This is an ideal book for short trips by train and plane. I read it on the Piccadilly line between South Ealing and Holborn.

Primarily, it’s a PR vessel for learndirect, which is in bold print at least twice on most pages; you can hardly miss the push to their website to sign up for the full course.

The publicity says it has been “written by leading motivational speaker, Steve Martin, author of the highly-acclaimed bestseller, Yes!” Strangely, due to a publishing oversight, Steve Martin’s name is not on the book itself.

With a foreword by Popstars doyen, Kym Marsh, Nothing Can Stop You comprises 50 tips, ideas and exercises “to help you break through the barriers to learning.”

Each chapter begins ‘Nothing can stop you…’ and is sub-headed ‘Set Yourself a Goal,’ ‘Get Motivated,’ ‘Free up Some Time,’ ‘Boost Your Confidence,’ and ‘Get Support.’ The sections on ‘Ten tips for helping you to stay motivated’ and ‘Giving and getting support’ are especially useful.

Initially, I baulked at the repeated sentences. “It’s great that you have decided to ask for your own personal copy… requesting your own copy demonstrates that you’ve taken that all-important first step.” Is that so?

However, the approach epitomises that of psychologist, B.F. Skinner’s approach to the human being, based upon the idea that learning is a function of change in overt behaviour.

The ‘behavioural science’ view is that the human is essentially a broken down machine in need of proper maintenance and servicing, and part of the cure, here, appears to be in spelling … things… out… at least twice. Spelling things out twice, got it?

That said, there are supportive quotes from people who have been through the course, and survived.

And the tips are useful; if you follow the guidance given, they will send you on your merry way towards whatever goal you desire and define, visualise and prioritise.

We all need help to deal with other people’s negativity when we want to be clear about our own goals, and less a mat for other people to wipe their feet on.

There are more hints and tips on www.learndirect.co.uk/potential

Nothing Can Stop You is published by Profile Books Ltd, London, 2008
www.profilebooks.com