Saph1re's Synopsis

The Way of The Fairy Godmother is a motivational self-help book focusing on reaching true happiness by acknowledging our Deepest Desires and working towards them through positive thinking and a change in our attitudes.

I’m a firm believer in positive thinking, and try to ensure it is a large part of my life. However, as I started reading this book, there was one negative thing niggling at the back of my mind. I wondered if me having ME/CFS would somehow get in the way of the advice this book gives. Imagine my surprise when early on in the book, Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit, is mentioned and how she managed to write that book from her bed while also suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. That was when this book had my full attention. I knew then that I was not going into this book about to be told that a bit of positive thinking was going to somehow cure my ME/CFS, but that we have the power to change our priorities. We can influence our success and happiness by focusing on the good things, rather than the bad things that appear to be getting in our way. We can make the most of our lives even if it isn't in the same way as we originally planned.

For instance, I’ve had ME/CFS since I was a teenager, getting particularly bad in my late 20s. It has stopped me learning to drive a car, and had an impact on my chosen career in mental health. However, I have always been a very motivated person, so I’ve never been very good at sitting around feeling sorry for myself, as it seems like such a waste of the one life I’ve been given. Clearly my career in mental health was not very likely, so I created a job for myself working from home. I now have a successful online business selling novelty craft buttons worldwide and have been doing this for over a decade now. Working from home means I can control how much or how little work I do on a daily basis, while also giving me a sense of purpose. Being at home all day has also meant we have been able to adopt two beautiful dogs that we wouldn’t have been able to have if my husband and I were both working full-time away from home. Our dogs have brought us so much joy over the years, so that is a good thing that has come out of my illness.

I was pleased to discover that I already do most things mentioned in this book, but it has directed my attention to a couple of things I need to work on. I love fairy tales, so linking the advice to The Fairy Godmother in Cinderella is a wonderful idea. I’ve never thought that deeply about the story of Cinderella, and certainly not about the character of The Fairy Godmother.

I’ve already decided who my Fairy Godmother equivalent is going to be – Falkor the luck dragon in The Neverending Story, as it is a story I fell in love with when I saw the film at a very young age.

Copied from IMDb:
"Falkor is a luck dragon, a marvelous, feather/fur creature that saves Atreyu in the Fantasia land known as The Swamps of Sadness. Best known for his positive outlook, Falkor helps Atreyu with not only extra-fast flight, but with encouragement and hope. Falkor was one of the few survivors of The Nothing that almost consumed Fantasia, and was the subject of Bastian's very first wish to bring Fantasia back."

The Way of The Fairy Godmother is a fairly quick, easy read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys self-help books, or thinks they require a bit of direction with regards to positive thinking and achieving true happiness.

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.