How'd that book get here?

   In the summer of 2000 I was driving to some sales calls. As usual my mind was wandering  It came to a sudden halt on the idea of writing a book. The thought of sharing the things that I learned along the way was interesting to me. While I had read and enjoyed many business books in the past, I wanted to do something different. 

   As I thought about it, the idea was increasingly appealing. However, I felt many "success" books gave you a bunch of information that, while valuable, was not easily remembered. After a bit of thinking I decided to use the alphabet so I could break down the "lessons" into nine acronyms that would make remembering them easier. An idea was born.

   Later that day I sat in my office and wrote out the following outline:

ABC - Always Be Committed  
DEF - Don't Ever Forget (to say thank you)
GHI - Getting Highly Inspired
JKL - Just Keep Looking
MNO - Make Notes and Observations
PQR - Pursue Quantitative Results
STU - Start Teaching and Understanding
VWX - Value with X-factor
YZ - Yellow Zebra

   While the book took over ten years for me to get around to writing, editing and finishing, the alphabetic outline survived. The reason is simple. In the time between then and now, my opinion didn't change. Learning has to be memorable.

   Will the book "make" you a success? No. That'd be a silly commitment to make. Will it make you better prepared to succeed? Absolutely. If success were on a shelf, my book is a step ladder to give you a hand getting there.  You'll have to put work into it, but that's true of any approach to improvement. What's more, I think you'll be able to easily recall the essence of every chapter due to the acronym anchor provided for each one. 

   Now you have the challenge of taking action. Knowing about my book won't make you better, but reading it will. I did my part. Click here to do yours: Buy the book, be better.  

    

   

Thanks for everything Dad!

   Today marks seven years ago that my dad walked off the mortal coil and into eternity.

   While I miss him, everybody goes sooner or later. He was looking out at his beloved garden transitioning into spring when it happened. I guess if you have to check out, that's a pretty good place to exit. As always, well done Dad.

   It's nice to reflect back in gratitude at all the things he did, tolerated, encouraged, and prevented in the course of my life. I'll not burden you with the lengthy list, but please take it on faith I was not an easy project.
 
  If you are fortunate enough to have your parents around, take the time to say thanks. Some parents are blessings directly, and others require a more creative skill set to admire, but with few exceptions, they kept us fed and provided a roof. For most of us, much more than that.

   So take the time to say thanks, and be grateful. While you're at it, work diligently to be worthy of the thanks of the people in your life. Create a lasting circle of gratitude.

   Thanks again Dad. I miss you.