Release Your Brilliance! (A Book Review)

Are you frustrated because noone seems to realize that you are, or once were, a genius? Then read Simon T. Bailey's book, Release Your Brilliance: The 4 Steps to Transforming Your Life and Revealing Your Genius to the World.

After several years living in what he calls "a mental ghetto," Bailey met life coach Dr. Mark Charonna who convinced him that he wasn't born to fit in; he was born to be brilliant. By examining his life and working through earlier resentments, Bailey learned that he was just a "diamond in the rough" and that he could change that.

Using the metaphor of revealing and maximizing the brilliance of a diamond, Bailey writes how anyone can reveal and maximize their own genius in everyday life. By examining the "essence" of brilliance, he demonstrates how to seek and find your "Universal Assignment" which is, basically, your purpose in life and/or the career path you should be following. He reminds us of Aristotle's words:

"Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, therein lies your vocation."

Sound easy? Well, according to Bailey it's not - but it's worth it. Uncovering your talents and putting them to good (and self-satisfying) use requires determination, hard work, and self-examination. The easy part is understanding Bailey's clear directions through use of metaphor. In fact, he advises readers to read the book in its entirety first and then go back to complete the written exercises, giving them the time and thought they require.

Part II of the book takes readers through four steps necessary to realize their true potential, likening them to four aspects of diamond-cutting: Clarity (profound insight), Color (discovering your pure beliefs and reclaiming your authentic self), Cut (taking bold action), and Carat (deciding just how big a diamond you want to be) [pg. 19].

Sprinkled throughout the book are "gems" that offer insight and clues sure to inspire. For instance:

• Your Universal Assignment is not to touch everyone, but to touch someone.
• Diamond people understand the connection between thoughts, beliefs, actions and outcomes.
• When your motives are authentic, you attract what's in your highest good.
• Hearing is physical; listening is intellectual.
• High-impact habits accelerate the process of opening the vault and releasing your brilliance.

There are also many inspiring quotes that pack powerful reminders such as:

"Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow."
                                                    -Robert Kiyosaki, Entrepeneur

Using Bailey's four-step method to realize your true potential means releasing the need to be self-absorbed [pg. 108], changing your language to change your results [pg. 138], learning how expectation can be the breeding ground for brilliance [pg. 159] and expanding your concept of wealth [pg. 163].

To some, it might sound kitschy or cliche and, again, the reading part is easy. But there are grand elements of challenge to Bailey's method. Certainly, it has proved a success. Bailey now runs The Brilliance Institute, which he founded upon leaving a high-paying job at Disney. His clients include corporations like Microsoft, McDonald's Gartner, Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Society of Human Resources Management, Wells Fargo, Kaiser Permanente and other big names.

Furthermore, and perhaps most inspiring, Bailey himself is enthusiastic living proof that his four-step approach to "releasing your brilliance" can lead to life-transforming self-fulfillment.

Further Reading:
Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner
The Learning Revolution by Gordon Dryden and Jeanette Vos
Stand up for Your Life by Cheryl Richardson

Resources:
More about Simon T. Bailey
collins.gather.com
Buy it at Borders