Featured Gift Books

The life changing 100/0 principle

An Excerpt from The 100/0 Principle by Al Ritter What is the most effective way to create and sustain great relationships with others? It's The 100/0 Principle: You take full responsibility (the 100) for the relationship, expecting nothing (the 0) in return. Implementing The 100/0 Principle is not natural for most of us. It takes real commitment to the relationship and a good dose of self-discipline to think, act and give 100 percent. The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your … [Read more...]

Inspiration 365 Days a Year

An excerpt from Inspiration 365 Days a Year by Zig Ziglar Reading has been the fuel of my motivation, it has changed the direction in which I have traveled, and it has enhanced my creative imagination more than any other activity I have ever pursued. I'm now in my eighth decade of living and I still read several hours a day. Why? When I can hook up old information with new information the combination of the two creates perspectives that could never have been achieved otherwise. New … [Read more...]

Learning to Dance in the Rain

Learning to Dance in the Rain Gift Book The title of this beautiful book was inspired by a great quote from Vivian Green..."Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain!" Learning to Dance in the Rain is beautifully designed, with great stories and great quotes. It makes a terrific gift for any occasion; it can take you from feeling down to feeling blessed, in less than 30 minutes! Excerpt of "Learning to Dance in the Rain" The date was July … [Read more...]

Courage Does Not Always Roar

An Excerpt from Courage Does Not Always Roar by Bobi Seredich Debra W. South Jones knows first-hand what it's like to struggle, but she also knows how to turn a tough situation into a solution - one that allows thousands to go to bed at night with a full stomach. A mother in her 30s who was fighting ovarian and thyroid cancer, Debra had to retire from her accounting job. That left her in a catch-22. After her first husband left her, she didn't make enough money to feed her son and … [Read more...]

Eat that Frog!

An excerpt from Eat that Frog! by Brian Tracy The key to reaching high levels of performance and productivity is to develop the lifelong habit of tackling your major task first thing each morning. You must develop the routine of "eating your frog" before you do anything else and without taking too much time to think about it.. Take Action Immediately In study after study of men and women who get paid more and promoted faster, the quality of "action orientation" stands out as the most … [Read more...]

Oil for Your Lamp

An excerpt from Oil for Your Lamp by Lisa Hammond & BJ Gallagher Virtually every woman we know has the same problem - she knows what's good for her, but she often doesn't do it. She knows she should eat less and exercise more, but still she doesn't make healthy choices. She knows she needs to spend her time and money more effectively, but good time and money management elude her. She finds herself always putting others first, while neglecting her own needs and wants. She doesn't get … [Read more...]

Laughter is an Instant Vacation

You know, sometimes life just gets too serious...too busy...and too complicated. We don't mean for it to happen, but we wake up one morning to discover the fun has slipped away. A few years ago a health study determined there are 3 main reasons people can't cope in life: 1. They live in the past. 2. They have a low self-esteem. 3. They can't laugh at themselves. In fact, the study indicated that we need approximately 12 laughs a day to stay healthy! I heard a story not … [Read more...]

The Richest Man in Town

"Introduction" The Richest Man in Town by V.J. Smith I'm so glad I found you. My friend, Aaron "Marty" Martinson, wrote those words in a note to me. On the pages that follow, you will discover that he didn't find me. I found him. And, thanks to Marty, I remembered a few things about life that I hadn't really thought about for a long time. For years I had grand visions of writing a book about a leader who changed the course of history. I filled my personal library with … [Read more...]

Heart of a Teacher

An excerpt from Heart of a Teacher by Paula Fox He was in the first third grade class I taught at Saint Mary's School in Morris, Minnesota. All 34 of my students were dear to me, but Mark Eklund was one in a million. Very neat in appearance, he had that happy-to-be-alive attitude that made even his occasional mischievousness delightful. Mark talked incessantly. I had to remind him again and again that talking without permission was not acceptable. What impressed me so much, though, was … [Read more...]

212° of Service

An excerpt from 212° Service by Mac Anderson It's like the chicken or the egg question... Who comes first if you want to achieve business success - your customers or your employees? Herb Kelleher, one of the founders and former CEO of Southwest Airlines - an industry leader in customer service, sheds some light on the answer: "I always felt that our people came first. Some of the business schools regarded that as a conundrum. They would say: Which comes first, your people, … [Read more...]

Wisdom of Wolves

An excerpt from Wisdom of Wolves by Twyman Towery The attitude of the wolf can be summed up simply: it is a constant visualization of success. The collective wisdom of wolves has been progressively programmed into their genetic makeup throughout the centuries. Wolves have mastered the technique of focusing their energies toward the activities that will lead to the accomplishment of their goals. Wolves do not aimlessly run around their intended victims, yipping and yapping. They … [Read more...]

The Strangest Secret

An excerpt from The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale George Bernard Shaw said, "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, they make them." Well, it's pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become … [Read more...]

Leading With Passion

An Excerpt from by John Murphy Light a match in a dark room and watch as the light instantly overcomes the darkness. Observe the power and grace of that single, solitary flame dancing with life. Now light several candles or kindle a fire and experience the added warmth and comfort extending from that first, vulnerable flame through others. This is the heart and soul of leadership - the essence of inspiring others. It is about courageously casting off fear, doubt and limiting beliefs and … [Read more...]

Eat That Frog

An excerpt from Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy The 80/20 Rule is one of the most helpful of all concepts of time and life management. It is also called the "Pareto Principle" after its founder, the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who first wrote about it in 1895. Pareto noticed that people in his society seemed to divide naturally into what he called the "vital few", the top 20 percent in terms of money and influence, and the "trivial many", the bottom 80 percent. He later discovered … [Read more...]

212 Degrees – The Extra Degree

212 Degrees Video At 211 Degrees, Water is Hot - At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive. Raising the temperature of water by one extra degree means the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine - a beautiful, uncomplicated metaphor that ideally should feed our every endeavor -- consistently pushing us to make the extra effort in every task we undertake. 212º … [Read more...]