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Layman's Handbook: A journey to SELF
Life is difficult, oh what a cliché. There are twists and turns for each and everyone of us all along our journey. No two fingerprints are the same and just like this no two person's stories are the same either.
The handbook is to bring you a snippet of hope and guide you to choices that can be made daily to prevent continued or repeated mistakes or misery. Where do we turn when confused? How do we overcome the challenges that we cannot understand?
Having a handbook as a simple guide to happier health which not only involves smiling more, rather more importantly felling better. A tall ask when we find ourselves in dark places, mixed up, muddled or just plain old tired from it all. Having a handbook to bring oneself back to some basics and restart the day or "begin again" can be as valuable to all of us who take on life each and every day.
The reasons I wrote this is to share with you how I have found, through many years stricken with grief, how I have continued to smile and laugh even though down very deep within myself it has been difficult, I found some ways. Covering not only the depths of my grief but more so my own angle of view to how any issue is exactly that an issue and these can always be dealt with.
Get ready to begin dealing with life and put a spring into your stride, every step of the way. The disclaimer reads "if ya wanna break free and live, get ready to move forward with joy". No magic formulas, just everything you already hold within yourself but might have been too busy to notice.
It has come high time to free yourself and begin bringing your feelings and your thoughts together as one. You deserve it!
The handbook is to bring you a snippet of hope and guide you to choices that can be made daily to prevent continued or repeated mistakes or misery. Where do we turn when confused? How do we overcome the challenges that we cannot understand?
Having a handbook as a simple guide to happier health which not only involves smiling more, rather more importantly felling better. A tall ask when we find ourselves in dark places, mixed up, muddled or just plain old tired from it all. Having a handbook to bring oneself back to some basics and restart the day or "begin again" can be as valuable to all of us who take on life each and every day.
The reasons I wrote this is to share with you how I have found, through many years stricken with grief, how I have continued to smile and laugh even though down very deep within myself it has been difficult, I found some ways. Covering not only the depths of my grief but more so my own angle of view to how any issue is exactly that an issue and these can always be dealt with.
Get ready to begin dealing with life and put a spring into your stride, every step of the way. The disclaimer reads "if ya wanna break free and live, get ready to move forward with joy". No magic formulas, just everything you already hold within yourself but might have been too busy to notice.
It has come high time to free yourself and begin bringing your feelings and your thoughts together as one. You deserve it!
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 10, 2019
1 person is currently reading
6590 people want to read
About the author
Aidan Mc Nally
3 books170 followersBorn Dublin Ireland, very much the countryside region of the wonderful capital city.
The 70's and 80's has proven to be the most awesome time to grow up.
I never set out to write it all out, it just happened in my life and there have been events that even I cannot believe ever happened. The highs and lows remain unimaginable.
With some time spent travelling and living abroad, many things and much of life has been observed and lived. It has all been put down to share in the first time book TWO sons TOO many.
Look forward to releasing a second book and for now am enjoying making great new friends through readership and authors alike.
Should you feel, a walk in the life kind of adventure coming on, then take the plunge https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/TWO-so...
Also love to connect on facebook and twitter
@TWOsonsTOOmany
I enjoy supporting new authors like myself with shares, follows and retweets.
The 70's and 80's has proven to be the most awesome time to grow up.
I never set out to write it all out, it just happened in my life and there have been events that even I cannot believe ever happened. The highs and lows remain unimaginable.
With some time spent travelling and living abroad, many things and much of life has been observed and lived. It has all been put down to share in the first time book TWO sons TOO many.
Look forward to releasing a second book and for now am enjoying making great new friends through readership and authors alike.
Should you feel, a walk in the life kind of adventure coming on, then take the plunge https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/TWO-so...
Also love to connect on facebook and twitter
@TWOsonsTOOmany
I enjoy supporting new authors like myself with shares, follows and retweets.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 25, 2019
We all need a little bit of guidance and clarity in our life from time to time and Aidan McNally does an excellent job of supplying that in Layman’s Handbook- a Journey to Self.
McNally approaches this book with an honesty and warmth that really helps it stand out from other self-books that are written in a similar vein. The book never comes across as condescending, instead, it provides practical, real-life advice for tackling a wide range of different and difficult topics.
The thing that shines out the most in McNally’s book is the sense of hope that exists throughout its pages. McNally writes from a place of experience and it’s this that helps make the book feel more relatable.
Layman's Handbook: A journey to self is the perfect book for those who are looking for a well-written self-help book that will you leave feeling a little more hopeful than before you picked it up.
McNally approaches this book with an honesty and warmth that really helps it stand out from other self-books that are written in a similar vein. The book never comes across as condescending, instead, it provides practical, real-life advice for tackling a wide range of different and difficult topics.
The thing that shines out the most in McNally’s book is the sense of hope that exists throughout its pages. McNally writes from a place of experience and it’s this that helps make the book feel more relatable.
Layman's Handbook: A journey to self is the perfect book for those who are looking for a well-written self-help book that will you leave feeling a little more hopeful than before you picked it up.
November 21, 2019
‘LIFE is absolutely worth living’
Irish author Aidan McNally has written four books to date – TWO Sons TOO Many, 17 & LIFE, MY GRIEF THE LAST 3 YEARS and now LAYMAN’S HANDBOOK. With an infectiously uplifting quality of communication, Aidan shares his own challenging background – his teenage years of drug and alcohol abuse that led to incarceration and how that prison experience resulted in a cognizance of his life changes, a fractured relationship, the deaths of two sons – and with these examples of the darts life can throw, he shares his intuitive concepts about embracing life while offering moments of reality testing and the gaining of strength he has discovered and shares here.
In his introductory notes Aidan sets the course of his mission: ‘If you are like me and have many episodes in your life where you found yourself questioning LIFE, what it has in store for you and where it is all really going, then you probably have always wondered “how come there is no handbook for this?” I have never received any handbook either and thought why not share some of the simpler aspects of my day or life with you to help ease some of the questions in a way that can bring about a little inner peace and put an end to an overloaded mind of question after question…’A layman’s guide to Life’ handbook is not the almighty handbook of the year or in any way a set of rules to live by, just a simple sneak peek into ourselves from a layman’s point of view that could bring us to a better place in our daily living.’
In this immensely accessible manner, Aidan shares his thoughts and insights about SELF (Succeed Elevate Live Free), thoughts and emotions (‘When we think about anything too much it can consume us…’), ‘Life’ and ‘Living,’ learning to love ourselves, relaxation remedies, dreaming BIG, operating within society – many points we all face and attempt to understand, and with Aidan’s fine guidance those confrontations ease and become ‘natural.’
Conversations (and that is what reading these pages resembles!) such as this, with a man of the emotional maturity and grace of Aidan’s stature, make entering a more enlightened phase of live accessible. This is a bountiful book, warmly offered, and gratefully available to each of us. Highly recommended.
Irish author Aidan McNally has written four books to date – TWO Sons TOO Many, 17 & LIFE, MY GRIEF THE LAST 3 YEARS and now LAYMAN’S HANDBOOK. With an infectiously uplifting quality of communication, Aidan shares his own challenging background – his teenage years of drug and alcohol abuse that led to incarceration and how that prison experience resulted in a cognizance of his life changes, a fractured relationship, the deaths of two sons – and with these examples of the darts life can throw, he shares his intuitive concepts about embracing life while offering moments of reality testing and the gaining of strength he has discovered and shares here.
In his introductory notes Aidan sets the course of his mission: ‘If you are like me and have many episodes in your life where you found yourself questioning LIFE, what it has in store for you and where it is all really going, then you probably have always wondered “how come there is no handbook for this?” I have never received any handbook either and thought why not share some of the simpler aspects of my day or life with you to help ease some of the questions in a way that can bring about a little inner peace and put an end to an overloaded mind of question after question…’A layman’s guide to Life’ handbook is not the almighty handbook of the year or in any way a set of rules to live by, just a simple sneak peek into ourselves from a layman’s point of view that could bring us to a better place in our daily living.’
In this immensely accessible manner, Aidan shares his thoughts and insights about SELF (Succeed Elevate Live Free), thoughts and emotions (‘When we think about anything too much it can consume us…’), ‘Life’ and ‘Living,’ learning to love ourselves, relaxation remedies, dreaming BIG, operating within society – many points we all face and attempt to understand, and with Aidan’s fine guidance those confrontations ease and become ‘natural.’
Conversations (and that is what reading these pages resembles!) such as this, with a man of the emotional maturity and grace of Aidan’s stature, make entering a more enlightened phase of live accessible. This is a bountiful book, warmly offered, and gratefully available to each of us. Highly recommended.
December 16, 2019
A Journey to self is a handbook written providing the tools for people who wish to make a change in their lives.
I have read two other books from this author, and so I was familiar with the literature style of writing and how he maneuvered between words to describe a notion of his thoughts. It was apparent to me that Aidan had been working on this project for a while because his previous books had also mentioned a lot of the same journey.
The book covers relaxation remedies, grief, how to dream big and discusses what classes as good or bad behaviour. The author has expressively mentioned that this book is for those who have questioned LIFE itself, and thus I feel that it is suitable for anyone who simply likes to read a feel-good book.
The author’s experience and life story are unique; however, it can easily be relatable to the ones that understand the core message embedded in the text.
The literature is easy to read and to understand. It possesses a storytelling style of writing to it and is one of those that you can put down and then come back to it.
I have read two other books from this author, and so I was familiar with the literature style of writing and how he maneuvered between words to describe a notion of his thoughts. It was apparent to me that Aidan had been working on this project for a while because his previous books had also mentioned a lot of the same journey.
The book covers relaxation remedies, grief, how to dream big and discusses what classes as good or bad behaviour. The author has expressively mentioned that this book is for those who have questioned LIFE itself, and thus I feel that it is suitable for anyone who simply likes to read a feel-good book.
The author’s experience and life story are unique; however, it can easily be relatable to the ones that understand the core message embedded in the text.
The literature is easy to read and to understand. It possesses a storytelling style of writing to it and is one of those that you can put down and then come back to it.
December 1, 2019
I'm jolted with intrigue and desire to "Succeed, Elevate, Live, Free". This is a wholesome community of supporters to heal and be mindful. Aiden, the author is vivid in the portrayal of his own life and the hardening circumstances that led to his depth of self-discovery and work.
The narrative develops and unwinds unexpectedly as rock bottom - darkest tragedies the only way to survive is to go up. This is a crafty way to let your inner child emerge, heals from grief, old wounds, work stuff packed with every example and reaction every reader can accept.
But truly open your heart to be accepting. Self-work can only have progress with an open mind and dedication.
The narrative develops and unwinds unexpectedly as rock bottom - darkest tragedies the only way to survive is to go up. This is a crafty way to let your inner child emerge, heals from grief, old wounds, work stuff packed with every example and reaction every reader can accept.
But truly open your heart to be accepting. Self-work can only have progress with an open mind and dedication.
December 13, 2019
I'm jolted with intrigue and desire to "Succeed, Elevate, Live, Free". This is a wholesome community of supporters to heal and be mindful. Aiden, the author is vivid in the portrayal of his own life and the hardening circumstances that led to his depth of self-discovery and work.
The narrative develops and unwinds unexpectedly as rock bottom - darkest tragedies the only way to survive is to go up. This is a crafty way to let your inner child emerge, heals from grief, old wounds, work stuff packed with every example and reaction every reader can accept.
But truly open your heart to be accepting. Self-work can only have progress with an open mind and dedication.
The narrative develops and unwinds unexpectedly as rock bottom - darkest tragedies the only way to survive is to go up. This is a crafty way to let your inner child emerge, heals from grief, old wounds, work stuff packed with every example and reaction every reader can accept.
But truly open your heart to be accepting. Self-work can only have progress with an open mind and dedication.
January 29, 2020
I enjoyed reading just as much as I enjoyed writing.
I say
Yay to me!
It's got the goods alright, it has the goods.
A very proud moment for me as a writer.
I say
Yay to me!
It's got the goods alright, it has the goods.
A very proud moment for me as a writer.
February 2, 2024
Good read
Layman's Handbook: A Journey To SELF by Aidan Mc Nally offers simple yet powerful tools to navigate life's challenges and find inner peace. With a focus on self-help, self-care, and self-love, the book provides practical advice on overcoming adversity, understanding emotions, and enhancing emotional intelligence. Mc Nally shares personal experiences and insights, guiding readers to embrace their journey toward self-discovery and empowerment. Through clear, easy-to-follow language, the book encourages readers to unlock their potential, succeed, elevate, live, and ultimately, be free. A valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their well-being and find fulfillment in life
Layman's Handbook: A Journey To SELF by Aidan Mc Nally offers simple yet powerful tools to navigate life's challenges and find inner peace. With a focus on self-help, self-care, and self-love, the book provides practical advice on overcoming adversity, understanding emotions, and enhancing emotional intelligence. Mc Nally shares personal experiences and insights, guiding readers to embrace their journey toward self-discovery and empowerment. Through clear, easy-to-follow language, the book encourages readers to unlock their potential, succeed, elevate, live, and ultimately, be free. A valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their well-being and find fulfillment in life
June 5, 2025
Very nicely done!
I liked the first 10 pages more than the rest! Guilty!
I liked the first 10 pages more than the rest! Guilty!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews