The Bravest You: Five Steps to Fight Your Biggest Fears, Find Your Passion, and Unlock Your Extraordinary Life

by Adam Kirk Smith

Fear has hindered each of us from achieving something significant at some point in our lives. But that doesn't have to be the case. Popular life coach and consultant Adam Smith has discovered a groundbreaking way to overcome the obstacles preventing us from realizing our goals by exercising an inner strength we each possess but rarely the passion that drives us to pursue what we want.The Bravest You introduces Smith's unique five-step bravery process that helps us fight the ten biggest fears we all face and attain the success we desire. Rousing us from complacency, Smith shows us how to identify our goals and reveals proven techniques for harnessing the inner ambition that will empower us to conquer our doubts once and for all. Covering everything from the common fears of inadequacy and being judged to rejection, failure, loss of freedom, and loneliness, The Bravest You arms you with the necessary tools to confront any fear-inducing situation head on and lead braver, better, and more successful lives than you ever imagined.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development, Audiobook, Leadership, Business

237 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2017

About the author

ADAM KIRK SMITH is an entrepreneur, life coach, consultant, and motivational speaker. His popular blog, asmithblog.com, has more than 70K unique monthly readers and offers insights on leadership, bravery, and life purpose, among other topics. Named one of the most influential people of 2014 by American Genius, Smith has written for Entrepreneur and Success Magazine, among others, and has been featured in Newsday and other media. He has more than 274K Twitter followers and growing followings on Instagram and other social media outlets, and he hosts a weekly podcast called “Live Life with Purpose.” He lives in Illinois with his family.

Reviews

[Kristi Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read all my reviews at: https://brainfartsandbooks.wordpress.com
Read all about me at: kristielizabeth.com

I’ve got to be honest. I fell asleep with my eyes open reading this book a few times and had to go back and reread what I had read. 10 pages? How did I read 10 pages on auto-pilot and not comprehend a damn thing? How? Because this book was so repetitive and boring that my mind kept wandering off to more important things. Like what was I going to make for dinner? Or what type of workout did I want to create for my client? Whaaaaat??? Yes, this almost became a DNF. But the trooper that I am, I finished and tried to focus on the good points of this book. What were they? I couldn’t really tell you.

Why does everyone insist on rewriting the points that are spoken about in Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. And then they go on and on about why it’s important and why you should do it and how if you do it you will become…The Bravest You! Oh my goodness, the bravest me? Excuse me for being a bit sarcastic but when a book does not give me anything new to add to my life I automatically write it off as a waste of time. A waste of opportunity cost. I could have been reading another book that is helpful. Heck, I could have reread The Four Agreements 10 more times and gotten more out of it. Sorry friends, this book offers absolutely nothing but words on a page that have been said again and again. I would have given it one star but felt like it was too mean.

Thank you to NetGalley, Adam Kirk Smith, and Penguin Group for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[N.N. Heaven]

DNF at 15%.

While the title grabbed me right away, the interior was a total snorefest. Rambling sentences, stifled writing and a total waste of my time.

Did not give a rating.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rambling tour of various cognitive and emotional strategies to confront and overcome fear and become an effective person. There is nothing new here, but plenty I was happy to be reminded of. I think the best feature of the book is that Adam has a fairly balanced view, if you read the book in its entirety, of what goes into a real, workable life worth living. He's not all the way on one end or the other of entrepreneurship, family, etc.

It's kind of heartbreaking to read the sections where he talks about how hard he worked on rethinking, writing, editing this book. It is NOT a finished book, from copyediting to high-level structure. It is VERY rambling, at least the edition I got from NetGalley.

Speaking of which, NetGalley provided this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book, quite simply, is a waste of time. Nothing is new, nothing is impactful, and all of it makes you a little sleepy.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lackluster.

[Daria Zeoli]

I'm bailing after 9%. This book is repetitive and uninspired. The writing doesn't seem natural and the book could use some editing.

There are too many books in the world and this one hasn't sparked enough interest to continue. However, I appreciate the opportunity to read it, so thank you to NetGalley & the publisher.

[Kristy]

I could not get through this book. The subtitles pulls you in thinking you're going to learn these five great ways to change your life but what you get is rudimentary writing and advice. I had to bail.

[Sean Stark · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book. I struggled a bit with the audible reader style but the book itself was good.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. I read a lot of personal growth and this is not drawing me in. I gave up at 10%. It feels rambling, repetitive, and generic, and the voice here isn't unique or humorous or otherwise compelling enough to keep reading.

[Randy Daugherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feeling directionless, or perhaps too intimidated to make a necessary change in your life? Tired of letting your fears keep you from achieving your goals or becoming healthier, happier, or more successful? If so, this book is for you. Popular life coach and consultant Adam Smith has created a powerful method to help you harness your inner passion and drive to overcome whatever is holding you back.
The Bravest You presents the five-step Bravery Process(TM), an easy and highly effective way to master our biggest fears. Offering inspiring and helpful advice, Smith guides you through each of stage of the process--Complacency, Inspiration, Fear, Passion, Bravery--showing how to identify goals and passions and apply the Bravery Process to any circumstance. These proven techniques will empower you to conquer your doubts once and for all and become your bravest self.
Covering the ten most common fears all successful people face, from the fears of inadequacy and being judged, to rejection, failure, loss of control, and loneliness, The Bravest You arms you with the necessary tools to tackle any fear-inducing situation head-on and lead the braver, happier, and more successful life you've always imagined.

Fear whether real or imagined is often what holds us back, how do we defeat these fears? We have to face them and stop giving them power over us, Adam Kirk Smith offers ways we can do this and explaining his own fears and how he and his wife over came them along the way.

[Audrey Stars in Her Eye · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bravest You caught my attention because I struggle with fear in my daily life. Adam Kirk Smiths Walks you through behaviors and thought processes that lead you to fear in aims of helping you get over these fears.
The first few chapters were helpful. There were a couple of activities and some questions to help me take inventory. These gave me some insight on where I am in my life and where I want to go. But the following chapters turn into every other self help book I've ever read.
Like many of these books, the chapters are peppered with stories of CEO and famous people who over came there fears in a way to motivate you. Each chapter is based on a psychological idea of fear such as fear of failing. But the advice is show you thought patterns and tells you to change them. It does not give any advice on how to change them for the most part (the one that comes to mind is research your goals to prepare yourself). So I found the rest of the book not very helpful as I need ways to help me change my thought patterns.
I gave it three stars because I did get something from this book but overall it is not as helpful as I would have liked.
I received a copy from NetGalley to review; all opinions are my own.

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A NetGalley e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is a great self-help book for those that think they are stuck in a rut. I pretty much have the same day Monday-Friday, with dinner being the main point of change. I am not unhappy with my life but there are definite days where I ask myself, why am I not doing more?

I like the workbook style of the authors narration. The pointed questions to get you as the reader thinking about your life in relation to what is being discussed in the current chapter.

I did wish there were more real life examples. The author did play it safe and used very well-known public figures and not always recent ones.

I liked the authors different take on bravery, that it can even be found in the smallest of actions. When I was pre-high school I was terrified of people. I was overboard shy and only talked and felt comfortable around people that I had known a long time. I was told to make an effort by my English teacher to just smile at one person every day. It was a huge thing for me at that time since I only stared at my feet or my book. She helped me see that being brave is more than running into battle and this book made me think of the same thing.

[Anni Welborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a business consultant and life coach, The Bravest You is a helpful analysis of different kinds of fears that hold one back from succeeding. But before the author addresses those fears, he describes the five steps of overcoming fear – complacency, inspiration, fear (there it is), passion, bravery (reaching the goal).
Inadequacy, uncertainty, failure, rejection, missing out, change, losing control, judgment, something bad happening, and getting hurt are the fears that the author addresses. Using real-world examples, the author encourages the reader to acknowledge the fear, understand its origins, and then move past it to achieve whatever it is one wants to achieve.
Not every chapter will hit every heart in every life. But chances are high that the reader struggles with at least two or three of the fears the author addresses. Some of the advice given sounds at time like platitudes, but there’s still truth there.


I gratefully received this book as an eARC from the authors, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Christi · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many of us live our lives in fear. Fear can be so powerful that it can be debilitating and oftentimes keeps us from pursuing our dreams and passions.

In The Bravest You, Adam Smith gives you five steps to help you overcome your fears and put you on the path to pursuing your passions and living the life you've always dreamed of. This book is meant to be interactive and is not something that you can speed through. It was very hard for me to read straight through but I was constantly highlighting and making notes about steps I can take in my own walk to overcome fears in my life and points to go back and revisit.

I highly recommend this to anyone who has been playing it safe in life. It's time we all faced our fears and pursued our passions and this book will give you the steps you need to walk that path. If you follow the steps outlined in this book it can be life changing.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Moira Shepard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This excellent book brims with great advice and guidance, delivered in a warmly friendly conversational tone. Smith brings a lot of experience and insight to his observations about fear, passion, and living your best life.
The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because one aspect of the book’s design did not work for me. The author’s exercises kind of sneak up on you. The first one came in the middle of a long paragraph. A simple cue, like a sub-head (“Exercise 1”), would have helped me shift mental gears from passive reading to active participation.
That said, Smith has a lot of terrific suggestions and offers the transparency (“I’ve done this too”) that builds a reader’s trust. Good stuff here!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had started reading this book quite a while ago, then set it aside. Recently I noticed it again, perhaps now was a better time for me to be open to the ideas presented. I was able to read through it quite quickly this time.
The writing is clear and straight forward.
I did take numerous notes.
This is a book about finding your purpose and what you have a passion for. It is about facing fears, letting go of others' judgments about you (why should they even matter?) and learning from any regrets or missteps you have made in the past.
The book claims to be a five step process, but in reality it is about changing your mindset, your focus, and learning how to take hold of the bravery that already lives inside of you.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone is afraid. Some people are afraid of heights, afraid of the dark, or afraid of failure. It's the last one that Smith touches on, as well as nine other fears that hold us back from reaching our potential and fulfilling our life of passion and purpose. With stories and examples, Smith takes us through the foundation of the fears and how to use 5 easy steps to not necessarily overcome the fears, but bravely face them and learn more about who you are and what you are able to accomplish. I found insight into what my fears are and have a newfound bravery and confidence to find my passion and live an extraordinary life.

[Todd Mckeever · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because I'm part of a reading group that this was one of the books for the month. I will just say that this was not as inspirational, challenging, or motivating as I was hoping for.

It does have a couple of good points in the book but they are hidden amongst so much other clutter and repeated material that it was hard for me to stick with reading this book. Actually, I stopped reading about 30% into the book and read another book while I waited for my book reading club to move into the next book for the month.

Sorry for such a harsh review. This book may be a great book for others so I would read many reviews to decide if this will be a good book for you.

[Adri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book - and I made it to the very last section. I was listening to the audio version. The reader did a wonderful job. Nice voice! But my oh my..... I couldn’t finish. PLEASE recognize that using a prepositional phrase at the end of a sentence is poor grammar. It drove me nuts. I even googled prepositional phrases to make sure I was not making this up. On another note, the book is full of broad statements and big ideas, but they are so vague and broad that it would be difficult to apply to real life situations.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to be inspired by this book, but it wasn't for me. There are some good points/ideas in the book, but they are well hidden. The book read more like an idea stage draft than a final product. There are a lot of examples where some are unnecessary and most aren't detailed enough to be inspirational. Some of the examples I did enjoy, but unfortunately there wasn't anything to ignite my passion in this book.

[Vijay Ravisankar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was alright. Although there is a small chance this could help some people, overall it's a bit vague and generalized to a large extent. The general tone of the book is something like this "If a lion stood in front of you, you might feel fear but that is the moment where you need to show bravery". Portions of it were alright but felt a bit repetitive to some extent and sometimes contradictory as well likely.

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know no book can magically change your life but I had higher hopes for this book. Although not bad at all, it's typical on what many other books tell you. In the end, all any of us can do is be the best we can be and to do that you have to just start. Books can tell you what you need to know but if you don't start you can't be the best you nor are you very brave.

[jmphoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small parts of this really hit me hard just. It's a lot of things we've heard before but haven't really taken the time to put them together and relate them to a deeper understanding of ourselves. A lot of very quotable phrases. I would recommend if you already have some type of semblance of growth and introspection but you need something to piece things together and help move you forward.

[Dillon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn’t necessarily bad. The issue I had is that it was essentially an accumulation of other books I have already read. The writer does include his own methods and outlooks and some may be helpful. I’m not upset that I spent the time to read but it will most likely not go on my “re-read” list.

[Diana-Michaela Shaffner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a promising title. So not impactful at all. This book is at best a rambling of various old success strategies and advice. There is absolutely nothing in this book that is new or could have real impact on a reader. The author says, it took him three years to write this book because of all the important research etc. he did. That is hard to imagine indeed.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not that it's a bad read; it's just that this has all been said before. Unless this is your first Self Help book, it can be somewhat helpful, but it's almost like the author copied the material directly from other books. It's hard to believe the author has never read a self-help book himself to see it.

[Damon Henrichs · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I was reading this I kept thinking of when you go to a networking mixer and there's the guy there who is a "life coach" looking for clients?

Yeah, this is 200 pages of that minus the alcohol.

[Leah Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a free book so I don't want to be hard on it. Maybe I feel like a face most of my fears or maybe it's just as boring as the other reviewers mentioned. Some good reminders here and there. Ultimately I had a hard time getting through it.

[Gregory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing original or nothing shared in an original way, but every author deserves at least two stars for writing a book.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tough read, while the lessons identified in the book are great they did to become repetitive.