In a world filled with distraction, confusion, and external noise, many individuals find themselves uncertain about what steps to take next. “You Know What To Do” by Robert Ellis tackles this dilemma head-on, guiding readers to reconnect with their inner voice—the true compass within—and make confident, aligned decisions. This book is a powerful journey into understanding oneself deeply, mastering environment influences, and recognizing the importance of spiritual, mental, and physical harmony.
The core premise is simple yet profound: deep inside, you already possess the knowledge and power to move forward—you just need to learn how to listen, trust, and act on it. Over seven concise chapters, Ellis provides tools to unlock potential that often remains hidden under layers of doubt and external chaos.
Chapter 1: The Inner Voice — Your True Guide
The journey begins by focusing inward. Ellis emphasizes that every individual has an inner voice—a genuine source of guidance that’s often drowned out by stress, fear, or societal expectations.
Key insights:
- Your inner voice is the voice of your authentic self, aligned with your values and purpose.
- Listening to it requires quietness and honesty, often amid noise or busy routines.
- External influences—media, opinion, peer pressure—are distractions that drown out this voice.
Ellis encourages practices like meditation, journaling, and mindfulness to cultivate quietness and clarity. When you pause to listen, you begin to distinguish between the chatter of ego and the wisdom of your true self.
Review: Once you heed your inner voice, your decisions become more aligned with your purpose, reducing regret and increasing confidence.
Chapter 2: Your Environment — The External Echoes
The environment plays a significant role in shaping your thoughts, feelings, and decisions. Ellis explains how external surroundings—people, places, media—can either empower or sabotage your inner guidance.
Main points:
- Toxic environments or negative influences create doubt, fear, and stagnation.
- Positive environments—supportive relationships and inspiring surroundings—strengthen your inner voice.
- You have the power to curate your environment and remove influences that cause confusion or fear.
Practical tip: Regularly audit your surroundings—whom do you spend time with? What media do you consume? Does this environment support your growth?
Review: Your environment is the amplifier or dampener of your inner guidance. Managing it strategically amplifies your clarity and confidence.
Chapter 3: Wisdom and Wealth — Inner Riches for Outer Success
Many chase material wealth but overlook the true riches—wisdom, integrity, compassion, and emotional stability. Ellis asserts that inner wealth fuels outer success.
Key points:
- Wisdom is cultivated through experience, reflection, and spiritual awareness.
- Wealth without wisdom leads to superficial success; wealth with wisdom leads to fulfillment and influence.
- Investing in your character and knowledge yields lasting riches.
Action: Dedicate time daily to learning, reflection, and character-building activities. Wisdom guides decisions that bring wealth of soul and influence.
Review: Inner riches—character, wisdom, patience—are the foundation of lasting success.
Chapter 4: Spiritual Awareness — Connecting with the Higher Self
This chapter elevates the conversation to spiritual consciousness. Ellis reveals that spiritual awareness isn’t about religious rituals but about recognizing your connection to something greater—your higher self, divine source, or universal intelligence.
Main ideas:
- Spiritual awareness sharpens your intuitive knowing and moral compass.
- Meditation, prayer, and mindfulness increase this connection.
- Recognizing the divine within transforms fear into trust.
Practical practice: Daily reflection or prayer to center yourself in a higher purpose and gain clarity beyond the ego.
Review: Enhanced spiritual awareness sustains hope, resilience, and moral courage in tough times.
Chapter 5: The Mind — The Inner Arena
The mind is the battleground where thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions are formed. Ellis clarifies that thoughts are not facts but choices.
Main points:
- Controlling your thoughts is key to controlling your destiny.
- Negative thinking breeds fear, doubt, and inaction. Positive thinking fuels action.
- Techniques like affirmations, visualization, and focusing on solutions reframe your mental landscape.
Mind management tip: Replace fears and doubts with empowering affirmations aligned with your goals.
Review: Mastery over the mind creates a powerful platform for action and decision-making.
Chapter 6: The Body — The Physical Reflection of Inner State
Your body is both a vessel and a reflection of your inner life. Ellis emphasizes that physical health influences mental clarity and emotional stability.
Main ideas:
- Regular exercise, proper nutrition, and rest boost mental sharpness and emotional resilience.
- A disciplined body supports disciplined mind and spirit.
- Your physical routine should be aligned with your purpose.
Action plan: Incorporate daily movement, hydration, and good sleep habits.
Review: When your body is healthy, your mind and spirit operate more effectively, leading to better decisions.
Chapter 7: The Journey Forward — Bringing It All Together
The concluding chapter synthesizes the previous insights. Ellis emphasizes that real change happens when all parts—inner voice, environment, wisdom, spirituality, mind, and body—are aligned and working in harmony.
He encourages readers to:
- Regularly listen inward to their true guidance.
- Curate their environment to support growth.
- Cultivate wisdom and spiritual awareness daily.
- Manage the mind with positive intentionality.
- Care for the body as the foundation of all activity.
Message: Success and fulfillment come from deliberate, disciplined living—trusting your inner knowing and aligning with your higher purpose.
The Core Message: What Does Robert Ellis Convey?
At its heart, “You Know What To Do” is a call to authenticity, discipline, and inner mastery. Ellis insists that:
- All the answers lie within, waiting to be discovered.
- External chaos and inner noise are caused by neglecting inner guidance and self-care.
- Lasting success and peace arise when you develop discipline in all areas: spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional.
He urges us to stop searching outside ourselves and begin tuning inward, trusting the clarity that emerges from consistent practice and intentional living.
In essence:
You already know what to do—you simply need to listen, clean your environment, and act with purpose and discipline.
Final Thoughts
Robert Ellis’s “You Know What To Do” transcends typical self-help rhetoric. It’s a blueprint for self-mastery rooted in self-awareness, discipline, and spiritual connection. It teaches that when all parts of life are aligned—mind, body, spirit, environment—success and fulfillment naturally follow. The journey is personal but simple: listen to your inner voice, take responsibility, cultivate wisdom, nurture your spirit, and care for your physical health.
This book is an empowering reminder that the most profound wisdom is already within you, waiting for your disciplined action. Your true success begins once you acknowledge that you know what to do — and most importantly, that you do it.
FAQs
Q1. What is the main theme of “You Know What To Do”?
The book centers on reconnecting with your inner wisdom and living a conscious, balanced life through mind, body, and spirit alignment.
Q2. Who should read this book?
Anyone seeking clarity, spiritual growth, or personal transformation will benefit from Ellis’s insights.
Q3. Is this book religious?
No. It’s spiritual in nature but non-religious — focusing on universal truths and self-awareness.
Q4. How long does it take to read “You Know What To Do”?
It’s a concise yet reflective read, best absorbed slowly, one chapter at a time.
Q5. What is the key takeaway?
Trust your intuition, nurture your body and mind, and live with conscious awareness — because deep down, you already know what to do.