Book Review - The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews
Category Book Review
My boss at work knows that I devour books, and dropped this one off at my desk a short time back... The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews. I read it straight through yesterday (it's short), and the first thing I'm doing after this review is ordering my own copy. This is a book I'll not quickly forget...
"Gift" is a personal improvement book that's written in story form, similar in nature to a parable. The main character, David Ponder, is 46 and has hit rock bottom (or so he thinks). Deep in debt, fired from a menial job, and concerned over a sick child, he considers taking his own life so that the family can collect on the insurance policy. As he comes to after the car wreck, he finds himself transported back in time, into the office of Harry S. Truman during the Potsdam conference. Truman is the only person who can see him, and Ponder's appearance was expected. Truman's job is to present Ponder with a written "decision", a statement that David must internalize and live out. Once the paper is read, Ponder is moved on to the next person and time. This time travel happens seven times, giving David 7 pieces of wisdom that will change his life if he lets them. Before he's brought back to reality, he's offered a glimpse of the future of his home town, a future that was possible with the seven decisions that Ponder internalized then shared with the world.
The cynical reader will likely see this as a bunch of happy talk fluff that isn't realistic. But I would counter that it's more realistic than most other philosophies and self-help books you'll ever read. The people used in the story are perfect matches for each of the learning points, and you realize that a single decision *can* have consequences that reverberate down through history and time. And the people who make the decisions are often ordinary individuals like you and me. The only difference is that they *made* the decision rather than accept the status quo.
The path to success isn't easy, but it's a matter of decisions you make on a day-to-day basis. Andrews captures this truth in a style reminiscent of Og Mandino's writings. I loved this book, and will be revisiting it on a regular basis...
My boss at work knows that I devour books, and dropped this one off at my desk a short time back... The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews. I read it straight through yesterday (it's short), and the first thing I'm doing after this review is ordering my own copy. This is a book I'll not quickly forget...
"Gift" is a personal improvement book that's written in story form, similar in nature to a parable. The main character, David Ponder, is 46 and has hit rock bottom (or so he thinks). Deep in debt, fired from a menial job, and concerned over a sick child, he considers taking his own life so that the family can collect on the insurance policy. As he comes to after the car wreck, he finds himself transported back in time, into the office of Harry S. Truman during the Potsdam conference. Truman is the only person who can see him, and Ponder's appearance was expected. Truman's job is to present Ponder with a written "decision", a statement that David must internalize and live out. Once the paper is read, Ponder is moved on to the next person and time. This time travel happens seven times, giving David 7 pieces of wisdom that will change his life if he lets them. Before he's brought back to reality, he's offered a glimpse of the future of his home town, a future that was possible with the seven decisions that Ponder internalized then shared with the world.
The cynical reader will likely see this as a bunch of happy talk fluff that isn't realistic. But I would counter that it's more realistic than most other philosophies and self-help books you'll ever read. The people used in the story are perfect matches for each of the learning points, and you realize that a single decision *can* have consequences that reverberate down through history and time. And the people who make the decisions are often ordinary individuals like you and me. The only difference is that they *made* the decision rather than accept the status quo.
The path to success isn't easy, but it's a matter of decisions you make on a day-to-day basis. Andrews captures this truth in a style reminiscent of Og Mandino's writings. I loved this book, and will be revisiting it on a regular basis...
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Mr. Duff, we are "raving fans" of Andy Andrews and all that he has to teach. We've read all of his literature, watched DVD's and listened to his CD's. For a second time we are bringing Andy, now our personal friend and colleague, to Everett, Washington (45 minutes North of Seattle for two LIVE performances. One, being held on February 29, 2008 a full day workshop entitled Mastering The Seven Decisions based upon Andy's book The Traveler's Gift and a second performance on Saturday March 1, 2008- An Evening With Andy Andrews (comedic performance with life enhancing messages). Visit www.AndyAndrewsEverett.com to check us out. And, best of all, all net proceeds from both events benefit Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, WA. Normally, Andy is hired to speak at large corporate events and we're making all tickets available to everyone and anyone! Pass it along!
Posted by Jeanne At 19:18:46 On 14/11/2007 | - Website - |