Eyal N. Danon
Blue Branch Press (Jan 18, 2022)
Softcover $7.99 (174pp)
978-1-73629-945-6

Clarion Rating: 5 out of 5

The Principle of 18 is a self-help guide designed to help people attain joy and fulfillment, one life stage at a time.

Eyal N. Danon’s The Principle of 18 is a self-help book that aims to help people infuse every stage of their lives with purpose.

The book presents a compelling life design system, dividing life into five eighteen-year segments. It recommends centering each phase on a person’s identity during that era, with markers including The Dreamer and The Giver. Each corresponding section begins by naming a guiding principle, and then focuses on key themes and activities for that stage. The stages are distinct yet interconnected, resulting in powerful guidance at each point, and for the transitions between stages.

The book’s approach balances individual and collective themes to boost personal fulfillment, which it remarks so often comes through connections with others: at each stage, others are necessary for a person to thrive. While much of the book’s focus is on fulfilling personal goals, this element of connection with others is continual; indeed, it grows more powerful during the book’s more outward-focused later stages.

The book also balances internal and external realities, helping people to craft the right mindsets to get results. Here, fulfillment is about what a person thinks and believes, as much as it is about what they do and accomplish. Each stage focuses on the present era, naming concrete action steps to get the most of that time. A sense of self-worth is imparted, which in turn builds to empowerment. Danon’s message is unrelenting: every life stage has value, just as every person has value. This sensibility stands to infuse even wandering moments with purpose, helping people to maintain their vitality and freedom of exploration in the midst of personal betterment.

The book’s advice is complemented by Danon’s personal anecdotes, which feature both highs and lows, and which are used to share what he wishes he knew earlier. He is a generous guide whose own revelations flesh out the book’s directive elements well. Other true examples from the stories of others flesh out the book’s ideas further, revealing the variety of paths that people might take at each stage.

The pace is quick and energetic; this fast work is designed to launch its audience back into their own lives, armed with the equipment to achieve change. The audience is urged to take a hold of their lives with conviction. Meanwhile, informative graphics help to illustrate the balance of different attributes at each stage, providing an artful orientation that bolsters the idea that each of the phases is connected. Key ideas are highlighted at the end of each chapter—helpful when it comes to applying their content.

The Principle of 18 is a self-help guide designed to help people attain joy and fulfillment, eighteen years at a time.

Reviewed by Melissa Wuske
January 7, 2022

The Principle of 18 is available on Amazon.