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InControl: A Systematic Approach to Taking Complete Control of Your Life and Career
BE IN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE AND CAREER with Reza Abraham's book, InControl: A Systematic Approach to Taking Complete Control of Your Life and Career.
1 CORE 3 CORNERSTONES 12 PILLARS 90 HACKS
This book will NOT make you invincible. What it WILL do is offer you the gift of timeless lessons grounded on lived experience, years of research, and compelling stories. This book also sets the standard in defining What you are actually in control of, How to leverage it, and Why it is important in the first place. Whether you are looking for a key tactic, a novel perspective, or a meaningful change in your life, this book is for you.
LIVING INCONTROL™ is when
You do what you love
You love who you are doing it with
You love who you are doing it for
You love how you are doing it
You embark on a progressive discovery, becoming conscious of exactly what is happening in your life and facing into reality with courage and integrity.
Reza Abraham, PhD. is a Persian author, speaker, ultra-high-performance coach, and the founder of InControl Group. His first book is the result of 20 years of study and ongoing work with individuals from different fields and stages of life. Abraham garnered invitations from organizations worldwide to share his unique and inspiring ideas on personal growth and leadership. He currently resides in the beautiful city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
1 CORE 3 CORNERSTONES 12 PILLARS 90 HACKS
This book will NOT make you invincible. What it WILL do is offer you the gift of timeless lessons grounded on lived experience, years of research, and compelling stories. This book also sets the standard in defining What you are actually in control of, How to leverage it, and Why it is important in the first place. Whether you are looking for a key tactic, a novel perspective, or a meaningful change in your life, this book is for you.
LIVING INCONTROL™ is when
You do what you love
You love who you are doing it with
You love who you are doing it for
You love how you are doing it
You embark on a progressive discovery, becoming conscious of exactly what is happening in your life and facing into reality with courage and integrity.
Reza Abraham, PhD. is a Persian author, speaker, ultra-high-performance coach, and the founder of InControl Group. His first book is the result of 20 years of study and ongoing work with individuals from different fields and stages of life. Abraham garnered invitations from organizations worldwide to share his unique and inspiring ideas on personal growth and leadership. He currently resides in the beautiful city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- GenresSelf HelpNonfiction
373 pages, Paperback
Published December 20, 2021
9 people are currently reading
350 people want to read
About the author
Reza Abraham
1 book10 followers Reza Abraham, Phd is a Persian author, speaker, ultra-high-performance coach, and the co-founder of InControl Group..
His first book is the result of 20 years of study and ongoing work with individuals from different fields and stages of life.
Abraham garnered invitations from organizations worldwide to share his unique and inspiring ideas on personal growth and leadership.
For more information about the author, you can visit his website at the link below.
His first book is the result of 20 years of study and ongoing work with individuals from different fields and stages of life.
Abraham garnered invitations from organizations worldwide to share his unique and inspiring ideas on personal growth and leadership.
For more information about the author, you can visit his website at the link below.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 1, 2022
Definition of living an InControl life :
1. You do what you love, you love who you are doing it with and doing it for and how you are doing it.
2. Being conscious of whats happening in your lives
3. Exploring opportunities to optimise your potential, away from your ego
4. Enjoying the journey in getting what you want, create the positivity
5. Challenging yourself and surroundings to grow
6. Empowering your life and help others
The core of being in control is the CONSCIOUSNESS. Then comes the 3 cornerstones, which is CONTENTMENT, CONSISTENCY, and CONVERSION.
There’s 12 pillars, which you may encounter at different stages in life:
1. Character- the ability to always stay in control of our actions and thoughts
2. Communication- the ability to make everything so simple that everybody can understand
3. Curiosity- the desire to know more, do more, and add value
4. Compass- the ability to make wise decisions and pick the right direction
5. Courage- the ability to get out of your comfort zone
6. Collaboration- the ability to boost the spirit of togetherness and inclusion by thinking and acting as a team
7. Connection- The ability to be likeable and charismatic
8. Competency- the steppingstone to confidence
9. Companion- the ability to pick the right circle
10. Cash- The ability to store, invest, and smartly grow your wealth
11. Condition- The ability to retain a healthy state of the body, mind, emotion and soul
12. Contribution- the ability and desire to make the world a better place to live
Impactful and insightful, simply the best self-help/growth book I’ve read this year so far! I took slightly more than a month to read this intentionally while annotating crazily, making notes in every single chapters as if I was studying for exams 😂 and also putting things into actions. I do have promodoro apps and practicing konmari but it has been a while, and this book just nagged at me and poked me in all the right places.
I had shared more of my thoughts and self-reflections in my review video on youtube. Check it out! https://youtu.be/2jcvF0UI0Hs
1. You do what you love, you love who you are doing it with and doing it for and how you are doing it.
2. Being conscious of whats happening in your lives
3. Exploring opportunities to optimise your potential, away from your ego
4. Enjoying the journey in getting what you want, create the positivity
5. Challenging yourself and surroundings to grow
6. Empowering your life and help others
The core of being in control is the CONSCIOUSNESS. Then comes the 3 cornerstones, which is CONTENTMENT, CONSISTENCY, and CONVERSION.
There’s 12 pillars, which you may encounter at different stages in life:
1. Character- the ability to always stay in control of our actions and thoughts
2. Communication- the ability to make everything so simple that everybody can understand
3. Curiosity- the desire to know more, do more, and add value
4. Compass- the ability to make wise decisions and pick the right direction
5. Courage- the ability to get out of your comfort zone
6. Collaboration- the ability to boost the spirit of togetherness and inclusion by thinking and acting as a team
7. Connection- The ability to be likeable and charismatic
8. Competency- the steppingstone to confidence
9. Companion- the ability to pick the right circle
10. Cash- The ability to store, invest, and smartly grow your wealth
11. Condition- The ability to retain a healthy state of the body, mind, emotion and soul
12. Contribution- the ability and desire to make the world a better place to live
Impactful and insightful, simply the best self-help/growth book I’ve read this year so far! I took slightly more than a month to read this intentionally while annotating crazily, making notes in every single chapters as if I was studying for exams 😂 and also putting things into actions. I do have promodoro apps and practicing konmari but it has been a while, and this book just nagged at me and poked me in all the right places.
I had shared more of my thoughts and self-reflections in my review video on youtube. Check it out! https://youtu.be/2jcvF0UI0Hs
April 12, 2022
If you're scrolling through GoodReads and reading past all the reviews, then you should find this one quite helpful.
InControl is a book about being in control of your life, in so many aspects; work, family, attitude and so much more.
Instead of focusing on one topic, he divides it into 16 topics which is simply wise and smart. Everything is in a book, why would you read other books?
He has combined wise words and teachings from famous authors like Stephen Covey and the legendary coach Bill Campbell. You can even see Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast & Slow mentioned in this book. Also, John C Maxwell, Julie Morgenstern, Yuval Noah Harari, Shawn Achor, Atul Gawande, John Christensen, Zig Ziglar and Dr Mitch Prinstein.
He combines all of wise words of famous influential people and compiles it into one masterpiece of a book. If you need book recommendations, go purchase this book, read it out and read the books that he mentioned here. He was an avid reader during his childhood (you can read about it in this book) and it kind of influenced me to start reading more non-fiction too, while I'm still in my early 20s.
Few of the things that he mentioned about in this book that stayed through me (even after 2 weeks post-reading) were;
1. Dr. Reza included a unique way on how to be consistent (which I have not heard before). Which is to announce that you are doing something to people before actually doing it, which is kind of a smart way to change my habits since I always would want to keep my promises or my words.
2. In the point Start Future-proofing Yourself in Chapter 4, my favourite part would be when Dr Reza mentioned to not give any excuses to learn everything available in your field. And on Chapter 12 he also mentioned that learning is a habit that never ends. I do agree that it is a good thing to never stop learning, be it through books or even scrolling through social media. Learning is always an ongoing process and it never stops.
3. Dr Reza mentioned that during his childhood, his father really insisted on him reading books from influential writers consistently. The full story is really an interesting story and it inspired me a lot since I have also faced the same thing with my father (but with a different situation). Buying the book and indulging in his experiences is really worth the shot.
Instead of just giving theories, Dr Reza focuses on urging you to do change and be InControl by giving his own examples of how you can practice something instead of just reading it from a book. You can see how much he read great books just by how many books he mentioned and how detailed the well-explained the theories he wrote.
But however, the cons of this book would be the shortness of stories written by the author. I would've enjoyed more experiences and stories (that I could relate more to) that has inspired him along his journey of writing the book for self reflection.
After a week or so, this book stayed with me. I wish I could recommend this book to everyone. Albeit always reading fiction, this book is easily digested by me and it was like a smooth rollercoaster ride. Go grab it!
4.7 stars ⭐️
Read
October 30, 20223.5 stars
I heard the author speak on a podcast, Afford Anything, where he talked about the framework expressed in this book. I don't think the book needed to be as long as it was. There was a good amount of fluffiness, but nonetheless this systematic approach resonated with me because my Notion system is set up in a way that can be adapted to fit this approach. I especially liked how the Core (consciousness) and three Cornerstones (contentment, consistency, and conversion) are the most important places to start in order for all the 12 Pillars to fall in place.
I heard the author speak on a podcast, Afford Anything, where he talked about the framework expressed in this book. I don't think the book needed to be as long as it was. There was a good amount of fluffiness, but nonetheless this systematic approach resonated with me because my Notion system is set up in a way that can be adapted to fit this approach. I especially liked how the Core (consciousness) and three Cornerstones (contentment, consistency, and conversion) are the most important places to start in order for all the 12 Pillars to fall in place.
February 16, 2022
The ideas this book discusses are realistic and achievable, and they made me rethink small things in life I have unconsciously overlooked. The book gets to the point and for someone who squeezes in time to read despite her busy schedule, I really love it!
The part about using distractions to my advantage, especially, was an eye-opener for me. It is true that children are able to switch between emotions, as mentioned in chapter Consciousness. However, we adults somehow have forgotten our innate ability to do so. Too often than not we drown in our emotions and act compulsively as a result of our conscious mind not being in control.
It is ironic that our phones, which is usually what distracts us from real life, can be used to distract us for the better! As suggested in the book, we can create happiness reminders using our phones. To be in control takes conscious effort, and it really doesn’t take much to start. These reminders can be as simple as reminding ourselves to smile or to breathe slow and deep. The next section of the chapter then talks about an easy but useful breathing technique that anyone could attempt while reading the book. The book is filled with correlated exercises and practices to help achieve the core of each chapter.
Definitely a book that I will be using a lot!
The part about using distractions to my advantage, especially, was an eye-opener for me. It is true that children are able to switch between emotions, as mentioned in chapter Consciousness. However, we adults somehow have forgotten our innate ability to do so. Too often than not we drown in our emotions and act compulsively as a result of our conscious mind not being in control.
It is ironic that our phones, which is usually what distracts us from real life, can be used to distract us for the better! As suggested in the book, we can create happiness reminders using our phones. To be in control takes conscious effort, and it really doesn’t take much to start. These reminders can be as simple as reminding ourselves to smile or to breathe slow and deep. The next section of the chapter then talks about an easy but useful breathing technique that anyone could attempt while reading the book. The book is filled with correlated exercises and practices to help achieve the core of each chapter.
Definitely a book that I will be using a lot!
March 11, 2022
Empowering, actionable, simple and forward-thinking
Like the title of the book suggests, InControl reinforces the importance of, first, working on yourself before anything else. I enjoyed the parts of the book where Reza teaches ways of developing better habits.
First, it is important for you to recognize what you are in control of and what you are not. I do think that a lot of times people try to control what they cannot, and don't do what they can. You don’t need to apologize for what you can’t control but you have to take full responsibility for what you can control. Once you’ve got that down, you’ll easily recognize what you should be putting effort and time into, and you’ll be able to start making better choices in life. That is, according to Reza, when you should start implementing better habits. Repeating these good habits will eventually ease you into living a better life without the part when you have to constantly be mindful of the pros and cons of your decisions. You’ll be able to maximize the benefits of living a life being in control. Every encounter in life comes with a lesson to learn, which is why it is important to go out and just enjoy every new person, or place you might come across. You might just find the next thing to help you feel more fulfilled about your life. Excellent read, highly recommended.
Like the title of the book suggests, InControl reinforces the importance of, first, working on yourself before anything else. I enjoyed the parts of the book where Reza teaches ways of developing better habits.
First, it is important for you to recognize what you are in control of and what you are not. I do think that a lot of times people try to control what they cannot, and don't do what they can. You don’t need to apologize for what you can’t control but you have to take full responsibility for what you can control. Once you’ve got that down, you’ll easily recognize what you should be putting effort and time into, and you’ll be able to start making better choices in life. That is, according to Reza, when you should start implementing better habits. Repeating these good habits will eventually ease you into living a better life without the part when you have to constantly be mindful of the pros and cons of your decisions. You’ll be able to maximize the benefits of living a life being in control. Every encounter in life comes with a lesson to learn, which is why it is important to go out and just enjoy every new person, or place you might come across. You might just find the next thing to help you feel more fulfilled about your life. Excellent read, highly recommended.
February 23, 2022
I have been goal-setting my whole life, but Reza’s Payoff Matrix to run goal-setting was a really fresh concept. Who would have thought that goal-setting could have so many perspectives and insights to it? It just blows fresh air to the old concept of goal setting.
In all my years of reading self-help books, I have never come across this idea of grouping my goals into Bingo goals, Badass goals, Booster goals, and Breakthrough goals. Even the names sound fancy! These different sets of goals are grouped according to the time needed for completion, resources, support system, and your personal determination to make things happen. Having this matrix allows me to prioritize the areas of my life that need utmost focus. Now I am working on finalizing my goals. The book is full of fresh ideas and new ways of looking at different aspects of life, from health, wealth, relationship to becoming an incontrol person. I loved it, highly recommended.
In all my years of reading self-help books, I have never come across this idea of grouping my goals into Bingo goals, Badass goals, Booster goals, and Breakthrough goals. Even the names sound fancy! These different sets of goals are grouped according to the time needed for completion, resources, support system, and your personal determination to make things happen. Having this matrix allows me to prioritize the areas of my life that need utmost focus. Now I am working on finalizing my goals. The book is full of fresh ideas and new ways of looking at different aspects of life, from health, wealth, relationship to becoming an incontrol person. I loved it, highly recommended.
February 28, 2022
This book is way underrated.
It's filled with practices that are simple to get started with, and I especially loved the "Rule of Tens" -- to focus on something for 10 minutes; if you're still engaged, keep doing it for another 10 minutes, and if you're not, do it another day.
It sounded like the perfect recipe for procrastination to me at first until I tried it, and Wow! I actually find it easier to focus on certain tasks and priorities now. And just like the book suggested, I've been practicing this at specific times of my days to keep the habit going. The author also stresses the importance of working on yourself towards a goal, instead of blindly improving yourself.
The book looks so gorgeous it's perfect for gifting too!
It's filled with practices that are simple to get started with, and I especially loved the "Rule of Tens" -- to focus on something for 10 minutes; if you're still engaged, keep doing it for another 10 minutes, and if you're not, do it another day.
It sounded like the perfect recipe for procrastination to me at first until I tried it, and Wow! I actually find it easier to focus on certain tasks and priorities now. And just like the book suggested, I've been practicing this at specific times of my days to keep the habit going. The author also stresses the importance of working on yourself towards a goal, instead of blindly improving yourself.
The book looks so gorgeous it's perfect for gifting too!
March 21, 2022
I find the book really informative and supportive, and I like the way how Dr Reza describes many points in a simpler yet detailed manner. It’s straight to point, easy to understand which is helpful for us to directly apply in life. Even though the teachings are similar to what I’ve read previously from other books (because I realise we have the similar favourite authors) hence it’s understandable haha. And his teachings act as a good reminder for me to truly practice it in my daily life! ☺️ Overall, it’s really great and helpful for us to be in better control of our life ✨
May 23, 2022
I have read quite a few self-help books and surely InControl was one of the good ones. It has taught me a lot in not only being InControl with my life but also being grateful for it. The author has shared a lot of his experiences and indeed his words speaks reality. Not only am I inspired to be InControl of my life but in general, to be a better person for the people around me and especially, myself. It's not easy to find a book that speaks to you but if you are currently looking for one, don't even bother hesitating to get a copy of this.
February 21, 2022
It has been a long time since I’ve read a truly great self-help book, the author did not disappoint. As an average person trying to achieve great things this book gave me all the easy to follow “to dos” in order to achieve those things step by step. The book is very relatable to everyone no matter at which stage of life you’re at.
Absolutely brilliant and would recommend to anyone trying to make a change in their lives.
Absolutely brilliant and would recommend to anyone trying to make a change in their lives.
March 12, 2022
“Criticisms are just people’s opinion about us.”
“We may not agree 100% with what others say, but we can find something in their words that may serve as a hint on what we need to improve on.”
I appreciate how this book is written in a way that the readers can be exposed to the many different perspectives of each topic. The author encourages his readers to reflect on themselves and find whatever resonates with them best.
“We may not agree 100% with what others say, but we can find something in their words that may serve as a hint on what we need to improve on.”
I appreciate how this book is written in a way that the readers can be exposed to the many different perspectives of each topic. The author encourages his readers to reflect on themselves and find whatever resonates with them best.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2022
The journey with InControl does not end once the last page has been flipped. The author’s mention of his experiences, facts, tips and tricks will follow me for a lifetime. They made me realise what I need to do for me to improve on myself as a person. This book has encouraged me to embark on this long but rewarding journey towards the goal of being a better person for myself and for the loved ones around me.
March 31, 2022
The book is broken down into different segments making it easy to pick up to read whenever and being relevant and relatable no matter where you are in life. It’s a great inspiration and I would highly recommend to give it a shot. Will definitely be coming back to this one in the future once I’m done with it
February 23, 2022
InControl not only provides actionable hacks, it also breaks down the psychology behind why one might not be in full control of themselves. Reading this book has definitely encouraged me to reflect upon all that I do.
Currently reading
February 28, 2022A quick, easy read that conveys thought-provoking concepts and ideas. I enjoy how there are diagrams and illustrations used to make his point. I’ve had some of them drawn out in my journal as a quick self reminder.
January 12, 2022
Easy-to-understand ideas are conveyed in a straightforward way with no unnecessary fluff.
March 2, 2022
I stumbled upon one of Dr. Reza’s Youtube videos a while ago, just a few videos in and I was hooked. He is such an inspiring person! I just know that this book will be good.
January 26, 2024
Everything we do in life,we should be InControl,our actions speaks louder than words.Day one or one day,we are in control.Thanks to Dr reza for this insightful book
October 11, 2023
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I’m sure this book has helped a lot of people, but it wasn’t for me. The book contains lots of helpful tips to help you be in control of your life. It is useful if you are looking for help to implement a healthier mindset.
It was a lot of quotes from books that are more worth the time to read than this one. A lot of references to billionaires and the reasons behind their success are given to reinforce information in the book. I’m not a billionaire, nor am I trying to imitate their lifestyle to try and get success. This made a lot of the book mundane for me.
The health information that was given in this book may be applicable to some people, but contained some tips that may actually be harmful to others. For example, a direct quote from the book, “Eat less.” This may be a helpful tip for someone out there, but this definitely isn’t a helpful tip for everyone.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and learned some things. I don’t think I would recommend it to anyone I know, because I feel there’s other places to get the same information. I could imagine that someone who doesn’t have serious health concerns, doesn’t have serious trauma, and is upper middle class, would find this book informative and helpful.
I’m sure this book has helped a lot of people, but it wasn’t for me. The book contains lots of helpful tips to help you be in control of your life. It is useful if you are looking for help to implement a healthier mindset.
It was a lot of quotes from books that are more worth the time to read than this one. A lot of references to billionaires and the reasons behind their success are given to reinforce information in the book. I’m not a billionaire, nor am I trying to imitate their lifestyle to try and get success. This made a lot of the book mundane for me.
The health information that was given in this book may be applicable to some people, but contained some tips that may actually be harmful to others. For example, a direct quote from the book, “Eat less.” This may be a helpful tip for someone out there, but this definitely isn’t a helpful tip for everyone.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and learned some things. I don’t think I would recommend it to anyone I know, because I feel there’s other places to get the same information. I could imagine that someone who doesn’t have serious health concerns, doesn’t have serious trauma, and is upper middle class, would find this book informative and helpful.
April 28, 2023
What I like about this book is that the author makes reference to a wide selection of different sources. There are some excellent lessons that the author has chosen to incorporate into this book which I find really useful and goes a long way in strengthening the author’s arguments. I have definitely found value in this book and in what the author is saying, and I see myself adopting some of the principles in this book.
However, editorial mistakes aside, I couldn’t really escape the feeling that this book was written as an accompanying textbook to some self-improvement course. The author tries to do too much by covering way too many principles, as he tries to present his template on how to complete life. However, despite choosing to cover many topics, he doesn’t spend much time going into detail on any of his principles before we are being introduced to a new one. Many times, I felt that I wanted to know more about a topic, only to be disappointed by its lack of depth. It is a good thing that the author does refer to other works though as it makes it easy by pointing the reader in a useful direction if they want to seek out more.
Aside from that, I feel that the author could have definitely included more stories or examples to better illustrate his points. For example, when he chooses to mention Abraham Lincoln, he could have chosen one from among his many inspiring stories to better motivate his readers. What we get instead is some pretty generic statement about the 16th US President that will be forgotten.
However, editorial mistakes aside, I couldn’t really escape the feeling that this book was written as an accompanying textbook to some self-improvement course. The author tries to do too much by covering way too many principles, as he tries to present his template on how to complete life. However, despite choosing to cover many topics, he doesn’t spend much time going into detail on any of his principles before we are being introduced to a new one. Many times, I felt that I wanted to know more about a topic, only to be disappointed by its lack of depth. It is a good thing that the author does refer to other works though as it makes it easy by pointing the reader in a useful direction if they want to seek out more.
Aside from that, I feel that the author could have definitely included more stories or examples to better illustrate his points. For example, when he chooses to mention Abraham Lincoln, he could have chosen one from among his many inspiring stories to better motivate his readers. What we get instead is some pretty generic statement about the 16th US President that will be forgotten.
March 6, 2022
NOT a book you want to MISS.
Not going to lie, but at first I thought this book was just a scam similar to a lot of self-help books I read that just keeps repeating the same things over and over. But to my surprise, this book was not just a great book, but a book which I will re-read and revisit over and over.
Even amidst ALL the popular self-help books and self-help authors out there, the author managed to distinguish himself and actually wrote from his own experience and his own learning. Although the book mentioned a lot of teachings from other books, the author managed to write it in a way where he applied these teachings to his OWN experiences.
I will definitely be sharing this book with my friends and family because this is not a book that you want to miss.
Not going to lie, but at first I thought this book was just a scam similar to a lot of self-help books I read that just keeps repeating the same things over and over. But to my surprise, this book was not just a great book, but a book which I will re-read and revisit over and over.
Even amidst ALL the popular self-help books and self-help authors out there, the author managed to distinguish himself and actually wrote from his own experience and his own learning. Although the book mentioned a lot of teachings from other books, the author managed to write it in a way where he applied these teachings to his OWN experiences.
I will definitely be sharing this book with my friends and family because this is not a book that you want to miss.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews