Reading I dare you!

I’m part of a leadership development  Team. For the last years, our TEAM has developped a program in which members receive a book a month and some audios on the best business and leadership seminars in the US.
My package for december arrived yesterday. And the book is “I dare you”, from William H. Danforth. A motivational classic one I read some years ago in French. Je vous défie. I reread this book with grand appetit. And I want to share with you some ideas  I underline.
I always read with a pen. A good one. My books can not be resold. I underline, write all over.
In his forward, Danforth asks you and I to never give less than our best and to pursue an adventure, a great journey, a fullfilling dream on our life.
This book was written some 70 yaers ago and its content is more relevant now than ever. Just to say that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Truth never changes.
Life is a glorious adventure. And it is necessary to live agressively, to be pro-active than to live defensively, reacting to events.
This book is all about awaken our hidden giants and develop our untapped talents.  We have four : physical, mental, social and spiritual. In that sense, you and I have a mind, a brain, a heart and a soul which are our living tools. The more we use them, the better they become. We use or lose them. The more we use our talents to help others, the more ability we develop.
Our most valuable possesions are those which can be shed without lesseinig; those which when shared multiply, he writes.
I was chatting with a friend yesterday, and she made a point that she feels pressured because she had to move her family to Florida while her husband is having a good job some other place. My comment was: There’s no such thing as a “good job”. She did not agree which I understand. But last night I read Danforth words: “The day of defending your present possessions is gone. From now on you are not going to worry about holding your job… Your eyes are turned toward your strengh, not your weakness…”.
Jamaican singer Bob Marley says it best:”When one door is closed, another one is opened”. But sometimes, we keep our eyes too much on the closed door that we can not see other ones being opened.
This is the same thing for the economy. Yesterday I wrote on my blog: “There’s no recession, there’s a paradigm shift… Those who want to learn the new rules and play the game will win and those who are just complaining and are waiting for a hand out will stay in the dust… It’s all about leadership”.
I thank my friends who like it. I also think those who prefer to e-mail me their disagreement. As I told one of them, we don’t need to agree. It’s all about the thinking process: If you think there’s a recession, you’right; and if you think there’s no recession you’re also right. The only difference is you can decide to be part of it and wait to be bailed out; or you can decide not to participate and create your own way out.
I choose the latter.
That’s why you and I need to have our own healthcare  reform by taking care of our body : excercising, eating right. Let’s take care of our mind : reading and sharing. Let’s take care our heart : expressing love, care, attention. Let’s take care of our soul : reflecting, medidating.

Let me know what you think. Let’s share…