Simple advice, not so secret

In Simple Secrets for a Happy Life, Luci Swindoll presents the wisdom she has gained in eight decades of life. It is full of anecdotes and "empowering Scriptures" (p 61). The 50 chapter titles are the "simple secrets."

"Our mother had a way of giving us specific instructions that enabled her to get things done and encouraged us to live a certain way. …Mother spoke to us more often than not in five-word sentences, always starting with a verb. Since the verb is the part of speech that requires action (and that's what Mother wanted), that verb held the key to making her desires known, so we'd get on with it. … Each chapter title starts with an imperative verb and is five words long." (p 12-13)

As the title suggests, the advice given in this book is simple. It does not, however, contain any secrets. I did not encounter a single idea that I had not heard before. I say this not to diminish the author's message, but rather to emphasize the timeless qualities of her work.

The short chapters (~3 pages each) make it easy to read this book a little at a time; perhaps one might even choose to read a single chapter a day. (I would warn against reading out of order since the author makes references to what she previously said and stories that were recounted earlier.)

A while ago, some friends and I discussed how we feel when others give advice. Although we universally agree that platitudes can be more damaging than good, we expressed mixed feelings about advice. When one makes definitive comments about how one must proceed in order to obtain a good (or the desired) outcome, it can be extremely infuriating. I appreciate advice to an extent but prefer to receive it without ultimatums or the suggestion that there is only one way forward. I believe that Swindoll's advice can be viewed as the latter—these are suggestions for how to live, but by no means a strict guide by which to live one's life.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I got this book through BookSneeze, a program where Thomas Nelson Publishers gives books away in exchange for honest reviews.