Chuck Denison has amassed a wealth of knowledge and wisdom throughout his lifetime. In his book, It’s Not about the Money: Creating a Fulfilling Life, he shares his own perspectives in bite-sized chapters, each of which begins with a one-word title that highlights the core theme. After that, he generally plunges straight into the subject, presenting different sides to an argument and reasoning his way out of each of them, thus creating a kind of dialogue with the reader. At the end of the chapter, there’s a list of relevant quotes to help consolidate readers understanding of the idea. The message he is trying to spread is quite convincing. But ultimately, it’s up to us to decide what drives us to do something. Is it all about the money?

This book is dedicated to his son on his wedding day. The author recounts the adventures of a man who has seen it all in these pages. He has been to prison, done drugs, found friends in the most unexpected places, changed his beliefs, studied spirituality, fell in love, had his heart broken, found love again, got married, and lived – what one might call a really eventful life.

There is a lot that readers can learn from the wisdom he provides in this memoir. Particularly about kindness and the urge to be kind to others that may or may not always come naturally to us. It is worth noticing how Chuck never shies away from expressing his own opinions or following his instinct, no matter what others think of it. In fact, he faithfully follows his motto to ‘hurl himself like a spear into Life with all his might’ and bravely endures the consequences of his decisions. Surprisingly, they are often invigorating. Using a language that is both simple and conversational, he cajoles his audience into listening to him spellbound, like one would listen to a wise sermon. Perhaps, this comparison is not so incidental. After all, he has been a preacher too.

Yet, the most inspiring and heartwarming part of this book is not the things he has done but the things he struggled with. His wish to be more kind, his need to acknowledge Grace, and the innate urge to keep his sense of wonder alive. Those are the points that make him genuinely humane and more relatable.

It’s Not about the Money: Creating a Fulfilling Life is an inspiring and interesting memoir from a man that has made the study of life and people his life purpose. Readers that want to experience all that life has to offer through the view of an unfiltered perspective will find this book hard to put down.

Pages: 106 | ISBN : 1948801469