Book Review of 20,000 Days and Counting by Robert D. Smith (eBook)

Here, the author shares with us what he implemented in his own life in order to live with purpose, joy and lasting influence. The basis for his decisions on how to live his life center around relationships, wisdom, gratitude and devoting himself to God.

The overall message of the book is to number our days and live each day to its fullest, by having the right mind-set, determining our purpose, prioritizing our schedule around it and realizing how much can be accomplished in just fifteen minutes. His drive and creativity are exhilarating!

I appreciated the practical advice, such as spending twenty minutes writing in order to determine our purpose, and revising our attitude toward setting goals. I found wisdom and plenty of inspiration, some that I’d read in other books. The hype and pep talks weren’t really helpful to me, though.

This book definitely got me thinking. Smith refers to a missionary having an all-out dedication to “making his life matter”, but there is a subtle difference between making our own life matter, which has an element of pride, and making other’s lives better, which involves love.

As I read, I kept wondering: is God trying to get us pumped-up to accomplish a lot in our lives? From what I’ve learned, He seems to be more concerned with molding our character and building our faith in Him. And there are millions of people in the world who are only known by a few others, and who will never make the headlines, yet are honored very highly in the kingdom of God.

This book is motivational, but if someone is looking for an approach to living a purposeful life according to Biblical principles, I would recommend another book. I believe that in reality, our lives are powered and sustained by the Spirit of Christ, and I want to be constantly reminded of that fact, especially when it comes to how we live each day.

[Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.]