Reviewed by Ian Lipke
Debbie O’Shea is an experienced teacher of music who, over a lifetime, has taught students at all levels of exposure. While not necessarily documenting her life experiences, she has nevertheless provided a comprehensive picture of a busy teacher fully involved in her profession. Anecdotal material exists throughout the account to support her career activities.
O’Shea is a gifted teacher who has taken her practice in the classroom into the wider area of academic thought. The approach she adopts is meaningful, if perhaps limited. A hint of hesitancy is evident in my voice and a scholar as gifted as O’Shea will not have missed it. In general terms I am suspicious of ideas that purport to provide simple explanations for complex phenomena. More concretely, I wonder what part Gestalt thinking holds in O’Shea’s modelling. I hasten to explain that O’Shea’s theorising and her application to everyday living are some of the most refreshing I have read in many decades.
The author, discovering I suspect that retirement has provided the opportunity to think at something approaching the leisure time she never had as a committed teacher, has turned her thoughts to change. She has adopted the view that, like the slow formation of stalagmites in caves, meaningful personal growth and lasting change happen through small, consistent actions over time. In her book she draws an analogy between the slow, layered growth of stalagmites and the process of building a meaningful life or achieving significant goals. The core idea is that small, deliberate steps, repeated consistently, can lead to significant and lasting results. The book suggests that this principle applies not just to personal development, but also to career and relationship building.
O’Shea’s ideas are not to be taken lightly. The Stalagmite Effect reveals how tiny, deliberate steps can transform people’s lives, careers and relationships. That alone is highly significant. However, O’Shea does not stop there. She provides strategies and reflections to help readers identify and implement these small, consistent actions, and to overcome obstacles like feeling overwhelmed by large goals. Furthermore, she encourages readers to appreciate their individual journeys and to measure success on their own terms, rather than striving for instant gratification or comparing themselves to others.
To quote O’Shea directly is to succumb to the very self-gratification that O’Shea chides throughout her publication. “Social media showcases dramatic ‘before and after’ transformations but rarely documents the hundreds of small choices made along the way. Advertising promises quick fixes and instant results. In this environment, embracing the slow, steady process of change can feel counterintuitive – even radical. Yet it’s precisely this patient approach that creates lasting transformation” (1).
A reviewer often feels justified in ‘waffling’, claiming that a feature of his job excuses this practice. The author of The Stalagmite Effect never falls for waffle. Immense thought has been given to text layout – the book is close to a work of art. Anecdotes, case studies, similes that are relevant to the learner –
each decision we make, each habit we cultivate, is like a drop of water leaving its mark
the Wright brothers didn’t wake up one day and build an aeroplane –
setbacks are part of the process – “I get knocked down, but I get up again.”
Finally, anecdotes relating to music teacher’s experiences –
just another way to show how real reality can be.
This is a very fine book. That the author is proud of her finished product is revealed in the magnificent cover design. There are so many first-class examples that I have no possibility of mentioning them all. In essence, The Stalagmite Effect advocates for a mindful, step-by-step approach to personal growth, highlighting the power of consistent effort over time, and it does this in a meaningful way.
The Stalagmite Effect
(2025)
by Debbie O’Shea
Balboa Press
ISBN:979-8-7652-0237-1
$24.99; 240pp