#BookReview : The Doubt Factor by Renée Paule

The Doubt Factor by Renée Paule
Publication Date: August 2019
Publisher: RPG Publishing
Genre: Non-Fiction / Self-help
Pages: 123
Stars: ★★★★★

“If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.” – René Descartes. Renée Paule took this advice to heart in The Doubt Factor – sowing seeds of doubt about a range of topics and giving them the benefit of her unique take on things. She encourages us to use our own powers of reasoning, rather than taking things at face value. Renée writes “Doubt feeds on the fear of imagined consequences, such as making a mistake we may later regret; doubt holds us in a state of indecision … it becomes our master.” She makes a good case that we need to “… learn to doubt intelligently.” – to wield doubt rather than to be wielded by it. There is much in this book to give us pause for thought – perhaps even enough to shake off complacency.

*** Note: I received this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to author. ***

Previous Books I read by the same Author:

• On the Other Hand: The Little Anthology of Big Questions
• Just Around The Bend: Más o Menos
• The Frightened Little Flower Bud (Children’s book)
• Louder Than a Whisper: Clearer Than a Bell
• Hat (Children’s book)
• Stepping Out of Time

The Doubt Factor was non-fiction, self-help book in which author encourages to seek the truth by implanting the doubt on the age-old beliefs, mindsets, habits, authority, rights and prejudice, human nature, and even on the food, making you question everything and ponder over the true meaning of life.

 All topics were insightful and motivational. They had so many things one can discuss over again and again and find something enlightening everytime. The more I read the more I reflected on what was said in the book and how I could reflect it with things around me and in myself. When I was reading this book I jotted down my thoughts, what I understood from it with my own experiences in my life. Shockingly, it was 4 pages long. I’m not going to bore you with that long review. Just one or two line on each essays. So here is what the book and each essay was about and what author portrayed through it.-

Habits– Here author doesn’t say about good vs bad habits and its pros and cons but how it affects our life and thinking. I loved this topic. It motivated me to start getting in routine of exercise that left during pregnancy. The core point of the topic was, sticking to bad habit is going to root us at one place in life while good one helps us grow mentally, physically and spiritually. Escape– How many of us seek escape when something bad happens? All of us, right? There was nothing new here that we don’t know. Escaping is not solution and even after escaping we don’t achieve peace and inner-happiness. So what was different here was examples author gave based on her own experience.

Next in Line– This was a hard truth we all don’t like, ‘we all are replaceable in life and even after death’. Somebody else gets what we wanted and we start throwing tantrums, plot revenge, think bad things about them and ultimately be unhappy about everything. What authors tells here is being selfless, do something in life that is not just good for us but for everybody, world and humanity, to leave something better for our next in line.

The Doubt Factor– In this title essay, author first tells about what doubt does to us. How it can make or break human. Mostly lot of harm comes with doubt but sometimes there is truth behind it as well that lead us to discovery. So doubt intelligently, not be blinded by misleading information, clear the confusion and so bad doubts making space for positive and wonderful things.

Rights and Prejudice– Now one can have endless discussion on this. Many times I encountered people who wrongly claimed rights on even smallest things and prejudiced people, gender, religion and so on. When I couldn’t bear it any more I tried to put forward points that might change their mind and thoughts but all in vein. When I read discussion in this book, I realized what I was doing wrong. I cannot change anybody’s mind. It’s not in my hand. Change should come from that person’s heart and it won’t happen by me telling them, they have to do it.

On Being Bored tells about retraining our mind and thoughts rather than being productively and constructively bored. Food for Thoughts was about strong mentality. What and how we are feeding our body and mind is important, it’s all about will and determination. We are the One was a topic that was discussed over and over in all previous books by author and this was a brush up on it. One can affect all and one can change all. We cannot turn away from society because we don’t like some people some age old rules or thoughts. We created such society and it’s up to us to change it. We are part of society and we will be no matter where we go. This was really insightful for me. Don’t get me started was kind of mixed topic but all it says is, change the education style, leave behind bloody history and war and instill wisdom and humanity. Worldly possessions are not going to stay all our life or follow us in our grave but love, compassion, self-reflection and wisdom will stay till and after death.

 Authority– I loved concept in this. The true authority is control over our thoughts, action, and ourselves. It’s presence of good and absence of evil. Another favorite topic was mindset. I’m told person leaves his/her character in grave, it stays the same all their life, no one can change it. Whoever now is going to tell me this I’m going to slap this essay on their face. You must see some situation where we are told to just go along with how things are because we cannot change people and their mindset and it’s futile to even try, it’s like ‘let a bully, bully you’ situation. Mindsets can be changed, it takes time and maybe some miraculous experience for some but it’s not impossible.

In a nutshell, author talked about inner happiness, clearing the confusion by clearing the doubts, change of heart, self-reflection, strengthening the mind and will, seeking wisdom, a true authority on ourselves by being selfless and removing evil, negative thoughts, and doing right and good thing in life, be a kindred spirit and bring change in our life and so in society. It’s these things we are going to take with us after death not worldly possessions.

Overall, it was inspirational, motivational and very insightful collection of essays. I highly recommend this book if you’re into self-help books.

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Let’s discuss!

What do you think about the book and review? Have you read this book already or any book by the same author? Are you going to add it to TBR? Which is your favorite self-help or nonfiction book?

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