Rodolfo Costa

In Advice My Parents Gave Me: and Other Lessons I Learned from My Mistakes, Rodolfo Costa's 409 bits of advice are numbered and grouped into fifteen sections. Each section is separated by a page of quotations from famous or historical people. This is followed by a two-page summary, which is probably the most inspirational part of the book.

The groupings of advice-bits are roughly based on various themes, such as attitude, motivation, finances, the importance of laughter, gratitude and more. show more My favorite advice-bits appear early in the book, but some other sections (such as the "gratitude section") resonated well with me, too.

The book is well-written -- I found only two errors (one wrong verb tense and one omitted word). As well, it's easy to read. However, when I read from front to back in a few days, it started to grate on me and take on a nagging quality -- "Do not ____," "Learn to _____," "Be sure to ____," etc.. So I recommend reading this at a very leisurely pace (perhaps read just one page before your regular reading). Or open it up at a random page and read just one advice-bit each day, as we do sometimes with Wayne Dyer's Everyday Wisdom for Success. In fact, I can see this working well as a blog or iPhone applet, delivering one advice-bit per page refresh or per day.

One thing lacking in this book is some autobiographical context behind the advice. I would have liked this book more if the author included in each section a brief description of how the advice fit in with his life experience, which I think would have helped me to connect to the advice, or accept it with more appreciation. In its current form, it seems to fulfill more of a pet project role for the author as opposed to a lesson manual for the reader. show less

I like the way the book is divided into separate chapters and emotions, making it much easier for you to find the helpful quotes you need quickly. Full of hints and encouraging snippets of advice on different aspects of how we live our lives,.

The layout of the book is simplistic and basic and is laid out into individual bullet points which are sharp and straight to the point but some of them could do with a little bit more explanation on how you could change or what you do do better.

Would show more be great to keep with you at all times, just to pick up and re-read the thought provoking sections you need to uplift your spirit to help you get through.

The author does stress the point that you should be really grateful for what you have achieved and acquired in your life and in order to progress, you cannot harbor resentment or regrets and to every problem you can work out a solution.

Anyone who is looking to change the way they lead their life or looking for inspiration, this book would be great for them to read. We can still learn from other people and if we keep all our secrets they will be lost forever, fortunately, this will never happen with this book. show less

Advice My Parents Gave Me: and Other Lessons
I Learned from My Mistakes
Author: Rodolfo Costa
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1-4490-2552-6

This is a truly entertaining, delightful and thought provoking collection of 409 quotes, lessons, thoughts, words of advice and encouragement. The author gleaned these from his own life experiences and a far-ranging variety of sources.

Reading this book will offer a venue into looking at your own life experiences, past mistakes, family history and future show more aspirations. By taking the time to read this book, page by page or section at a time, you can find the determination, motivation and understanding you need to move forward in your life.

I think this book would be a wonderful tool for personal reflection and future reference; to take from your bookshelf like an old and caring friend when you need encouragement, a boost of determination, or just a thought-provoking meditation to help you remind yourself what is truly important in your life. I plan to keep it in mind as an excellent gift for an upcoming graduate or a friend pondering a change of circumstance in their own life. show less

I really didn't expect to win this book but it has brought a new breeze in my life. Actually it is 'just' a collection o thoughts, which might be regarded as obvious, known, popular, and so on.
It is not so.
This is the most positive, nice and inspiring night-table book I ever had. The cover is gay, a nice yellow you can never miss among thousand things, and it is light, perfect for its purpose. Once in my life I had to leave many books behind, if it happens again this book will came with me, show more even if this might sound silly. I wish good luck to the author. I do not know if this is gonna by his only book but it deserved to be printed and deserves to be read by those ones wishing to treat themselves while engaging the struggling wonderful everyday battle of life. show less