Review of "No Opportunity Wasted: The Art of Execution," by Dr. Joseph W. Walker III

Review of

No Opportunity Wasted: The Art of Execution, by Dr. Joseph W. Walker III, 

ISBN 9780997431858

Three out of five stars

 As the title suggests, this book is designed as a motivational book that will help you succeed in life. In that arena, the author succeeds, but only to a point. One of the major problems is that there are constant references to praying and seeking aid from a higher power. What seems to be lost is the adage that is mistakenly attributed to the Christian Bible, “God helps those who help themselves.” As I was reading through the book, I found myself asking the question, “If a book constantly refers to the use of prayer and seeking God’s blessing, is it truly a self-help book?”

 That interesting philosophical point aside, there is little to dispute regarding the effectiveness of the non-religious points made in the book. Simple actions such as always being on time for appointments, make a goal and then a plan for achieving it, staying focused on your chosen path, interacting with the right people and making the right decisions. The problem is that these topics are expressed in a disjointed and often rambling manner. At times, reading the book became a slog.

 So often, self-help books contain an easily remembered acronym and this one is no exception. The acronym is “NOW,” based on “No Opportunity Wasted.” While simple and understandable, it is hardly original. The website acronymfinder lists 26 different meanings for the acronym N. O. W., of which this is one. As someone generally unimpressed by the reliance on acronyms rather than sharp content, this was considered a negative.