Personal Ramblings - "The Great Drake"

I received this book from an old friend, Dee. She contacted me and mailed it to me as a gift to read. It was gift out of the blue and yet I am glad she thought of me and I had a chance to read this book,

It was written by her dad Mario Cappelli I read the book the first night I received it. Reminiscent of Jonathan Livingston Seagull it is a allegory that tells a tale of the Great Drake and the journey of his flock through the Great Storm. Yet it's about so much more including courage, character, vision and leadership and the role it plays in our life.

It's a small book and an easy read. i intend to read it again with my 11 year old daughter. it's a beautiful story and has a great message about leadership and doing the hard and right things especially when it isn't easy and maybe even dangerous. It's a story for today when the need of real leaders who look out for the greater good and not their own interest is needed more than ever. We need more servant leaders and this book is a reminder of that.

I recommend you find the book, read it, share it with your children and pass it on to a friend.

If you want to find the book or other books by Mario Cappelli

http://mariocappelli.com/





Thank you Dee Cappelli........

Book Review - "Next Stop - Growing Up Wild-Style in the Bronx"

Another post about my roots in the Bronx. "NEXT STOP" is a fascinating book that takes me back to my days in the same neighborhood of the Bronx that the author lived in. It's a penetrating look at life in the 80's and 90's in the Kingsbridge Road area of the Northwest Bronx. Ivan Sanchez takes the reader into his world of poverty, crime, drugs, despair and death. It's a brutal and sad story yet unfortunately very true. Ivan who was born in the Bronx in 1972 and was able to escape in 1993 and recreate himself and create a new life for himself and his family in Virginia.

Ivan is a couple of generation younger than me and his world of the Bronx was a darker, more violent and destructive one than my experiences in the Bronx. I also grew up with the poverty, drugs, arson and crime in the South Bronx. The two different factors in my days were guns weren't as widespread and while heroin use was epidemic it didn't compare to the destructive nature of the crack epidemic. I also took a different path than Ivan when I was a teen. I took a path that would take me down a different road.

I moved to the Kinsgsbridge Area of the Bronx in the early 70's from the South Bronx where I was born and lived all my life. I moved there to organize for a radical/revolutionary anti drug organization that was associated with the Puerto Rican Young Lords Party. I spent four years in that neighborhood organizing.

I moved back to Ivan's neighborhood in the 80's from Chicago. I worked for a period of time with a local community organization the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition. I returned to the Bronx to start over and try to find myself and create a new life for myself. I left the Bronx in 1991 after attending the funerals of ex-girlfriend of mine who died of AIDS. I left for California to start over again and recreate myself. It was the best decision I ever made. I've been back to the Bronx many times since then to connect up with old friends. I also wonder how I survived it and how I created the life I have now and I am both amazed and grateful. I will be writing more about my life growing up in the Bronx

I came across the book "Next Stop" while browsing in Barnes and Nobles. The book may be about a world that you are unfamiliar with but it is a universal experience and ultimately a hopeful story that is worth the read. Ivan Sanchez shares the stories of his life and the lessons he learned the hard way. Check it out.....

Book Review - "The Big Five For Life - Leadership's Greatest Secrets"

If you read only one book in 2009, read "The Big Five For Life".
John Duffy

I've read at least fifty good books this year on motivation, leadership, transformation, business, psychology and personal growth but this book stands out. I couldn't put it down. If you take away and use just one of the ideas in the book it will make a difference in your life.

If you are a business owner, leader or aspire to be a leader you NEED to read this book. it is a fictional book similar in style to "The Monk who Sold His Ferrari" and is a great read about life and leadership.

Some Take aways for the book:

Create a personal and business Purpose for Existing (PFE)
Create Your Big Five ( Things you want to do,see or experience in your life before you die) and go for them.
Make every day a Museum Day. This is a great one read it to find out.....

This book resonates with the experiences I have had in my life regrading leadership and it inspires me to step up even further....

(Click on book picture to go directly to amazon.com.)

Book Review - "Outliers -The Story of Success"

"Outliers" is the third book from Malcom Gladwell and follows his previously successful books, "The Tipping Point" and "Blink". It's a well written and entertaining book. In this book the key question that is raised is why do some people succeed. He poses the view that the success stories we read about are not the work of self made men but they are beneficiaries of hidden advantages and special opportunities. The book starts a conversation about the complex ways privilege shows up in out society.

There are some fascinating stories about the hidden factors for success as manifested for hockey players, Jewish lawyers, computer billionaires, Asian math students, and his own families history in Jamaica. All the stories are fascinating and make you think harder and look below the surface of success stories yet I get the feeling that just like Mr Gladwell points out the complexities of success that the real truth is more complex than the author would have you believe. I'm sure he has chose the stories that support his thesis and left out the ones that don't.

Yet it is enlightening to read about the cultural causes for airplane crashes or the role that the economy's of Asian countries with rice paddies play in education or the long term causes of cultural history on violence in Harlan County.

The story of the charter KIPP school in the South Bronx (where I grew up) and the lessons of the negative role that summer vacation has on the education achievement of poor kids is also very interesting.

So overall I enjoyed the book and while I may agree that some of the cases he cited may be true and of course success in rarely a one person deal I don't think it explains away all the Horatio Alger type stories or that all success stories can fit into the patterns Mr Gladwell cites.

Take Aways:
* "No one who can rise before dawn three hundred and sixty days a year fails to make his family rich"
* Cultural legacies are powerful forces (Positive or Negative)
* Virtually all success stories ...so far involves someone or some group working harder than their peers"
* Being good at math is not so much ability as attitude. You master mathematics if you are willing to try. (Like most things in life)
* True expertise in a subject, field or activity take 10,000 hours ( That is a lot of hours)
* There are two main parenting philosophies that are usually divided along class lines. Middle Class - "Concerted Cultivation" , Poor - "Accomplishment of natural growth". One is hands on and one is hands off.

Book Review - The Drinking Life

I just finished reading Pete Hamil's "The Drinking Life", a memoir of his life growing up as an Irish- American kid in Brooklyn.
I remember reading Pete Hamil's columns in the New York newspapers when i was in my 20's. I used to enjoy his writing at the time and appreciated how he worked his way up from his working class roots to be a journalist. I remember that Pete Hamil and another journalist Jimmy Breslin stood out for their working class style of writing and and their Irish roots.
Reading the book triggered a lot of my own personal memories growing up in the South Bronx. Pete's book brings to life his Irish-American experiences in Brooklyn and his struggle of being torn between two worlds, the working class world of Brooklyn and the middle class world of Manhattan. He also struggled with two identities, one the neighborhood guy vs the educated artist guy.
Of course his biggest struggle is summed up in the title "The Drinking Life". Well for most of his life he just gave in to alcohol and was "Living in the Bottle" as Gil Scott Heron used to say. Yet he reached a turning point and made a decision at that moment to change his life and he did. How he changed from a drinker to a non- drinker is different and I know a few people in my life who did the same.
The book is a very good read and also give the reader a historical context to his life. His story is a fascinating story in how he built a life and how he life spiraled from dropping out of high school to working in the Navy Yards, going to art school, joining the Navy and finally becoming a journalist and a writer.
One story that stands out for me is when he took his father back to Belfast Ireland in 1963 for the first time since his father left in 1932. The description of hearing the news that John F Kennedy was shot on the TV in Belfast was a powerful moment. It also crystalized his life long struggle and relationship with his father.
A lot of this book has a very personal connection to my life. Growing up the son of Irish immigrants in the Bronx, I went through a lot of similar struggles and a few different ones. I was from the next generation after Pete Hamil which brought some unique challenges for my life. I had to construct a successful life with no role models and no idea of how you achieve it.
I will be sharing a lot of these stories as I embark on my writing project this year.
If you are interested in memoirs I suggest you read Pete Hamil's book....

Books I'm Reading - June 08

I'm working my way through two books right now. One I read before and I'm rereading it .

Rule # 1 - Phil Town

Good in a Room - Stephanie Palmer

The first is about investing and the second is about selling your ideas, projects. and products. So far I'm enjoying and learning new ideas from both books. Reviews will follow.

Self Growth Articles

Articles I wrote on Self Growth website:

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/15_Rules_To_Master_Your_Life_Or_At_Least_Make_It_Better.html

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Book_Review_-_Make_The_Impossible_Possible.html

What I'm Reading - Books

Books I'm reading:

Rules for Renegades - Christine Comaford-Lynch (Entrepreneurship)
The Middle-Class Millionaire - Russ Allan Prince and Lewis Schiff (Entrepreneurship)
Old Friend From Far Away - Natalie Goldberg (Writing)
The Greatness Guide - Robin Sharma (Leadership) reading for 2nd time

Reviews will follow.....

Book Review - Ten Successful Start-Ups

For more info:http://www.harrylwells.com/

I'm happy to recommend this book by a good friend of mine. It's an interesting insight into 10 start up entrepreneurs who he counseled and assisted as a Business advisor in New York City. The foreword is written by film director Taylor Hackford.

Book Description
The lure of entrepreneurial freedom and wealth compels many adventurous individuals to try to beat the odds-to become the one in four business start-ups in the U.S. that survives the first four years. And now, with corporate downsizing and deteriorating economic conditions, more than 550,000 new businesses are launched in the U.S. every year. So how does one identify the challenges that await the new business owner, and more importantly, how can you boost your odds for success?

Learn from others who have "been there, done that." In Ten Successful Start ups, you'll discover how these common, everyday people built their businesses into multimillion dollar companies that will sustain them in the future. Let their lessons be your guide as you travel your own entrepreneurial path.

About the Author
Harry Wells is a popular entrepreneurial training workshop leader recognized by the United Nations as a visionary in developing international entrepreneurial training programs. He works in New York City as a Certified Business Advisor for entrepreneurs and small business start-ups, and lives in Brooklyn with his family.

If your are an entrepreneur or looking to start a business check this book out.......

Book Review - The Pope's Children

I picked this book up prior to my 1st trip to Ireland and just finished it on my return. If you are interested in business, economics, culture,history or just want to expand your world I recommend you read this book. This is a thought provoking, funny, entertaining and educational book all wrapped into one. The book shows how Ireland has arrived and become a global nation. Ireland is now one of the richest nations in the world with the largest middle class.

My trip allowed me to see everything from the old rural Ireland on the west to the industrial north to the cosmopolitan Ireland in Dublin. The Pope's Children complimented my trip and opened my eyes to the new Ireland and the new Irish Dream.

Be prepared to learn a bunch of Irish words like craic (fun), as Gailge (in Irish), and failte (welcome) and also a bunch of fascinating terms and descriptions created by the writer including Expectocracy, Stakhanvite, Commentariat, Kells Angels, Deckland and many more. Reading the book in a lot of craic.

What's the most important theme of the book is the amazing economic progress Ireland has made in 10-15 years. Ireland has went from a nation that exported it's young to a nation that the young are moving back and it's an immigration magnet to Eastern Europe. It's a fascinating story of the good, bad and ugly of economic progress but it take a positive and optimistic view of the progress Ireland has made.

The book is the #1 best seller in Ireland but it's a book that will be enjoyed by everyone. Check it out.

Book Review - Making the Impossible Possible

I have read well over 500 books in the last fifteen years in the field of motivation, business and personal development but this is one very special book. The author Bill Strickland is truly a unique and amazing individual with a story you just have to read. This book may change your life if you let it. I'm going to let it change mine.

Bill grew up in a ghetto in Manchester, Pittsburgh and witnessed the riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968. I remember the time well. I grew up in a ghetto in the South Bronx of New York and watched the riots envelop my neighborhood as well. Through the intervention of one art teacher Bill Strickland finished high school and found his passion that would propel him forward in life. I didn't find that teacher and I dropped out of school and it would take me a while to find my passions.

Bill Strickland went from the Ghetto to Harvard Business School. He went from a poor student facing failure to become the CEO of Manchester Bidwell, a community art-education and job-training center in Pittsburgh. He never took a business course yet his center employs 150 people and services over 1,200 students a year. 90% of the kids get their high school diploma's and 85% go on to college.and 86% of the adult students find good skilled jobs after graduation. This is the definition of success in anyone's book.

What does pottery, airplanes, architecture, jazz and orchids have to do with success? Everything in the life of Mr Strickland and the programs he created to provide an alternative for residents of the ghetto. Read this book to see the most creative use of all of the above.

Bill Strickland shows us how we can change our part of the world we live it and create a life of significance.
One quote especially stands out for me. When he pitched his big ideas for a center and corporations would would say, 'Isn't that elaborate for a poverty center? and he would reply "It's not a poverty center, It's a center for success." He built one of the most impressive center's for success in the country.

Visit his websites to see the Impossible he created.

http://www.manchesterbidwell.org/
http://www.bill-strickland.org/

This book is the story of one of the most innovative visionaries to come along from of all places the ghetto of Pittsburgh,

This is a book I will read more than once. It's a book that is in my top five favorite books. It's a book I will use to inspire myself even further and I recommend you do the same. Read it.... use it.... Make the Impossible Possible in your life.....

Book Review - The Billionaire Who Wasn't by Conor O'Cleary

I just read a fascinating book about Chuck Feeney. I never heard about him before and I'm sure you probably haven't either. I picked up the book because of a quote on the back that talks about his contribution to Ireland. Mr Feeney is an Irish-American born in New Jersey to a working class family during the Great Depression. He made his billions creating the Duty Free Shops you see at airports all over the world.

The story especially resonated with me as I am a first generation Irish-American about to make my first trip to Ireland for a family reunion. His story is one of financial success, great contribution and social significance.

The story of how he made his money makes for a great read. The book tells a great story about how he created tax shelters and protected his identity while becoming the the thirty third richest man in the world.

What he has accomplished in the area of philanthropy is even more interesting. He took to heart the spirit of Andrew Carnegie and has promoted the "Giving while Living" philosophy, He has given away through his Atlantic Foundation over $1 billion dollars and is on track to giving away over $4 billion dollars while he is alive. Mr Feeney not only gave away his money but leveraged it by getting countries to match his contributions. business

If that wasn't enough Mr Feeney got involved behind the scenes in trying to support a end to the violence in Norther Ireland and to create the conditions for peace and reconciliation.

The book is truly inspiring and Chuck Feeney is a role model on many levels.

Some of Chuck Feeney's Contributions:

Education in Ireland: He funded all seven universities in the Republic of Ireland and two in Norther Ireland to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Hotel System in Ireland: He built the first large modern hotel in Ireland since WWII, The The Castletroy Park Hotel

Peace in Northern Ireland: Mr Feeney wanted to assist in taking the guns out of Irish politics. He directed over $30 million through his Atlantic Foundation to worthy projects in Northern Ireland including $2.5 million to help Republican and Loyalist ex-prisoners to move into peaceful politics.

It doesn't stop here he continued to fund education in Eastern Europe to support the move towards freedom there and other social projects in South Africa and Vietnam. His focus on finding worthy projects and worthy people provides a lot to learn from. His uniqueness was doing all this while trying to maintain his anonymity and to give credit to others instead of himself.

Mr Feeney is a truly unique individual and his story is one worth reading.