Book Review – Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
You know this by now: I don’t do much research before jumping into books, which leads me down paths I would not travel otherwise.
I mentioned this book to a colleague before I read it myself, and he was so excited about the topic of boundaries that he immediately picked it up. He later told me that he had to see past all the “biblical stuff”, BUT all-in-all he enjoyed it! I don’t know what he was talking about.
When I started reading it I understood what he was talking about. 😬
Biblical boundaries?
This book is about boundaries, but more specifically; biblical boundaries! And every other sentence has a Bible reference attached to it.
To be honest, I don’t mind. I just thought my ignorance about the Christian nature of this book was funny. And I got some warm-up for reading the Old Testament later this year!
Anyway… what about boundaries?!
Book notes:
📝 “Don’t water someone else’s lawn”
Don’t cover up for someone else’s irresponsible behavior. How is the irresponsible son going to learn how to handle money if you always there with a handout? How will your your co-worker learn the effects of her sloppy work if you keep covering up for her?
📝 “To rescue people from the natural consequences of their behavior is to render them powerless.”
📝 Giving out of fear: Some people feel like they love too much (read: GIVE too much), but what they actually do is that they give out of FEAR of losing love.
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📝 “You reap what you sow.”
⭐️ TAKEAWAY:
Going into this book I was unsure how I stood boundary-wise. Did I have any?! Now I’m sure that I’m doing quite okay, and what I’m now aiming for is to improve them even further; especially towards certain personality types that I find hard to deal with.
⚖️ VERDICT:
Unfortunately I think Essentialism and Thus Spoke Zarathustra did more for developing my boundaries than this book did. But if you really struggle with asserting yourself then this book is a must-read. Now I’m looking for a book on boundaries that cover more than the basics. I want to build exceptional boundaries! 💪🏻
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ out of 5
Find more great reads on my book reviews page and the Great Books List
What book improved your life and how?
