Today I would like to welcome author Danny Pehar back to Andi's Book Reviews. His book Awesome Being Awesome is the self-help book for those who do not like self-help books. He was kind enough to take some time to talk to us some more about his writing and his work.
What was the inspiration for this book?
I decided to write this book when a cashier at a grocery store had told me she was going to commit suicide but stopped based on something I said to her while standing in her check-out line.You call it a self-help book for those who don't like self-help books. What makes this book different from a self-help book?
Our conversation was the most powerful thing that ever happened to me and I knew this was a story I needed to share.
I generally hear three complaints over and over again when it comes to self-help books. The first one being that although most self-help books may focus on “the what you should do” and “the why you should do it” they leave the reader confused about “the how”. How do I do it, how do I get started in a practical manner?
The second complaint is that most self-help books cover one topic of value and then the rest of the book is repetition of that one point.You give lots of advice and suggestions in this book. Which one do you think had the most profound impact in your own life?
The third complaint I hear most often about self-help books is that they are generally dry and a bit boring.
I wanted to write a book that catered to these complaints.
Although I focus on “the what” and “the why” I also give very practical advice and instruction on “the how”. I go into great detail on the exact steps a reader can take to achieve their desired goals. I also make a point of covering multiple topics of value, from weight loss, to career planning, to finances, to relationship advice, to resume and job interview preparation and so on. Every chapter is essentially a new topic of value. And lastly, I pulled a lot of comedy from my successful comedy shows to make sure the entertainment value was high and that the reader would remain interested as they make their way through the book. My personal goal was to create the funniest self-help book ever made.
I would probably say the importance of a positive perspective, what I mean specifically is the ability to see the good within the bad.
No matter what we do in our life, no matter how lucky we are, or how successful or how smart we are, the bad days will still come, there is nothing you can do to permanently protect yourself from problems. But if you learn to see the good within the bad, the opportunity passed the problem then it won’t matter because you will find success and happiness in good times and bad.What kind of feedback have you had from readers about how it has impacted their own lives?
The feedback that I hear most is that the book is extremely funny and easy to read. I get a lot of comments from people talking about weight that they have lost based on my strategies. I also hear a lot of people talk about how the books detail on positive perspective has helped them overcome problems at work and at home.What is one of the biggest challenges you have had to overcome?
I would have to say that the death of my mother was the hardest thing I ever went through. I was completely lost, home life was rough because we were all depressed, I was eating my feelings and gained extra weight that I certainly didn’t need and I could not concentrate at work and was on the verge of getting fired. Everything seemed horrible! It was then I learned the importance of a practical balance of mind, body and soul.
By practical I mean, I look at my mind as representing things like my career, my finances and my education. My body representing my health, strength, weight and how I feel about my appearance. And my soul representing everything else- My family, my relationships, my hobbies, my social life, my connection to something spiritual.
Some people will look at multiple successes from the same category and feel that they have a balanced life. For example, they may say, “I have an expensive car, an expensive house, expensive clothes. Why do I feel like something is missing?” The reason for this is because those are all successes from the same category. There is no balance. How many times do we hear a story of someone that seemingly has it all, but ends up incredibly depressed or even suicidal? Many times this is because all of their successes come from the same place with little to no balance. We need a balance of all the pieces that go into being human- the mind, body and soul.
The bad news is that all it takes is for one of these categories to be off, and it can drag the other two down. In my case, my mother was sick and it was hurting my career and my health, but the good news is, that all we need is success in one category to help pull the other two back up, so we can start to turn everything around.
So I started to work out. I figured a better body was going to be the fastest way I could start to make myself feel better. My family situation wasn’t going to improve anytime soon and I wasn’t going to turn my career around in the next two weeks, but getting back in shape was something very achievable in a short amount of time. By taking control of one-third of what makes me human, I would be in a better position to handle my career and be in a stronger position to handle the inevitable death of my mother. No one is saying that the death of a loved one will ever be easy, but if you are stronger in the other parts of your life, you’ll fall apart that much less when something horrible happens. Sometimes that’s the best we can do.Have you written any other books or have plans to do some more in any genre?
I have written a children’s book, one of them published about 10 others I am currently working on, not yet published. I am very interested in the children’s book avenue, because I have always believed the best advice is the one that is started earliest.Thank you so much for your time!
About Danny Pehar
Having to wear his older sisters' clothes to school because his parents felt that saving a few bucks was worth his utter humiliation, Danny Pehar learned to get through tough times by putting a comical spin on things. Danny began his corporate life by taking an entry-level job so entry level he was told he needed to be promoted just to reach the bottom. Working his way up from underneath the bottom, he has sold and worked on multimillion-dollar projects as an entry-level employee, a manager, a director and an entrepreneur. In addition to his business success, he is also a mixed martial arts enthusiast, a children's book author and a stand-up comedian with fans in Canada, Australia, Europe and the United States. Whether he has succeeded as a champion or taken a brutal beating, Danny has a story to tell that will make you laugh, make you think and make you awesome!
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