A couple of years ago I was attending a one-week intensive training for counselors led by Drs. John Townsend and Henry Cloud.  Dr. Townsend was in the middle of a lecture when he mentioned that he was working on a new book.

“I’m writing a book about the fact that the hard way is usually the right way…” he said, “I’m going to address the issue of entitlement, and what it costs our lives, our families, and our culture.”

Immediately, I knew I had to get my hands on this book.  This topic was screaming to be addressed.  And I knew if anyone could do it well, it was Dr. Townsend.

For years, I have told people in my coaching ministry that if you want to learn how to achieve meaningful balance in your life, you should read anything you can find written by Dr. Townsend, Dr. Henry Cloud, or both.

I fully believe their Boundaries books should be the first self-help reference you buy for your library.  It’s full of fundamental truth that will change the way you see your life and relationships.  And every new book Dr. Townsend has released has built on the insight he’s shared previously.

So, when I had an opportunity to get an advance copy of The Entitlement Cure to review, I was worried that my expectations might be a bit too high.  They weren’t.  This book is everything it claims to be and more.

If you have entitled people in your life, this book will help you understand their thinking patterns.  It will teach you to see them with compassion while setting healthy limits.  It will help you avoid common mistakes, and suggest a game plan that will help you move forward.

But this book will take you to a deeper place.  Throughout the book, Dr. Townsend challenges the reader to face and confront our own attitudes of entitlement (he calls it “pocket entitlement”).

It is here that the book really shines.  Because the book is written in such a warm, personal, conversational tone, reading the book is like having a private coaching session with Dr. Townsend.  It feels like having the world’s foremost expert in boundaries and balanced living sitting across from you explaining the pervasiveness and pitfalls of entitlement thinking.  He explains how it seeps into our professional, family, and spiritual lives, and how choosing to do the “next hard thing” can be the way back to personal accountability.

I absolutely love this book, and believe you will too.  As a culture, it’s time to start bringing our ‘A’ game to life’s challenges.  It’s time for us to embrace the difficulty life often brings our way.  It’s time to kick entitlement to the curb.  That’s why you need to get this book.  I highly recommend The Entitlement Cure.