Book Title:  Inspiration:  Your Ultimate Calling

Author:  Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Publishing Company:  Hay House, Inc.

Year:  2007

# of Pages: 252

ISBN #:  978-1-4019-0722-8

$17.95 Canada

$14.95 USA 

3 ½ Stars 

Reviewer:  Deborah Ground Buckner 

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer has worked to inspire the world for many years. I recall a college classmate--30 years ago—who carried Dr. Dyer's book Your Erroneous Zones everywhere she went. I never actually saw her reading it, but she carried it throughout the day, as one would carry a rabbit's foot or other lucky charm. 

His latest work, Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling, urges us to return to living In-Spirit, the state of existence we enjoyed before our entry to the world and introduced ego into our lives. He distinguishes inspiration from motivation, which he defines as ego determination driving one forward. When we live In-Spirit, we are re-connecting to the energy of our previous existence. 

I would enjoy Dr. Dyer's thoughts more if they were presented as interesting theories rather than absolute truths.  He suggests a personal, specialized knowledge of “that undiscover'd country from whose bourn no traveller returns,” and this can be a bit off-putting. But many will find in his theories confirmation of thoughts we have had from our own experiences. 

For example, I have often heard others, usually while going through a particularly difficult time, lament, “I didn't ask to be born!”  It is an easy way to avoid taking any responsibility for one's own life; just chalk one's existence up to a whim of a Creator or the actions of one's parents. Dr. Dyer states, instead, “we've chosen to enter this world of particles and form. In ways that we don't readily comprehend now, when we were in our place of origin we knew what we were coming here to accomplish, and we participated in setting this life process in motion.” [emphasis in original].  Reading this, I was struck by two statements my children made when they were still very young and had not been talking very long. My son once told me, “I chose this house and these parents.” My daughter once remarked, “We're just storybook people.” Since hearing these observations from two who were much more recently from that “undiscover'd country,” I've tended to think of life as a role-playing game that, through God's grace, we are privileged to play. We have ultimate objectives from the beginning, and the bonuses are the people and the stories we collect along the way. Dr. Dyer's views seem to confirm this point for me. The trick to the game is transcending ego and the distractions of the physical world to regain that initial purpose and objective and, living once again In-Spirit, recollecting and working to achieve what we came here to do. 

Those who have long been readers of Dr. Dyer's works will find many familiar themes in this book, as well as frequent quotations of the works of others, occasional name-dropping, and the sometimes annoying statements of the blessings he has received in life that waver between giving thanks and boasting.  But cutting through all this, there are some excellent words to live by.  Even if the ideas of searching for one's purpose of life, reaching out to others, maintaining a relationship with a Creator, and using one's talents to help someone else are often-repeated themes, they are worth often repetition.   

At the end of each chapter, Dr. Dyer includes some exercises to help bring the ideas of the chapter into daily life.  All offer excellent advice, and following them will increase one's awareness of personal objectives, peace, and sensitivity toward others.  There's certainly nothing wrong with that.