The Greatest Success Story…that You’ve Never Heard!
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING CONTACTS SOUPORNUTS.COM
On Nov. 30, 2007, I received an email from an associate director of marketing with Doubleday. She asked me if I would be interested in reading and reviewing a book entitled Make the Impossible Possible by Bill Strickland. Due to the high volume of orders that we had been receiving for the Rotater, I did not have the time to respond to her offer. However, at the end of December, I called this marketing director and told her that I would like to read this book and I would be happy to provide my thoughts about it. I received Make the Impossible Possible – One Man’s Crusade to Inspire Others to Dream Bigger and Achieve the Extraordinary, the next day via FedEx.
DISCLOSURE
I do not know how or why I was chosen. Since I was contacted through the contact page of soupornuts.com, I can only assume that it is because soupornuts.com is a personal development blog.
I have received no compensation of any kind for this review.
WHO IS BILL STRICKLAND?
- a product of inner-city Pittsburgh
- a resident of inner-city Pittsburgh
- a teacher
- a mentor
- a commercial jet pilot
- an social entrepreneur
- a facilitator
- most of all he is a dreamer, visionary and role model
IT ALL STARTS WITH PASSION
Every dream, hope, idea or goal that is achieved is dependent on passion. This story is no different – it’s about the passion of Bill Strickland. His passion and mission is to help people turn turn their lives around.
Bill says in the book, “The story I have to share with you is the story of the pursuit of one unrealistic, impractical, outrageous dream after another, and the remarkable consistency with which those dreams have come true…..That’s the essential lesson of my life and of this book: that each of us can achieve the “impossible” in our lives.”
PASSION CREATES
Bill Strickland’s passion for helping led to the creation of the Manchester Bidwell Center in Pittsburgh – a state of the art facility that offers job training for careers in:
- chemical laboratory technology
- culinary arts
- horticulture
- office technology
- medical
As well as classes for students in:
- ceramics
- photography
- digital arts
- design arts
SOME IMPRESSIVE STATISTICS
- over 90% of the kids who attend classes at the Manchester Craftsman Guild go on to receive their high school diploma
- 85% of these students continue their education after high school by enrolling in college of some other program of higher education
- 80% of adult students complete their vocational training
- 86% of these adults who complete their training find jobs
MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK
I am a voracious reader, and once I started this book, I simply could not put it down. It reached me on a number of levels.
- It’s the remarkable story of a high school kid who sidestepped whatever kind of life that ghetto living could throw at him and went on to create an exceptional life for himself by helping those around him.
- It’s the inspiring story of always keeping your dream – of not allowing others to determine what you are capable of accomplishing.
- It’s about the establishment of the understanding that what Bill has accomplished can change the world. (If this seems laughable to you, then read the book to see who has partnered with Bill as they seek to establish development centers like the Manchester Bidwell Center all over the world.)
RECOMMENDATIONS
Do yourself a favor. Read this book. It will inspire and motivate you, while at the same time teaching you many of the principles needed to establish and run a profitable business. You won’t regret it.
Don’t allow procrastination to stop you – “Eat that Frog!”
Procrastination – putting off today what can be done tomorrow or not done at all. Procrastination is the bane of all unsuccessful people. Most people have dreams and ideas. They have plans for translating their dreams and ideas into reality but the lack of a disciplined approach to counterattack the never ending-stream of distractions often stops their progress dead.
The ability to “get things done” when they need to be done or before is one of the key determining factors of your level of success. If you do not have a method of categorizing and prioritizing your daily tasks, then you are just bumbling through your day. I know that sounds harsh, but it is true. At the end of the day, anything that was completed, was an accident because you had no purpose nor plan for the day. So in effect, you are living an “accidental life”. You got lucky.
“EAT THAT FROG!” is a book written by Brian Tracy that addresses procrastination and how to overcome it and live a productive life. It is outstanding! The book is not a long one. It consists of 113 pages that make up 21 chapters plus an introduction and conclusion. The average chapter is less than six pages. You can easily read a chapter a day. That is what I do and I’ve read the book several times already. It has made a huge impact on both the quantity and quality of what I am able to accomplish.
It is the definitive work on eliminating procrastination from your life. Some of his tactics include:
- thinking on paper
- starting now
- prioritizing
- predicting the consequences of doing or not doing a task
- determining your “key” result areas
- developing your ability to focus
- applying a step by step approach
- and much, much more
This book is great. It is written in a logical and easy-to-understand manner that gets the point across. If you are serious about defeating the greatest obstacle to your success, then this is the book you need. In paperback, the cost is minimal.
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