for everyone.  If you know somebody whose life is characterized by bad choices or common cognitive dysfunction, it is my belief that this book will be ideal for them; it certainly won’t be a wasted read – in truth, I find it unlikely that there will be many readers who don’t take significant positives from its simple lessons.  Furthermore, I know that the authors have conceived this book with the best of intentions and from the best place to do so: the heart.