Only You Can Be You: 21 Days to Making Your Life Count

by Erik Rees, Rick Warren (Foreword by)

Based on the psychological tenet that it takes twenty-one days for a new behavior to become a habit, Erik Rees presents twenty-one daily principles for reminding readers of their individual importance.“Make your life count.” These four simple words spoken at the funeral of a four-month-old child haunted the author, hitting him like a ton of bricks and causing him to wonder if he was making his own life count. Contemplating what kind of legacy he would leave, he wondered if there was anything about the present course his life was taking that would make a difference to anyone in the years to come. Furthermore, it hit him that these are the same thoughts most men and women ponder. This challenged him to write this book focusing on principles that would help people’s lives make an impact.By the time many people reach adulthood, they carry so much baggage that the weight of it distracts them from maximizing life and leaves them feeling insignificant for not doing much beyond surviving. The book suggests that there are three great choices that affect every aspect of our lives. These “life choices” relate to who we surrender our life to, how we steward our unique gifts, and the choices we make to help others. Learning to make the best choices in these three areas will influence every aspect of life, and will resolve the “why am I here” questions.Only You Can Be You does not offer simplistic choices, which are quickly dismissed because they do not deal with reality, but instead it shows that sometimes life’s decisions require deep courage and strength. The book strongly affirms that you can make the right choices and that when you do, you will ultimately find significance. The message of the author is that by making the best possible life choices, readers will not only find genuine happiness and purpose, but they will also leave a legacy that really makes a difference.

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only You Can Be You, was a very good and inspiring book. Usually I'm not a fan of daily devotionals, but this one was really good. Tips used here can be helpful in everyday life and the stories were empowering.

[IrenesBookReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only You Can Be You, 21 Days to Making Your Life Count, is written by Erik Rees. My favorite part of the book was the simple and short devotions for each of the 21 days. Although they were short they were filled with encouraging words to help you be a better you. I liked the references used and how the author applied them to the principle he was teaching. It was an easy to understand book and the principles are easy to apply to your life. I really enjoyed the part in each chapter called “Making it Count.” I thought it was a real asset to the book to have this section on applying what had just been talked about. Overall it was an encouraging book and I enjoyed it.

I would like to thank ChristianReviewofBooks.com and the publisher for the copy of this book I enjoyed reading. I gave an honest review based solely on my opinion of what I read.

[René P. Bosman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Een boek van Erik Rees over de gemeenteopbouwpijler Dienstbaarheid.

In Zoals jij … is er maar één! neemt Erik je stap voor stap mee voor een ontdekkingsreis hoe God je heeft gemaakt.
Niet moeilijk, maar soms best wel spannend om vast te stellen met welke unieke eigenschappen God je op deze wereld heeft gezet.

Vervolgens moedigt Erik moedigt de lezer aan, om gehoorzaam te zijn aan het Grote Gebod en de Grote Opdracht van Jezus Christus. Het is voorzien van vele voorbeelden uit zijn eigen leven en uit het leven van de mensen die hij heeft mogen coachen in zijn bediening als predikant.

Het boek is zowel geschikt voor privégebruik als behandeling in een gespreksgroep of een gemeente brede stimulans om dienstbaar te zijn. Voor dat laatste doel is een aanvullende DVD bij te bestellen.