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One life, eight rungs
of a ladder we build for ourselves to achieve success on our terms
and to pass on to others.
Book Review © Dr. Terry J.
van der Werff, CMC |
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Og Mandino motivated millions
through his books and speeches. This, his 19th book, was his last.
It distills the wisdom of a lifetime and tells in a gentle way how to
make a success of our lives.
"I am the master of thought,
the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of my condition,
my environment, and my destiny."
We create the ladder of our
success, and Mandino uses the eight rungs of this ladder to draw from
his own wisdom and that of others to pass along to us. In the
words of Daniel Webster, "We build the ladder by which we rise."
In my words, since Mandino does not name them, here are the eight rungs:
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Seize the opportunity
for a better life right here, right now! We each have
our own special place and work. We must find it and fill it.
The more we utilize our opportunities, the more we create new ones. |
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Face the direction
we wish to go. There is no failure, except in not trying.
Don't wait for the opportunity. Make it, and make it great. |
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Invest
time wisely. If we do not, we will never achieve our full
potential. We are each given the same twenty-four hours a
day. How we use them is solely up to us. "We have, and
we have always had, all the time there is." Mandino cautions
against undertaking too much too soon. See Gene Griessman's
"Time
Tactics of Very Successful People" for practical advice in using
each moment well. |
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Aim higher than
others do. Always strive to be greater than we are.
By believing, we create our own reality. We pay a price, in
willpower and persistence, to lead and to accomplish what no one
else will even attempt, but we need never ask permission to do what
is within us to do. |
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Concentrate
efforts on a single thing. Success comes from making the
best of ourselves and pursuing one goal with tenacity and unremitting
practice. "The best chances come only to those who take all
the chances, good and bad, and make the most of them." |
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Become what
we think. Our character is the sum of all our thoughts.
"The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world
of thought. And, "until thought is linked with purpose there
is no intelligent accomplishment." As we dream, so we become.
"Dreams are the seedlings of realities." |
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Live
for today. "What our part may signify in the great whole
we may not understand; but we are here to play it, and now is our
time." |
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Give
to others a helping hand. We have an obligation to nurture
those coming behind us and to help those less fortunate by giving
of our wisdom and our bounty. |
Every page seems to have another nugget, a pearl
of wisdom. Savor the book. It will make you a better person,
as it did me.
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