The book offers some useful things about personal pillars and creating an individualized folio for ongoing work. However, it falls well short of its own elevated standards of being the only self-help book you will ever need. The author claims to offer a revolutionary approach, that produces permanent change, taking the reader from being a normal man/woman to a ‘superman/woman’ (“[r]ising above your normal, natural abilities and becoming ‘super-natural’” p.65), using supercharging strategies to bring about far-reaching transformations.

The tone of the book is irritatingly arrogant and at times the content is just plain silly. The author’s approach with clients aligns with a dependency-laden medical model where the expert gathers data, analyses the problem and then treats the ‘patient’:

[QUOTE] "If I don’t do this [i.e., investigate a person's four 'pillars' of personality - philosophy, psychology, history, physiology] I’m only able to make temporary changes to their performance rather than the permanent and powerful change they seek. That’s why I always spend the entire first session with each athlete making extensive notes and asking them questions. Once I’m sure I know what is inside each of their pillars, I spend a few days working out what it all means before I even begin to start developing their program". (p.52)

This is followed (page 104) by the author stating that his usual procedure is to spend two sessions with someone – the first focused on investigating their four pillars “where I do not attempt to help the person at all in that session”. Then, after a few days thinking, the second session:

[QUOTE]"…where I try and make a permanent change in his or her life. If I’ve got it right that second session should be enough to resolve the particular issue my client has come to see me about. It shouldn’t need dozens of ongoing sessions or months of therapy. If it works it works! The client then usually goes away and works on any homework I’ve given him or her. I see the client again only if there is a new issue to deal with or if I wasn’t successful the first time around, BUT SO FAR THAT HASN'T HAPPENED.” (my caps for emphasis - p.104)

Continuing such excesses, the author equates the ‘supercharged CDs’ he creates for people with great masterpieces - “[w]ords simply can’t describe these CDs any more than words can adequately describe what it feels like to listen to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata” (p.112). He even (Chapter 20) offers his own re-write of Shelley’s epic poem ‘Ozymandius’ (why would you?) to try and make a point that is made more clearly in the original!

There is very little in the book that is revolutionary nor for that matter new. Pretty much each strategy listed can be linked to those already existing in the field of performance psychology. Of course, any bringing together of strategies into a composite will be a unique process, but that does not make it new in the sense conveyed and certainly not revolutionary.

The neuroscience put forward is very structural and does not capture the interactive and integrated processes that occur within the various elements that make up the neural/limbic system. He refers to separate modules that operate independently at their own speed and time. This viewpoint does not do justice to the more dynamic interactions that occur. Most contemporary neuroscience, in contrast, accentuates information exchange and interacting network perspectives dynamically involving the body/mind, even down to the cellular level.

The book itself is not well structured. With a focus on specific strategies it starts straightforwardly, but it is never totally clear as to what should actually make up a personal bible. At times the author provides a summary statement as to what it might include, but then diverts into introducing more material that should be added. In going back through the book, it is never totally clear as to what an individual should actually include in their portfolio and it lacks any final and conclusive summary to help. The book starts to wander around Chapter 10. It then intersperses chapters that are not obvious as to why they are there: very brief chapters with unexplained and unclear purpose, material on irrelevant topics such as computer file management, home-spun and at times confusing philosophy, and, finally, concludes with a personal and rather meandering chapter that offers nothing of substance in terms of the topic and really seems based on little more than indulgence (indeed, the author himself indicates that he is not clear as to why it was written other than that it needed to be written as ‘something vital was missing’).

Overall, it is the arrogant manner and, I have to say, the all too frequent silliness of what is expressed throughout the book that is the lasting impression for me. It is hard to know just what the author was seeking to achieve by all of this. Any substance has been largely drowned by style. All I can think of is that he set out to exemplify his own prescription. On page 153, the author talks about having an ‘Unshakable Belief in your Optimal Future’ and suggests that if you do this (even by pretending in the first instance) it will start to happen. This book comes across pretty much as the author being in his pretend-hard phase.

I for one will not be waiting with bated breath for the author’s ‘Winner’s Bible’ variations - promoted throughout this book and described as being “…also written in the same clear and engaging style”(!), and about which he says:

[QUOTE] "I will take you far beyond the usual approach used by sport psychologists or performance consultants…. I’ll reveal the revolutionary techniques I use so successfully to take even the world’s best performers up another notch. These are techniques that, until now, only the top professionals could afford to pay for".

Life is just too short as it is.

I wish this had been around years ago! It would have saved a lot of reading of other less effective stuff. This book has very sound approaches, and skillfully relates scientific faccts about the brain and thinking into practical and effective suggestions for personal development. Highly recommended.

This book is like no other I have read on seting goals and achieving them. It incorporates the whole person and as the title a rewiring of your brain to achieve those things you have always wanted to change. Highly recommended.

An Excellent book that really has improved my thought process for the future. The implementation of this easy to do plan has given me the direction I required. Thank you.

I couldnt wait to read this book, it has been one of the most enlightening books i have read to date, notonly in the respects of changing the way you think, but also why you think that way, having insight on this process of the brain was fasinating. But wait theres more, it so made
alot of sense to me and deffinately helps you to build more meaningful relationships, friendships and organise your life te way you want it. I loved it and and just these few comments donnot giveit justice, a must read. Thanks kerry,

Outstanding book, insightfull and informative. Really looking forward to the next book in the series. Cheers Neil

The winners bible by Doctor kerry Spackman is a useful guide on ways to enrich your life with your own programming for a better more sucessful wonderful life. The Doctor educates you on using self affirmations to help yourself,
other ideas on how to motivate you and a host of other useful information for ways to transform your life.