This was a brilliant book. One of the best I’ve read in a long time.  The subtitle of the book is “How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything”. It’s study of people that followed their passions and ended up being some of the most successful people in the world. It also talks about how our approach to education is killing people’s creativity and limiting people everywhere.

This book taught me that it’s ok for me to be me and to pursue the passions of my heart, and that my education does not have to define my future.

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. A must read for sure!  Buy it here!

I first heard of Ken Robinson, the author, through TED.com. I watch his talks on a pretty consistent basis to keep me focused on pursuing what’s on my heart and being the person God created me to be. I’d highly recommend watching them. They’re posted below!

Highlights:

• Never underestimate the vital importance of finding early in life the work that for you is play. This turns possible underachievers into happy warriors.

• ”if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.

• Many of the people you’ll meet in this book didn’t pursue their passions simply because of the promise of a paycheck. They pursued them because they couldn’t imagine doing anything else with their lives.

• Then I said that I’d love to be able to play keyboards that well. “No, you wouldn’t,” he responded. Taken aback, I insisted that I really would. “No,” he said. “You mean you like the idea of playing keyboards. If you’d love to play them, you’d be doing it.”

• “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind. . . . If you change your mind, you can change your life.”

• If left to my own devices—if I didn’t have to worry about making a living or what others thought of me—what am I most drawn to doing?

• When people close to you discourage you from taking a particular path, they usually believe they are doing it for your own good. There are some with less noble reasons, but most believe they know what’s best.

• it is difficult to feel accomplished when you’re not accomplishing something that matters to you. Doing something “for your own good” is rarely for your own good if it causes you to be less than who you really are.

• Ultimately, the question is always going to be, “What price are you willing to pay?” The rewards of the Element are considerable, but reaping these rewards may mean pushing back against some stiff opposition.

• We can take ourselves in fresh directions at nearly any point in our lives.

• I believe if we begin with ourselves and do the things that we need to do and become the best person we can be, we have a much better chance of changing the world for the better.”

• “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” For all our futures, we need to aim high and be determined to succeed.

I love the title of this book. It’s so true isn’t it? Maxwell is one of my heroes and he is a great connector. In this book he shares practical ways to connect with audiences whether it’s connecting with one person over coffee, connecting with people in a small group, or connecting with an audience of thousands.

He said it took him 8 years to find himself as a communicator. This book helped me on the journey I’m on to find myself as a communicator. There are a ton of principles to apply in this book. I’ll be coming back to this one often. I’d recommend it for anyone who is looking to improve their communication skills and looking to become a better connector.

Buy it here!

Highlights:

• President Gerald Ford once remarked, “If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.”

• It took me eight years to “find myself” as a speaker. And here’s great news: when you find yourself, you find your audience.

• “People need your influence, but it will not come through ‘lip syncing’ those you admire.”

• Connection always begins with a commitment to someone else.

• DiMaggio replied, “I always remind myself that there might be someone in the stands who never saw me play before.”

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read! I heard Maxwell teach recently and he said if he were a college president, he would make a class called Failure 101 and make it a requirement for every student to go through so they can learn to fail.

The thesis for the book is: The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.

Above anything else, this book taught me that it’s ok to fail. In fact, in life I’ll probably fail 50 million times! I think as a young man with a lot of ambition, hopes, and dreams, this is an important lesson. There have been many times where I’ve felt that I’ve failed and let it ruin my day, week, or month. This book helped me have a greater perspective on failure.

If you’re breathing, this is a must read. Buy it here!

Highlights:

• The average for entrepreneurs is 3.8 failures before they finally make it in business.

• Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. —THOMAS EDISON

• Get a new definition of failure. Regard it as the price you pay for progress. If you can do that, you will put yourself in a much better position to fail forward.

• The greater the feat you desire to achieve, the greater the mental preparation required for overcoming obstacles and persevering over the long haul.

• if fear overcomes you, it’s almost impossible to fail forward.

• Harvard psychologist Jerome Bruner says, “You’re more likely to act yourself into feeling than feel yourself into action.” So act! Whatever it is you know you should do, do it.

• Don’t waste energy trying to cover up failure. Learn from your failures and go on to the next challenge. It’s okay to fail. If you’re not failing, you’re not growing. —H. STANLEY JUDD

• Ninety percent of all those who fail are not actually defeated. They simply quit. —PAUL J.MEYER

• Failure is the greatest opportunity I have to know who I really am. —JOHN KILLINGER