Les Brown, in Live Your Dreams, presents a simple, straightforward work based on positive thinking and practical ways to find greater success in life. Whether the book is worthwhile or not depends on whether one needs the author's suggestions and is willing to put into action the suggestions Brown makes, or whether one is already aware of and taking advantage of such positive attitudes and action-oriented planning in his or her life. The style and insights of the book are no better or worse than other popular books designed to inspire, if momentarily, the reader who is dissatisfied with his life or too lazy or bored to think for himself and take action to accomplish his goals.
Of course, to be fair, at one time or another, all people do need such external inspiration. Brown's book is a good one to select for such a purpose, because he is a rather pleasant fellow, does not present himself as a guru, and presents his simple ideas and strategies in a way which mixes in a breezy style ideas and examples from his and others' lives to keep the reader awake and reading.
Brown does not suggest that life is a bowl of cherries. In fact, he accepts that life not only can be but often is difficult and profoundly discouraging. Such discouragement leads to the kind of surrender to unhappiness and lack of personal fulfillment which Brown's book is meant to stop and reverse. Brown is saying precisely that it takes great inspiration and motivation to overcome such habitual unhappiness.
I believe that you have to have a powerful reason to get up and fight back in life. That is why you must find a powerful motivation to drive you. it has to matter deeply; otherwise, you may not have the strength of purpose to persevere. . . . Feeding a fire within you--living FOR a dream--is REAL living. . . . Life does not always present us with an ideal situation in which to pursue our dreams. That is where HUNGER comes in. We must motivate ourselves to do ...