Review of Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life (Hardcover)

I picked this book up while browsing at a local Borders Books recently. I actually chuckled as I began turning pages and skimming through the table of contents and the first few pages.

Soon, I found myself sitting down - the book still in my hands. Next thing I know, I'm at the checkout paying for it. What happened??

Trump is an egotistical, self-serving man, no doubt. But let's be totally objective, as I was that day: good advice is good advice. And, most writers do not have the courage to dispense such advice in such raw terms as Trump does.

This book holds nothing back. Trump lays it all out on the table with blatant opinions, ideas and thoughts about those who've crossed him, helped him, etc. He tells you how you need to be (not just what you need to do - read that again!) to be successful. However - and this is the most important point of my review - there's truth to so much of what he says. It's helpful. You'll look at yourself differently. You'll gain insight, and you'll learn things about yourself that you did not previously know. You might even be vaulted to a new level based on what you read; I don't know - that depends on you, the reader, and your potential application of what Trump discusses.

I'm not a huge fan of Trump, the man, but I cannot argue with his success. Forget those who claim he was born into money; that may be true, but he continues to make headlines with regularity. His projects are everywhere; his stamp is clearly there in the real estate world.

If you like Trump, you'll love this book. If you don't care for him, and can put your personal feelings aside (he's never done anything to hurt me, so I was ok in that area!), you're in for a mind-altering , no-holds-barred, shot-in-the-arm volume of encouragement, confidence-building tenets.

This book made me want to run out of the bookstore and head right for my office to go to work (and it was Saturday afternoon). Highly Recommended!



Click Here to see more reviews about: Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life (Hardcover)

Review of The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth (Hardcover)

I have read a lot of money books, and this one has nothing new to say, as the author clearly states in the beginning of the book. HOWEVER, I have never read a book that presents the five lessons in such a simple, easy to understand, way.

The author does not ramble on with story upon story of people who got rich like some of its neighboring books in this genre, instead he uses just enough stories to illustrate the lessons and the key points of the book.

My favorite thing about the book is that it is ethical. In these last few years we have seen some of the richest men in America put into prison because of their greed and waste. Because books like these are finding their ways into the hands of down to earth people, the rich population of America is becoming less greedy and more charitable.

Another wonderful thing about the book is its length. Although I like The Millionare Next Door, and I do recommend it, it is longer and more cumbersom to read if you are not used to this genre. The Five Lessons is very short, I read it all last night in four or five hours.

The author has his prioroties straight, he says, very plainly, that life is not about money, but that it is about God and family. He states that money does not equal joy, but that it can help you to be able to help others and to improve the world around you.

The book does ask you to contemplate your character, how you would handle wealth and the power that comes with it. It is both logical and reflective.

The only thing people might not like about the book is that it is so shockingly simple that they might not apply it.

You might remember the story of Elisha the prophet, from the Bible, who told the sick king to wash in the Jordan River in order to be healed. At first the king was furious that he was given such a simple solution but eventually did wash in the river, as he was instructed, and was completely healed.

This book is just like that, it is a simple answer, but if applied, it will work.

Wash in the river, my friends; buy and apply this book.



Click Here to see more reviews about: The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth (Hardcover)

Review of The Genius of Instinct: Reclaim Mother Nature's Tools for Enhancing Your Health, Happiness, Family, and Work (Hardcover)

I was expecting much more from this book but I found it generally disappointing.First, Dr. Weisinger has a very poor writing style and could have used significantly more help from a good editor (and a proof reader).There are some obvious typos and some bad grammar (the use of disconnect "with" instead of disconnect "from", for example).The good doctor uses a slew of cliches sometimes even bringing home a point with a terrible allusion to something from popular culture.One example: there is one sentence referring to the lion kings being aware of the circle of life (maybe this was subtle product placement for the Disney movie).In another place he mentions how a clan would face extinction, which could be final.I wasn't aware of the non-final version of extinction.

As far as the content, Weisinger's thesis is that Mother Nature (whom he refers to sometimes as if it were an actual person) has endowed us with instincts that have helped us survive for all this millenia.Because these instincts have brought us succesfully to where we are today, we should become familiar with them and use them to our advantage.This logic holds up well; however, Weisinger's presentation of evidence to support this is often very speculative, running something like this: since this instinct seems to work today, it must have worked in the past to get our ancestors out of some pickle or to help in the process of natural selection of certain traits (and those who exhibit them) over others.He then conjures up (not "conjectures up", as Weisinger often writes) some very detailed scenario of what must have happened and how.Dr. Weisinger must have had access to some primitive Youtube application when researsching his book.It might have helped if Weisinger included references to actual studies and perhaps footnotes, since so many of his claims rely on other people's work.

On the positive side, perhaps the last fourth of the book or so, Weisinger's tale is a little stronger, with an excellent description of and prescription for how to apply novely to increase motivation and curiosity.



Click Here to see more reviews about: The Genius of Instinct: Reclaim Mother Nature's Tools for Enhancing Your Health, Happiness, Family, and Work (Hardcover)

Review of Love Leadership: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Hardcover)

As a student of leadership and a voracious reader of more than 100 books on the subject, I would like to compliment John Hope Bryant on writing a book that I believe ranks among the best that I have read. Love Leadership is an outstanding inaugural writing effort from an exciting new author.

This book is an easy read, but it's points of emphasis are anything but leadership lite. This is heavy weight, substantive, material. The concepts of Love Leadership apply to everyone who leads and since leadership is everyone's business - this book is suitable for everyone and applies to everyone.

My particuar favorite among John's leadership principles states "No storm...no rainbow." You can't have one without the other. I used that concept personally this evening when coaching a young man who was experiencing some personal stuggles. This individual needed leadership, but he also needed love. John's foundational beliefs enable the reader to easily and seamlessly apply both effectively.

The book is interesting and well written. Mr Bryant writes with passion, energy and enthusiasm. He also writes with skill and knowledge.

This was a page turner that I read in two days. When I put it down, I couldn't wait to pick it up again. I am a highlighter when I read and I found much to highlight in this book. His precepts are right on target. They are meorable and I will reference them often my role as a leader and a teacher of leaders.

John brings a bold, fresh, and courageous approach to a well documented, well researched, and frequently written about subject.

I have have discussed this book with my friends and I enthusiastically recommend it to others.

Read Love Leadership...you won't be disappointed.



Click Here to see more reviews about: Love Leadership: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Hardcover)

Review of Mentored by a Millionaire: Master Strategies of Super Achievers (Hardcover)

This book is actually two subjects.

The first third of this book explains how the author rose above an early life of failures and mediocrity. The author met a mentor who emphasised respecting other employees, people, and profit sharing. This mentor was a business partner and their company ended up making millions.

The next two thirds of the book is about how to write infomercials since that is what the author does for a living.

The book is a very detailed personal account of his company, events, and infomercials. Some references to the bible.

For me there's not much new here since I've read plenty of motivation and advertising books. But let's say you had a bad start or want to learn about infomercials, this book may be suitable for you.



Click Here to see more reviews about: Mentored by a Millionaire: Master Strategies of Super Achievers (Hardcover)