Mastery At Work: 18 Keys For Achieving Success, Fulfillment And Joy In Any Profession
Nicole Grace, Mani Press, Santa Fe, NM, paperback (234 p)
ISBN: 0-9747852-1-0

"Mastery At Work" by Nicole Grace aims at changing the life of the reader by providing him satisfaction with his life and work. Though belonging to the genre of self-help books like those of Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill, it still manages to remain fresh and different. This is mainly because Nicole does not just present do's and don'ts to a happier life. Instead she draws on the wisdom of Japanese Samurais and Buddhism, and combines them with pleasing anecdotes from movies and literature to give an altogether unique look to her book.

The book is basically divided into three parts. These three parts provide a three-fold path to achieving success and happiness in one's life. Grace believes that success and pleasure can only be had by having satisfaction. For the author, success and happiness are complementary, and this comes out clearly in the book.

The first part is called 'The First Pathway: The Lotus'. It provides esoteric knowledge. It deals with the manner in which we can achieve more by believing that we have already done so. Grace maintains that virtues like honesty, loyalty, and confidence are necessary not only to achieve success, but also to attain inner peace. The second part is called 'The Second Pathway: The Sword', and provides academic knowledge. It states that life is essentially a perpetual learning experience, and shows how to make use of every experience to learn something new. At the same time the author does not lose sight of the fact that this is a self-help book, and shows how one should be politically savvy to recognize who are friends and mentors are. In the third and final part, called 'The Third Pathway: The Circle', she deals with how one should improve continually. Every experience should be considered as a new adventure to provide maximum learning experience.

By virtue of its ability to reach out to the reader by citing everyday examples, the book had all the markings of a good read. This book has the potential to instruct and inspire its readers in an easy-going and refreshing manner.

BookWire Review
March 2, 2005