Be Unstoppable was a wonderful little book. For all its brevity, it still packed quite a punch. The main thread running through it is this delightful story of a captain who runs his boat aground for the first time, but then is taken under the wing of this older captain who has had all kinds of incredible adventures. The older captain guides the younger captain through the Code of the Master and Commander, which is a set of eight steps to succeeding at sea (and in life more generally). The steps individually are great advice, and put together form a well-rounded set of guidance. While the central narrative can start to get bogged down in cutesyness at times, it’s broken up by asides from the author’s life, so it never really is too much to swallow. This may be one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year; I was consistently excited to get back to reading it whenever I had to put it down.
I’d recommend this book for anyone who wants a quick jolt of inspiration. Many of the recommendations are easy to start weaving into your life from day one, and even those that take a little more doing just require practice. While some of the suggestions aren’t the most pleasant to hear — we’ve all heard a million times that we need to exercise more — overall it’s a very uplifting book, and I think well worth the time it takes to get through the pages. The anecdotes that the older captain shares are quite vibrant, and the ones that Mills shares of his own experience are pertinent. The way the book is framed with the central narrative and a good dose of asides made it easy to digest, and there’s a good smattering of catchy phrases sprinkled throughout to make key ideas more memorable.
In summary, pick it up! It’s a fast read, and will leave you motivated and focused. The framing story is one that will stick with you and keep you inspired throughout your day to day life, and the whole book is dense with good advice.
