I once tried to improve my life through gamification. Well, I took lots of pills and was chased by ghosts. This book is full of carbon-dated cultural references to The Matrix and Fight Club. You take the red pill or the blue pill. I am Jack's token cultural reference. In the case of Fight Club it clearly references the film and reads like it was written by someone who never read the book. You keep using that token cultural reference, I do not think it means what you think it means. Once you get beyond that, there is something worth exploring. The basic self-help setup is obvious enough. There is a system. You need to escape it. But for all it's talk about escaping the system this book isn't really about that. It's about how to escape the shackles of the system whilst still operating within it. Be in the world but not of it. That sort of thing. Which is actually much more useful and thought-provoking. You can't really escape the system but you don't need to. You only need to realise that the system is irrelevant. "Do not try and bend the spoon, that's impossible. Instead, only try to realise the truth... There is no spoon... Then you'll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself."

Excellent narration from the author enhanced this self help book. You may think another self help book initially and it is, however I found some really interesting scenarios for me to think about and possibly take action on. The author is trained in psychology and has tested his theories and he gives just enough information to ponder on rather than overload you. The subject matter can be daunting as you relate to your own behaviours & habits but I think this book manages to deliver inspiring strategies to escape the system. I have bookmarked some sections to go back to. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook.

I made a review video of this book 💜 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT5ivkQ94MU

1. The system
What is the system?

What are the benefits of escaping it?

How to escape?

This book is full of thought-provoking bits and pieces, not all of them are pleasant but they do a good job at pushing the reader to question everything, especially the system as we know it.

2. The Matrix
I liked how the author used different examples of real-life people and fictional characters to get his point across. My favourite was the Matrix analogy, the whole blue pill, red pill dilemma.

3. Blue or Red Pill?
If you were to choose, would you go for the blue pill or the red pill? Would you pick a familiar and “comfortable” prison, or would you choose to awaken? Food for thoughts!

4. The escape
Many interesting examples are given as the Author develops an escape plan from the system. Some ideas I found intriguing, most of them I already knew but it was still interesting to revisit them from a different perspective.

5. The Final Verdict
In a nutshell, this book is definitely worth a read, you might not agree with everything the Author has to say but it will make you think and question your reality and that’s the whole point.

I would like to thank the Publishers, NetGalley, and the Author for sending me a copy of this book.