Hope from My Heart Rich DeVos J. Countryman, Nashville, TN (2000) Life is all about a balance that flows from deep within each of us. Book Review © Dr. Terry J. van der Werff, CMC

I close most of my executive seminars with the characteristics that will mark successful 21st Century businesses.  The final slide is entitled "Maintaining Balance in Life," with four interlinked boxes (work, physical, social & mental) surrounding and linked to a fifth box in the center (spiritual).  The outlying boxes command most of our waking hours, but at our core we are spiritual beings.

Recently my wife Renée gave me a gift of Rich DeVos's short book, which resonates with my approach to life and amplifies my final slide.  Rich DeVos and his lifelong friend Jay Van Andel founded Amway in 1959.  Younger readers may know him better as the owner of the NBA's Orlando Magic.

DeVos's book is subtitled "10 Lessons for Life," each a single word.  He states, and I agree, "this is a book of practical wisdom."  He credits these simple lessons for a happy life and a successful career.  The book does not show "how to;" rather, it shows "why to," illustrated by short stories.  Let me share his insights with you.

Hope - "I've always believed the future is in God's hands."  Everyone has problems. How we respond, on good days and on bad, determines how well we live our lives.

Persistence - "Persistence is the single most important ingredient of success in life."  It has to do with hard work, commitment, and, especially in times of adversity, sheer willpower.  Persistence has a purpose and clear focal point.

Confidence - "Confidence is both a choice and a gift."  We grow our confidence by taking risks and overcoming them.  This does not imply success each time we take a risk or do something new.  It does imply that we learn each time we do.

Optimism - "An optimistic attitude is not a luxury; it's a necessity."  It fundamentally shapes our feelings, our performance, and our relationships.  It channels our energies along productive paths.

Respect - "Every person is a human being created in the image of God with a purpose and place in life."  We affirm and empower people by showing them respect.  My own father taught me there is dignity in all work and respect is due to those who perform it .

Accountability - "Accountability is the glue that holds society together."  We are responsible for what we do.  We can freely choose, though the potential choices vary for each of us.  In like manner, we must honestly accept accountability to ourselves and to others for our choices and their outcomes.

Family - "The home is where love and responsibility are learned and where values are transmitted from one generation to the next."  We each have an obligation to nurture growth in our spouses and children, for the health of our families largely dictates the health of the other institutions in our society.

Freedom - "Free people in a free society can choose good, or they can choose evil."  Where freedom is strongest, so too is economic well-being, culture, civil society, and personal opportunity.

Faith - "Without faith in a personal, creator God, the universe is a meaningless place, nothing in life has direction, and moral principles are impossible."  Faith is not just a belief system, but a basis for our actions and feelings, most poignantly when we face seemingly insurmountable difficulties.  "Faith is beyond reason: it fills the gap when you don't know what to do or what's going to happen."

Grace - "God's grace gives hope in the most hopeless situations."  This is the most deeply personal of the lessons.  In 1997 DeVos survived heart transplant surgery against heavy odds through a miraculous series of events.  When he was released from the hospital "one question remained: Why me?"

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