The first thing I noticed was that rather than chapters, the book is broken into keys; each author holding and passing on the key to a different part of a big secret; the secret to why some people live more fulfilled, contented, settled lives than others.  That isn’t to say the rest of us aren’t happy;  more that we have lost touch with whatever it is that creates those things.   Each key can point you in the right direction, until a completely different form of success is realised.
I believe there is something, if only a thought or an idea, from each author that everyone can relate to; however big or small, and apply it to their own lives.  In my case I have taken on board Vanessa Talbot’s idea to create a ‘joy list;’ I now have a small book, in which at the end of every day I write down something that made me laugh or smile.  I do a stressful job and it helps me to realise that however bad a day may seem, there is always something good, however small or insignificant it seemed at the time.  Camile Araujo states that ‘Every time we stop listening to our gut feeling, we become strangers to ourselves.’  I am now trying to follow my gut instinct more, whether at work, or at home;  instead of constantly doubting myself and the validity of my decisions, I am trying to let myself be led by that inner sense of actually knowing I made the right decision at the time, even if that ultimately wasn’t the best one.
Cynthia Zeki PHD, to tap into my heartspace and I even intend to try using her seven steps with some of the children with whom I work. Maria Russo most hit a nerve with her belief; ‘....you need to be who you came here to be...’ So often I think we fall into the cycle of trying to be who and what everyone else wants us to be, we lose sight of the fact that we are ourselves.  I know I do and maybe I need to learn to just step back occasionally and let myself discover, piece by piece, who I really am. I was stopped in my tracks by Cath Edwards’ observation that ‘Life is a list of contradictions and opposites, agreements and similarities.’  It got me to thinking how this is absolutely the case, but that whilst some are frustrating at the time, the combination is perhaps what makes life so interesting and unpredictable.  
Sue Crosbie  believes the secret to accessing our inner strength is to accept responsibility for you; something I could definitely work harder on.  She also challenges us to just stop talking about our story- especially if it is a major focus of our lives, and let it go.  I know I have a story I could happily learn to let go of so intend to give it a try.   A new form of learning is how Bianca Carroll wants us to view hindsight; I like the idea of it, rather than being annoying, becoming a form of self evaluation to move forward.  ‘Your memories determine who you are now,’ comments Minda Lennon.  I love this idea as if the memories of our past shape our present, it is surely up to us to create memories  in the present that we are happy to have shape our future.  Maybe a lot can be learned from those past memories.
What I have taken from Ghania Dib’s key, is the idea of me-time as a form of self-love, helping us to find our feminine energy.   Asia Voight’s philosophies on animal communications  got me to reflecting on pets and the ways in which they have communicated with us as humans.  I’ve often had a deep rooted sense they understand far more than we will ever know. We have already made the world and the universe better by being a part of it, according to Leila Khani.  That struck me as a very powerful thought and got me to thinking of the ways in which people make a difference to each other, sometimes without even knowing it. Perhaps if we are more mindful of it, we really could do our own little bit to change the world.  Or at least a small piece of it.
So, that’s 11 things I have taken away from 11 different author’s keys.  I am sure that as and when I re read the book, I will find 11 more, and so on.  Of course if 11 at once is too many, you could take one key at a time to work with.  Either way, give this book the chance to unlock that secret for you and see just how it could have the potential to change your life, and maybe with it, the world.

Helen Mitchell
South Shields
United Kingdom