The Book of Mistakes

December 18, 2017
In this strained self-improvement allegory, CEO and leadership speaker Prichard sets out to answer the question, why are some people able to overcome obstacles that others cannot? According to him, the ones who fail all make the same mistakes. The fablelike narrative follows David, a young man floundering in his first job out of college. After a difficult meeting with his boss, he finds a note abandoned by a mysterious young woman, warning him, “Your success is only possible if you avoid the nine mistakes.” It is signed by a well-known philanthropist. Over the following days, David meets a number of accomplished people known by generic titles (the Old Man, the Trainer, the Bartender), each of whom discusses falling prey to one of the titular mistakes: working on someone else’s dream, allowing someone else to define your value, accepting excuses, etc. The fable is interspersed, for reasons not immediately made clear, with the story of a young woman living in the American colonies in the 18th century, who turns out to be the keeper of the actual volume entitled “the book of mistakes.” The nine mistakes are valid, clearly articulated, and well-worth steering clear of, but the framing fable is unnecessary and distracts from Prichard’s advice.