Success and Happiness for Young Women

Roy Sheppard has written young adult life guides for young men and women. You can download a free chapter of each book on his website. His most recent book is “Success and Happiness for Young Women (The British Way).” In his words, “Britishness is not necessarily ‘better’. But for anyone who is open to other points of view and ways of thinking, it can offer a path to their future lives which can help them stand out, in a positive way.” I had an opportunity to interview him to learn more about this book.

What was the inspiration behind the book?

Because of my conference work, I know a huge number of people, many of whom have teenage sons and daughters. I found myself being asked time-and-again to ‘have a chat’ with sons and daughters about issues or problems they were facing but felt uncomfortable talking to their parents about. It was on the understanding that I didn’t tell the parents what was discussed. That involved a great deal of trust by parents of course. All sorts of stuff came out during those conversations. I started to see a pattern; low self-esteem, anxiety, various fears, a sense of isolation or not feeling understood were so common. Mostly, they thought they were the only people in the world who felt the way they did. When they are not! This was confirmed when I starting asking them if I wrote a book for young adults, what would they most like it to include; knowing more about the opposite sex was high on the list of course, but it was help with self-esteem that actually came out on top. 

 

Why is it important to learn from other cultures?

I believe that our personal success is all down to how good we are at attracting opportunities into our lives, of all kinds; professionally and personally. Unsuccessful people tend to be poor at doing that. They are closed to new ideas. We now live in a global market. As huge and as influential as America is today, knowing, understanding and respecting people from other countries will open your mind to new opportunities and ways of thinking. In your career especially, realising that you can learn so much from other cultures will probably help you more in the future than it has helped Americans in the past. Get a passport (if you don't have one) and explore this amazing planet of ours.

 

What leads to the appeal of being "posh" or classy?

I think it’s really important to distinguish between being a ‘fake’ and being a genuinely classy person. If you try to ‘act’ posh for effect, that is never classy. Around the world, Britishness is commonly perceived as being posh and classy. The hugely popular British TV show Downton Abbey illustrates this really well. Those living ‘upstairs’ are certainly posh but they are not ‘fake’. (Even though they are all actors of course, pretending to be someone else!) ‘Downstairs’ most of the ‘lower class’ servants are genuine people. They still have ‘class’. Classy people tend to be quieter types. They observe. They develop wisdom and a depth of character. Classy people have learned not to blurt out everything they think, the moment they think it. We look up to people who have that ability. It can be learned.

 

My books help the reader to believe in themselves, to have a healthy self-esteem and an attitude that empowers them. That’s what leads to being genuinely happy in life. It’s not about how many credit cards you have!

 

Free samples of Roy Sheppard’s new eBooks “Success and Happiness for Young Women (The British Way)” and “Success and Happiness for Young Men (The British Way)” can be downloaded from www.YoungAdultLifeGuides.com