There are so many books out there with “numbers”.  21 ways to do this, 5 ways to become a millionaire in 3 minutes a day.  So, when I read the subtitle, “Seven decisions that determine personal success”, I will admit that I was a little skeptical at first.  But, when 2 people give you a book, it is kind of like when someone offers you a stick of gum or a mint…there is a reason!!

This was the first Andy Andrews book I read.  I was intrigued by his writing.  His vivid imagery made it easy for me to follow the story of a man visiting several (seven!) leaders of the past, including Abraham Lincoln, Joshua Chamberlain, among a few others.  So, not only did I get 7 choices that may help me to determine success, I got a history lesson!  Now, one can skip to the end of the book to get the answers, but the author’s method of getting you to each decision was engaging.  It won’t ruin the book if I give you the 7 decisions:

1) The buck stops here.  I am responsible for my past and my future

2) I will seek wisdom.

3) I am a person of action

4) I have a decided heart

5) Today, I will choose to be happy

6) I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit

7) I will persist without exception

Several memorable quotes from this book as well.  “The only sure way to avoid criticism is to do nothing and be nothing!”

I think this was a great book.  Want a copy?  Comment on this post and tweet the link to this post.   Let me know which of the 7 decisions you struggle with the most.  How are you going to overcome that struggle?  I will choose one winner from the responses and send a copy to you via mail.

Now, I don’t know that books will really ‘save’ us, but I do find books to be therapeutic, thus, I believe they have a way of extending our lives.  So, here was what I expressed to Mark, and now to you, about books:

1) I envy personal libraries  with the wood paneling to the ceiling and the walls of books, including out of print, first editions, and favorites that have been read.  While I stop short of making this type of personal library a ‘goal’, it would definitely be nice to have.  I would want it to be interactive, though.  When friends come over, I want them to pull the books off the shelf, read through my notes, and generate discussion/fellowship for the content as well as the aesthetics!

2) I think that books can be ’attractive’.  When I finish reading a book, I remove the fancy cover and see how attractive the book’s binding is.  Then, it goes on my ‘shelf’.

3) Touring of bookstores is something I often do.  I wish I had the time to read all of the wonderful books that are there.

4) Life is too short to read a bad book(or drink a bad wine).  I will stop reading a book part of the way through. I don’t do this often as most of the books I read are suggestions from trusted sources.

These are a couple ways that books are therapeutic to me.  What about you?

Because I travel regularly and I normally have a few books going at once, I decided to purchase the Barnes and Noble Nook.  Here are my observations after the first 90 days I have had it.

Pros:

• I only have to carry one ‘book’ to have all of my books on it.  I have read 3 books so far and I have my Bible on it as well.
• The screen is clear and easy to read
• It has Sudoku on it as well!
• The highlighting and note features are both easy to use after a short training period.
• Love the ‘Lookup’ feature for when I don’t know what a word means.  This was VERY important when I read ‘Mojo’ by Marshall Goldsmith.  A really good read, but some of the vocabulary he used was well-advanced!

Cons:

• The web browser is just OK.  Of course, I am not a fan of touch screen keypads due to my large fingers. 
• When using on an airplane, my reading time is reduced since I must turn my ‘electronic device’ off during takeoff and landing.  I cringe when seeing other people continue to read their print books!
• While I find the note taking feature easy to use, I find it very difficult to navigate through the notes after I am finished.  On the ereader vserion on my laptop, I can easily see the comments, but am unable to copy and paste them into Evernote. 

So, after a few months, I am still not ready to completely retire my hardback books.  Until Barnes and Noble is able to make it easier to manage the notes and highlights (as the Kindle IS able to do), then I will only consider the Nook an OK tool for the novel reader, but it lacks the necessary tools for a business book reader looking to add to their personal development.

Do you have an ereader?  What do you consider to be the best and worst features of your ereader?  Have you completely switched away from print?

There were a few topics of the 26 lessons that have struck a chord with me recently that I will share here:

Lesson #21:  Influence should be loaned and never given- It is my nature to think that my influence can change anyone and everyone.  This is just not the case.  Some folks ask, but do not want to be held accountable.  If they do not want to be held accountable after some time of mentoring, then I resever the right to call my loan, so to speak.

Lesson #22: For everything you gain, you give up something – Generally, to go up, you must give up something that makes you comfortable.  Whether that is material, associations with people, or a bad habit, to go up, we must always give up.

Lesson #12: Your biggest mistake is not asking what mistake you’re making – To get maximum attention, make a big mistake.  TO cause maximum damage, fail to admit it!  As leaders, you will make mistakes.  PLEASE don’t be afraid to admit to those mistakes.  I believe this was President Bush’s biggest weakness – an inability to admit a mistake.

So, this book is filled with 26 great leadership lessons.  I had 10 dogears, and was tough on the dogears for this book.  The score for this book is 254 pgs/ 10 dogears for a 25.4 score.  Not a must ‘read’, according to the scale, but clearly a must resource to have to refer to on a regular basis in times of need.

So, what are you reading right now?

I read this book while on vacation and it was hard to put down once I got started.  Even my mother borrowed it from me during vacation and finished it in just a couple sittings!  (She gave it back with a gift of a bookmark – Thanks, Mom!)

The title depicts the time Don Piper spent in heaven after a severe accident where he had been pronounced dead and 90 minutes later, he returned to life.  The book jumps immediately into this event and details the agonizing AND rewarding recovery process.  There were a few great takeaways for me:

1) If that’s heaven as he describes it, that IS where I want to go!

2) Prayer is powerful

3) We all have a purpose for being here at this moment.  I really only ‘highlighted’ one passage in the book.  It was a question that Don was asked by a friend: “Is it possible that God took you to heaven and brought you back for you to share what happened to you?  Don’t you realize what a powerful encouragement you can be to others?”

So, I hope that I don’t have to be in a horrible accident with life altering injuries before I realize that where I am right now, no matter what situation I face, I can be an encouragement to others.

You can, too!  Fill in the blank:  Is it possible that you were put in the situation of __________________________, so that you could be a powerful encouragement to others?

And, if you think your situation is too bad for that…read this book.  It may change your perspective.