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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

²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.                                                                         -John 15:2

I want to have a life that counts for God, so I’m always looking for ways to become more productive with my time. I recently listened to a John Maxwell leadership lesson on how to get more done in less time. He spoke about the rule of 5. The rule of 5 is taking an area of your life and doing 3-5 things daily to improve that area. He related it to cutting down a large tree, if you’ll take 5 swings a day at the tree with an axe, eventually it will come down.

It is the same way with our goals in life – the rule of 5 is picking an area of your life and saying, “Ok, what are 3-5 things I can do on a daily basis that will allow me to make progress toward my desired outcome?”

John used the example of writing books. He said because one of the most important things he does is write books – his rule of five for writing are:

Everyday I read, Everyday I Think, Everyday I write, Everyday I file, Everyday I ask Questions.

Since one day, I want to write books, I’ve adopted these into my daily routine. I have a rule of  5 for my walk with God, my relationships, networking, work, every area of my life. I know that if I can do 3-5 things everyday in the area of my priorities, I’m going to make a lot of progress over the course of a week, a month, a year, etc..

It’s said that if you’ll spend 15 minutes a day studying a subject, after 5 years, you’ll be an expert in that area. Little things really do add up. I encourage you to take all of the major areas of your life and make your “Rule of 5″ in each area. Everyday do those 3-5 things and watch as over time, your results start to compound.

Probably one of the most influential people in my life has been John Maxwell – and I’ve never met him (Definitely a bucket list item). I’ve had this book on my shelf for a few years, it’s a companion to John’s book: Winning With People (I’d highly recommend that one as well. I pulled this off my shelf because of one of my mentors, Jeanne Mayo. Last week I got back from a mentoring retreat with 40 other youth pastors at her house. She is absolutely incredible at winning with people. I recognized that I need to do more on purpose when it comes to connecting and winning with others, so I picked up this book.

This book is a must read! It’s written by Les Parrot and John  Maxwell. Les basically interviewed people that were close to John and asked them why he is so good with people. They came up with 25 principles John practices. The first half of each chapter is Les telling a story he heard from one of John’s staff while the second half is John teaching about the principle. I don’t care if you’re naturally a people person – Read this book! It will help you win with people.

Here are the 25 Principles You’ll Learn:

1. Start with Yourself
2. Practice the 30 Second Rule
3. Let People Know You Need Them
4. Create a Memory and Visit it Often
5. Compliment People in Front of Other Peopel
6. Give Others a Reputation to Uphold
7. Say the Right Words at the Right Time
8. Encourage the Dreams of Others
9. Pass the Credit onto Others
10. Offer Your Very Best
11. Share a Secret with Someone
12. Mine the Gold of Good Intentions
13. Keep Your Eyes off the Mirror
14. Do for Others What They Can’t do for Themselves
15. Listen with Your Heart
16. Find the Keys to Peoples Hearts
17. Be the First to Help
18. Add Value to People
19. Remember a Person’s Story
20. Tell a Good Story
21. Give with No Strings Attached
22. Learn Your Mailman’s Name
23. Point out People’s Strengths
24. Write Notes of Encouragement
25. Help People Win

Final Grade: 10/10 Buy Here