SUBJECT: 4/5 RELEVANCE: 4.5/5 WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5 OVERALL: 4/5
My musings
I believe in the power of signs and lately, a lot of things have been conspiring me to pick up more and more books on self-help, philosophy, and spirituality. Having just finished Meeting Yama by Manoj V Jain, I soon found myself in the company of yet another illuminating read. Read on to know what I think of Dr. Shweta Shahi’s Unleash the Power Called You… You Matter and how was my experience of reading it.
A beautiful ode from a husband to his wife
The book is written by Dr. Shweta Shahi who passed away in the year 2017 before the book could be published. Her unfinished work was later taken up and completed and published by her husband.
About Dr. Shweta Shahi
In the foreword of the book, Padma Shri awardee Shri Madhupandit Das (Chairman of The Akshaya Patra Foundation) talks in-depth about the life and achievements of Dr. Shweta Shahi.
Dr. Shweta was an exceptionally talented scholar who pursued her doctoral studies in the field of molecular biology. For her post-doctoral research, she chose a prestigious school in California. As is obvious for anyone with her level of credentials, the next step for her would have been to showcase her expertise and knowledge in the field of biotechnological research. She, however, had different plans.
Moved by her interests in spirituality and her connection with the Supreme Being, and unmoved by the lure of a ‘high paying’ job, Dr. Shahi explored the world of books where she decided to learn more about fields like growth, positivity, psycho-therapy, and spirituality.
After pursuing some specialized courses in the field of mind and energy, she became an author, speaker, and life-coach interacting with young minds and helping them realize their true potential by introducing them to the power of their subconscious mind.
What is the book all about?
Unleash the Power Called You… You Matter contains the knowledge and learnings taken from the various corporate and public seminars that Dr. Shahi conducted during her life. The book intends to help people with the ‘right guidance to change the way we perceive the world we live in.’
The essence
The essence of the book is explained at the very beginning in the preface of the book in the author’s own words. The following lines succinctly capture the gist of it.
“You don’t have to wait for the right person or for a situation to work in your favor. Just possessing a mindset and making a conscious decision to welcome the right people in your life – by itself, is an indicator of the arrival of a good time.”
Dr. Shweta Shahi, Unleash the Power Called You… You Matter
The story as it unravels
The content of the book unravels itself in the form of a story. In the initial chapter, the reader gets acquainted with Dr. Akshita, a renowned radiologist working in a prestigious multi-specialty hospital in Mumbai.
Because of her academic and professional excellence, she is invited to speak at her alma mater’s annual day celebrations. She speaks to several students about their dreams, passions, and aspirations, but one particular conversation with a befuddled girl leads her to evaluate her own life.
As she digs deeper, she realizes that despite all outward signs of success and wealth, something keeps tugging at her heart. We then see her trying to find the ‘missing piece’. This book is the story of Akshita and the discovery of her inner voice which subsequently leads her on the path of self-discovery.
The special bits
I love the fact that the book has an added touch of beauty to it. All the pages are slightly colored venturing into not just the familiar black and grey but also sepia tones that remind one of nostalgic memorabilia. This small touch of uniqueness makes the book stand out immediately.
Mellifluous Urdu quotes
At the end of every chapter, you will find some of the most beautiful Urdu quotes that will speak to the poet in you. The Urdu of these quotes is a tad difficult but the English translation right below it makes it easy for beginners.
Attention to reading comfort
Unlike most other books that have a small to medium font, Unleash the Power Called You… You Matter makes use of a bigger font size that can cater to even those who have difficulty in reading normal font sizes. It may even attract non-readers. I really appreciate this emphasis on reading comfort.
Deep understanding of simple concepts
Some books give you a lot of concepts, touching upon many of them briefly. Here in the case of Unleash the Power Called You… You Matter, the book takes a different route. Through a simple story, we get introduced to a handful of concepts but they are dealt with in detail.
These concepts include real identity, no man’s land, mental conditioning, the law of attraction, the law of karma, subconscious mind, spiritual master, tunnel focus, etc.
The concept of mental conditioning has been explained exceptionally well – what it is? how does it work? how it affects us? how to identify and get rid of it?
According to the author, the major hindrance is the person’s inability to realize that their actions are a result of their mental conditioning. So, identification becomes a big challenge in itself.
Emphasis on intuition and signs
In this era of science, things like hunches, intuition, signs, and inner voices are often looked down upon. I love the fact that this book urges one to connect with one’s inner self, asking them to give credibility to those age-old notions of hunches and intuition.
Stories within a story
To a book lover, there is nothing that shouts more fun than a story within a story, and this book gives us exactly that. During Akshita’s quest, we come across many stories big and small that not just enlighten but also entertain us. For example, the connection between the stories of Akshita, the eaglet, and our lives may not be obvious but it surely gets us to understand the concepts better and see things for ourselves.
Similarly, there is another story about a poor but passionate young girl who dreamt of becoming a dancer that carries a lot of lessons for those willing to learn.
Condensing the knowledge of our scriptures
When putting across a point of universal application, the book includes quotes from various scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, the Quran, and the Guru Granth Sahib. Who is a true spiritual master and why is he important? – is another concept clearly elucidated in the book.
Major learning
Everyone talks about the subconscious mind and knows the ever-familiar quotes and the iceberg imagery, but Unleash the Power Called You… You Matter helps you realize exactly how it works, how it traps you in your own boundaries, how it is a neutral zone that is neither your friend nor your enemy but your slave. This in-depth understanding of the concept of the subconscious mind is one of my major takeaways from the book.
A blending of philosophy, spirituality, and self-help
By the way of her excellent storytelling skills and her clarity of thought, the author is able to strike that perfect balance between philosophy, spirituality, and self-help. While the first half of the book is more about self-help, the latter half delves more into spirituality.
What did I not like?
There are instances where the book gets monotonous especially so when the same things are repeated over and over again. This beating about the bush could have been done away with to give the book a fast-paced and breezy appeal.
What could have been better?
There are some issues of editing errors – not so many as to glaringly make their presence noticeable, but to a keen eye, they would sometimes be a tad distracting. Also, the book makes use of a language that is well suited for a beginner but to a voracious reader, might seem a little rough on the edges.
Who should read?
Unleash the Power Called You… You Matter is a book meant for people of all age groups. You can be in your teens or your fifties if you ever feel meaningless in life or wonder about your real identity, and if you are ever confused about how to go forward in life – this book will help you undo your mental conditioning, help you introspect and find the answers that lie within you.
In the end
In the end, Unleash the Power Called You… You Matter finds the perfect balance between self-help, philosophy, spirituality by the way of a simple story that doesn’t distract you from the main concepts but lets you savor them in an effortless manner.
The final verdict
A good read for beginners.
Pick the book if
- You are a beginner level reader.
- You are looking for a detailed understanding of the concept of self-introspection.
- You want to delve into spirituality and philosophy but don’t know where to begin.
- You have the urge to learn and grow as a person.
Skip the book if
- Nonfiction books don’t interest you.
- You are not looking for a self-help book.
- You are looking for a book on professional and business growth.
- You are a voracious reader of nonfiction books.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of Unleash the Power Called You… You Matter using the link below.
