The Skinny on Success: Why Not You?, Jim Randel, Rand Publishing, 2010
This book, part of a series, attempts to distill a number of self-help books into a clear and easy to read format. It is intended for busy people who don't have time to read all those self-help books.
If there is such a thing as a definition of a successful person, it is someone who finds something about which they are passionate, they take action to achieve that objective, and they don't give up when setbacks get in the way.
Billy works for a CPA, and thinks that he has a knack for making people laugh. Therefore, it's nothing to participate in a comedy club's open mike night, become a successful comic, and appear on the Tonight Show, right? All you need is talent, right?
Randel, the narrator, tells Billy that passion and determination are much more important than talent. Stephen King got so many rejection letters that he needed a large spike on which to hang all of them. Steve Martin spent 10 years working to become a stand-up comic, after he worked at Disneyland as a teenager, trying out jokes and magic tricks on the public. Did they give up when success was not immediate? Brian Williams of NBC News and Jim Nantz of CBS Sports knew what they wanted to do when they were 8 years old. Many people give up on their dreams out of fear of failure, or fear of looking stupid. That may happen, but unless you try, failure is assured.
Billy's wife, Beth, is a paralegal with an interest in politics. She has been asked to run for the town Board of Finance, but she is wavering. She decides to go for it, and after getting beaten handily, is ready to give up on politics. Randel tells her that persistence in whatever you do is most important, along with not giving up when things don't go your way.
This book is excellent. It does a fine job at presenting a potentially vague subject like "success" in terms anyone can understand. Don't let the stick figure illustrations turn you off of this book that is made for busy people.
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