Kevin Kelly has carved out a successful career as a renowned Motivational Speaker. Kevin, son of Kevin & Mary Kelly of Ballintubber, Co. Roscommon, is internationally acclaimed for his motivational speaking and throughout his career he has also written a number of books which invariably carry his message of positivity and personal development.
Kevin’s latest book – ‘Xceptionalize – Success Secrets For Students’ – is a very original addition to his published work, presented, as it is, in cartoon form. (Kevin created the ‘Xceptionalize’ concept which, he explains, challenges individuals and organisations to focus on exceptional execution of their duties on an ongoing basis).
The new book (or ‘graphic’ novel) tells the story of ‘Nathan’, a teenage boy who is set in his ways – parents might say lazy! Nathan is going to University but he lacks ambition and seems to think that the very fact that he is attending ‘Uni’ is the achievement of a goal in itself. Certainly he has no clear focus, no particular desire to get a job, and he exudes a sense of entitlement. He’s a teenage boy who spends far too long on his mobile phone and on the internet. He lacks motivation; worse still perhaps, he doesn’t realise this and would wonder what all the fuss is about if that point is made to him.
Nathan’s and the entire book is presented in cartoon/graphic form with a short, snappy dialogue (the dialogue by Kevin Kelly, the artwork by Rebecca Burgess, a UK-based artist). This obviously makes the book particularly ‘reader-friendly’ for young people, and clearly the author’s belief is that the use of the visual approach will result in far more of his target audience reading – and being influenced by – the book than would otherwise have been the case. Undoubtedly he is right in so thinking.
So, what happens to Nathan and what is the book about? The book is essentially conveying to teenagers (and to adult readers) some very worthy tips on personal development. On a wider level the book is arguably a condemnation of the social media culture that seems to be so prevalent with young people today – at the very least it casts a disapproving glance at the extent to which engagement with or indeed virtual reliance on social media influences young people. Of course the book is not dismissive of social media itself but instead somewhat disapproving of teenagers’ sense of entitlement, something which is crystallised at times in their engagement with social media/mobile phones, etc.
The image of the teenager who spends too long on facebook or their phone is just that, an image; Kelly’s wider point is that (many of) the teenage generation has a sense of entitlement, perhaps quite unique to his particular generation – and directly linked to the economic prosperity that prevailed in Ireland for most of the past fifteen years or so.
So, back to Nathan: Nathan is dragged (reluctantly) from his lazy existence after he meets a talking cat who leads him into the whimsical world of the Aos Si, where he embarks on a magical journey, meeting spirits, witches and others who teach him some home truths and provide tips on how to leave his lethargy behind and instead acquire the skills required to succeed in the real world.
Nathan learns about personal responsibility – “I am the problem, I am the solution” – and about perseverance. “That’s the problem with your generation, you are so used to getting what you want right away” he is bluntly told, before a series of episodes in the magical world show him the value of peseverance. “There is no such thing as failure, only the failure to learn from failure” the author advises.
Chapter three (‘Persuade’) includes some invaluable tips for anyone sitting job interviews – not to mention for anyone who wants to succeed in their general interpersonal relations with others – and as Nathan’s journey continues, he learns further how to make the right decisions in life, and indeed about how to enjoy life now – to live ‘in the now.’ ‘Purpose’ and ‘Potential’ are the crucial closing chapters and suffice to say that by the end of his journey Nathan is transformed. Most importantly, he has made the transformation, having realised the value of his own life and the creative possibilities that exist and which are within himself.
I will let readers draw their own conclusions, but certainly I think ‘Xceptionalize – Success Secrets For Students’ is an impressive, delightfully simple (intentionally so, and all the better for it) guide to personal development possibilities for its target audience (teenagers/students).
This accomplished Roscommon man has certainly achieved a new career high himself and the likelihood is that this original, thought-provoking and educational book will have a deserved following.
Review by Paul Healy, Roscommon People

If you would like to buy the book you can purchase it here – delivery free worldwide.

http://www.kevinkellyunlimited.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=69