The ultimate personal development book written for the Irish market has arrived in bookshops this week courtesy of a Longford-based business consultant. Kevin Kelly has crafted the book from his own life experience and the experience of those around him.
Perhaps Scott Peck and other international authors of popular psychology had better watch out because confidence is something not lacking in the Ballintubber-born Kelly. He is so sure his book will be a runaway success that he has published 15,000 copies of How - When You Don't Know How.
The UCG commerce graduate decided that most of the personal development books he had read were not suitable for Irish people. "I wanted to create a culturally sensitive book for the market because a lot of the stuff we get here is not culturally sensitive," he said. "I also found that while such self-help books gave the reader a great buzz while they were reading, they did not give any advice on how to keep that buzz going."
Kelly is no stranger to failure. His involvement in a business deal when he returned to Ireland from London in the early 1990s cost him a great deal of money.
"When I write about problems I know what I am talking about, and in a way the book is part autobiographical," he said. "But I am not into quick fixes either, so I have carefully thought this book out and it will be of great help to people." Kelly admits he got only a D in his English Leaving Certificate, but he certainly sees no obstacles now on his road to success.