I pre-ordered a copy of Brett Moran’s first book, Wake the F#ck Up after hearing from a friend that it was a fantastic book, and seeing Brett’s Facebook posts. It seemed like it might be my sort of book.
 

 
Brett Moran was a crackhead, getting into debt, joyriding and dealing drugs. Eventually he ended up in prison, and stumbled across a book on mindfulness. Long story short, he managed to turn his life around and is now a life coach, yoga teacher and all round yogi guru type bloke with a great big grin all the time.

This book is part memoir, part self-help, part self development, part spiritual guide. Moran tells his story without excusing his behaviour, without self pity, without glossing over the details. But he also uses his experience to show the reader that if he can drag himself out of the life he was living, so can we. 

The book has eight chapters which follow more or less the same format. They begin with a story from Moran’s past, and then apply that how to how we can make a change in our own lives. There are exercises you can do yourself as you go along, with both meditations and written exercises to help you make a change in your life.

What I love about this book is that it’s not your average “I was an addict and then poof I saw the light and now I’m perfect.” Moran talks about going backwards, about how it wasn’t just the flick of a switch. It’s relatable because it’s a true, real story. 

The book is about waking up from the popular culture-induced coma we’ve all been lulled into, and pursuing our own version of happiness, bliss and contentment rather than what the media tells us we should want. It’s about learning to see that we are not our thoughts, and that they are just guests in our heads – and that with enough practice, we can learn to live in the spaces between our thoughts. We can also learn to distance ourselves from negative thoughts rather then allowing them to control our moods, and to create a vision of how we want our lives to be – and then make it happen.

The blurb on the back of the book says:

Wake the F#ck Up is a manifesto for personal change, presented with humour and wisdom from one man who’s been there, done that, and come out the other side shining.

I think that sums up this book perfectly. It’s a brilliant read and so full of useful insights and exercises that I’m currently in the process of reading it a second time. It’s inspiring, motivating and challenging in equal measure and a really good read.

This book made me think, but more importantly it made me act. Brett Moran also has a YouTube channel, and he posts daily vlogs which are interesting and insightful as well as quite inspiring.

 

 Thanks for reading.

You can read my other book reviews here.

 


MamaMummyMum


Vicky Charles

Vicky is a single mother, writer and card reader.

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