August 18, 2022
Mastering Your Fate:
Self-Leadership Secrets to Achieve Unlimited Wealth, Time Freedom, and Peace of Mind
John Webster
Aviva Publishing (2022)
ISBN: 978-1-63618-193-6
New Book Reveals How to Make the Right Choices to Master Your Fate
John Webster’s Mastering Your Fate: Self-Leadership Secrets to Achieve Unlimited Wealth, Time Freedom, and Peace of Mind is a dynamic new book that gets to the very heart of how we can take back control of our lives, make the best decisions for ourselves, and have the time and freedom to pursue our dreams and what makes us happiest.
The book’s title was inspired by William Ernest Henley’s famous poem “Invictus,” and specifically its concluding lines, “I am the master of my fate:/I am the captain of my soul.” Webster reveals to us how to reach the point where we can make the same declaration about our lives. Drawing upon the well-known Chinese proverb, “Give someone a fish, feed them for a day. Teach them how to fish, feed them for life,” he walks us through the steps needed so we can master fishing for ourselves. He also clarifies the book’s purpose and title by stating, “mastering your fate is having control over the choices you make so they don’t have control over you and being responsible for your own life.”
Webster knows plenty of other personal development books, CDs, and conferences are out there. He’s read, listened to, and attended them, and in these pages, he’s pooled together much of what he’s learned, but he also feels that many of those resources are lacking because they do not give a true personal challenge. They fail to explain why a person needs to change and why we let mental blocks keep us from success. Webster’s goal is to help us remove or conquer the mental blocks so we can make choices that will empower us. Ultimately, it is all about making the right choices. Webster states, “people are poor because they have not yet decided to be rich. People are overweight and unfit because they have not yet decided to be thin and fit. People are inefficient time wasters because they haven’t yet decided to be highly productive in everything they do.” After reading Mastering Your Fate, you will have the confidence and tools to make the right decisions and stick with them.
The book is divided into three sections titled, “Transforming Your Mindset,” “Taking Massive Action,” and “Leaving a Legacy for Future Generations.” The book follows that exact pattern with Webster sharing personal stories of how he did those very things. He admits where he had faulty thinking and shares tales of past mistakes; he details the types of action he has taken financially, career-wise, and in his personal life to achieve greater happiness; and he encourages us to share what we have learned so others can also reap benefits from our knowledge. Intermixed with his personal stories are numerous examples of other people who have succeeded, plus inspiring proverbs, fables, and quotations. Each chapter ends with exercises to give you the chance to absorb what you have learned and determine how you can apply it to your life to further your own goals.
The stories Webster shares are not just inspiring but entertaining and often enlightening. I loved the tale of how Henry Houdini, master escape artist, almost gave up trying to get out of a locked room, only to find it was his mindset that was keeping him trapped. I was equally inspired by the powerful quotes throughout the book. One that really stood out was from Muhammad Ali: “I hated every minute of training. But I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” That quote really struck me because it shows the reality of the need for hard work and dedication to achieve your dreams, and who better than Muhammad Ali to model the power of perseverance?
But achieving success is not solely about hard work. Webster is a firm believer in the Law of Attraction. As classic self-help author W. Clement Stone said, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” The hard work then lies in entering the right mindset to allow the Universe to help us. Webster provides examples of how we can envision what we want and then get out of our own way so the Universe can deliver it to us.
One last aspect of Mastering Your Fate that really stood out for me was the information about how to achieve financial freedom or greater wealth. As Webster notes, people are woefully uneducated about money. They fail to understand such simple, yet game-changing things as the power of compound interest. They also fail to live within their incomes and learn to save first for their futures and then spend what’s left over, rather than vice-versa. Webster provides numerous examples of how saving, investing, and applying the power of compound interest can work for you. This revelation alone will be worth the price of the book for many people. In fact, purchasing and reading this book may be the first true financial and time investment you make toward taking control of your destiny.
Mastering Your Fate is filled with plenty of other great advice and practices, from the power of creating a morning ritual to ways to conquer our fear by adopting a different perspective toward it. Perhaps most important is the power of momentum. Webster explains that once you start making positive changes to your life, you need to be consistent and maintain the momentum. He states:
“Leaders know that being successful requires an upfront effort to increase momentum. They don’t start a side business making $50 a month and then gradually increase it. They go all in with full force. When you consider a rocket launched into space, when the rocket leaves the launch pad, it uses 95 percent of its energy in the first three minutes. The initial push is needed to break through.”
I hope you will maintain the momentum you began in reading this review by going on to read Mastering Your Fate and applying the principles it provides. I have applied much of Webster’s advice to my personal life and enjoyed surprising results, so I wish the same for you.
For more information about John Webster and Mastering Your Fate, visit www.MasteringYourFate.com.
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of Narrow Lives and When Teddy Came to Town
