An ebook sent to me recently had a very intriguing title – Szen Zone: Reaching a State of Positive Change – a clever spelling variant taken from the name of the author, Gary Szenderski.

Szen Zone is filled with short, inspirational and heartwarming stories that celebrate our inner power to achieve a state of positive change. Books about zen help us “live in the present moment”, especially when difficult moments arise. But the Szen Zone takes it a step further by helping prepare our mindset AHEAD of any challenges happening so that when they do occur, we are better prepared to be in the moment, let go, and make positive changes in our lives by managing our reactions and actions and changing course.

The book has 5 chapters that cover different topics like productivity, letting go of the past, living in the present, creating the future, knowledge is power, and taking chances. No matter what one’s state in life is, there is at least one story here that would resonate.

Each themed chapter has several short stories (bite-sized ones that even busy people can easily start and finish without losing their place. Some can read it from cover to cover (like me) or start in any chapter depending on their interest. What I like is that every chapter starts with Editor’s Notes (like a mini table of contents within each chapter). The editor, Catherine Green, the author’s friend, aptly summarizes the lesson or main point from each short story and includes it as parenthetical notation beside each story heading. I like that because it gives me a better idea of which short story I’d like to read first.

If there is one thing that can be improved… I just wished each short story also had its own page numbers (or a hyperlink on the ebook) so I wouldn’t have to thumb through a chapter to find the actual story I wanted to read.

Here’s an example from Chapter 1.

If you love reading the Chicken Soup series, you will love Szen Zone. It is a book you can keep by your bedside table or in a bookshelf near you because it is one that can be read and reread many times as one encounters different life situations.

I’m not done reading yet and that is deliberate because this is not a novel I just want to read from cover to cover. I want the food for thought to sink in and for it to help me assess what is happening in my own life and how I can apply the wisdom in the words as best I can.

To buy the ebook from Amazon, click HERE. It is also available in paperback.

About Gary Szenderski

Gary Szenderski is an author, speaker, teacher and branding specialist, internationally acclaimed as an expert on the subject. He specializes in helping people and organizations to navigate change, and frequently speaks and writes on the topic of emerging brands, personal branding and companies in transition. Gary is an award-winning writer, author of the Book of Szen and Szen Zone, often quoted marketing expert, and recipient of the Distinguished Instructor Award from the University of California in Irvine where he teaches branding. He resides in Southern California.

You can connect with Gary on his social media accounts: Facebook Page, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Goodreads Giveaway

For Goodreads members, you also have a chance to get a copy of Szen Zone because the author has a Goodreads giveaway. Philippine residents are qualified (I checked!). To enter the giveaway, click HERE. Join before July 21, 2016.