Focus on the 90%

by Darci Lang

One simple tool to change the way you view your life.

Genres: Nonfiction

150 pages, Trade Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

By the age of 24, Darci was running three separate businesses. She has won and been nominated for over a dozen entrepreneurial and business excellence awards.

Darci started speaking over 17 years ago when people wanted to hear about her "focus on the 90%" philosophy and how it shaped her life. As the demand increased, she sold her two other retail companies and focused full-time on her speaking career.

Everything Darci shares in her presentations, she has lived. Darci grew up working in her Dad's Volkswagen garage; she has waited tables, worked retail, taken a company from bankruptcy to award-winning and started two of her three companies from scratch.

She has five sets of parents and 10 brothers and sisters. Darci owned three companies by the age of 24 and now at 41, she is a professional speaker, a best selling author, mom to two joy-filled children, Jayda and John, and wife to Darren, a 10-year-old boy trapped inside a 41-year-old man's body.

Reviews

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this motivational speaker at a recent convention, and really enjoyed her presentation. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and her message is simple and has the potential to change your life.

I picked up the book that she was selling, and thought it would be good to go through it, and perhaps share it with my wife. It's a slim book, and was a decent read. It's written in a folksy, humourous, unpretentious fashion, and everybody can get through it quickly.

So why not rate it higher? Because frankly, if the book is the only thing you read, you won't get the full impact. You have to see this lady live to fully realize what she is talking about. Yes, the book is fine, and I enjoyed it, and I do recommend it for *anybody* who has any kind of stress at work or at home. (And if you have stress at work, you likely have stress at home, too, because unless you follow this author's mantra and focus on the positive, you will bring it home with you.)

But... the book could be better. It really, really needed a professional editor. There were numerous typos and awkward sentences, and the author probably didn't care, because she really did achieve her goal in writing in a "regular person's" conversational style. And, in accordance with her message, if you focus on the positives of the book and let them outweigh the minor nitpicking criticism, then she is not going to lose any sleep at all.

3.5 stars. Well worth a look. Get it (and get the cd too - it's a live recording of a recent presentation) at her webpage http://www.darcilang.com

[Michelle Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very helpful book that was easy to read and digest the content. I loved the relatable examples Darci used and her honesty in her experiences. I am looking forward to checking out the other books she has written as well.

[Stacy · Rating 1 out of 5]

A coworker gifted me this book. I did not get back the section on family, and the only reason I lasted that long was because the coworker who gifted it to me usually has such amazing picks! Unfortunately, I couldn't handle one more sentence that started with "I" and ended up some variation of how awesome her life is.

[Justyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

as soon as I got this book in my hands, I thought about the 80/20 principle and immediately thought that this book is too thick. I was trying to find the piece of the book that is the most worth reading, I struggled to find it. The message of this book could have been simplified into a book 1/3 the size. If that were the case then the message would have been more noteworthy and respectable. There is tons of repetition as to what is being talked about. There is a ton of filler content in between the real message. I feel if there was more reference to science or studies of some kind, it would have meant more to me then just reading about this authors personal opinions with no reference to science to back it up. This book is part of my library... but I can't see myself ever reading this one again.

[Jammy Wammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This lady drives me nuts. What a narcissist lol. I swear she just wrote this book to humblebrag. If you can extract the core information of what she's saying, she's kind of right, but my god I find her writing (and her) absolutely insufferable. She also likes to assume that the reader is also an upper-middle class neurotypical white Christian, which I am not, so could not relate to most of what she was saying. No, Darci, I did not eat dinner at the table with my family growing up, stfu. Also from what I can infer, her marriage sounds like it's in shambles beneath the surface.

There are way better books to read that say the same thing, I'm sure.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to attend the author's presentation recently and enjoyed it so much that I purchased three of her books. This is the first one that I have read. Great messages with practical advice. 4.25 rounded down.

[Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading the "Stop and Focus" sections in each chapter will give you an overview of the whole chapter. There's a lot of examples and explanations for a very easy to understand idea.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have heard Darci speak, you can hear her in this book. Although written with a very different approach, Darci’s voice comes through as though she were on stage again. She has a great message!

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had some really nice thoughts that made me process how I’m living my life and what I’m focusing on. I kept wanting to know HOW to actually focus on the 90% and not just what it is to focus on the 90% but then found out there are more books. I found it to be quite repetitive and a little choppy. I’m sure the author is a fabulous motivational speaker but the book read quite messy. Still would recommend.

[Darlene Pitchko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! Makes you think differently on alot of things in life. I would love to see her speak.

[Melissa Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reminder on positive thinking and how to improve your life through positive thinking.

[Dayna L’Ecuyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great message to remind you of how to live everyday better!