Archive for Book Reviews
First book a walk down memory lane for Hoffman
Posted by: | Comments
By Sharon Hall
The Nugget
Dahlonega resident Bruce Hoffman has read plenty of books on Vietnam. Many, perhaps most of them, he says, “are either all about combat, or crying-in-your-beer books.”
Hoffman had a different perspective on the war. He was a young (right out of high school), gung ho Marine, ready for action and stuck much of his time “in the rear with the beer,” he says. But recollections of those times, and the struggle and eventual success to get into combat, generated some good memories. Those memories are the basis of “And My Mother Danced With Chesty Puller.”
The unusual title comes from a family story Hoffman says he often heard as a child. “My dad served in the Pacific with Marine Corps Gen. Lewis “Chesty” Puller, the only Marine to earn the Navy Cross five times. My mother used to tell the story about being at a reunion with my dad, and Chesty Puller was there, sitting at a table. Marines would approach his table and shake his hand, but most just pointed him out to their wives or dates. My mother was never shy, and she told my dad the general was just sitting there and needed to get up and dance and enjoy himself and she was going to go ask him to dance, and before he could say anything, she did. I think later on, my dad told the story more often than my mom, but that story is one of the reasons I joined the Corps. I just always knew I would be a Marine like my dad.”
Hoffman joined the Corps soon after high school, right after the Gulf of Tonkin incident which propelled the U.S. into the Vietnam War. He then spent “three and a half years fighting to get into the war,” he says. “If you are a Marine, and there’s a war going on, that’s what you’re supposed to do.”
Most of this time was spent stateside or in Okinawa, with one tour of duty in the rear echelon in Vietnam before he was able to get into the action, finally serving as a gunner on a Huey helicopter flying Medevac and gunship missions during his last six months in service.
All the stories, from training to trooping through bars and brothels with his buddies, are there, along with stories of brave young men in combat. Amidst the recollections is the story of an adolescent’s growth into manhood, of a dedication to duty and the bonds of friendship formed by men in common cause.
“I just wanted to write all my old stories down before I forgot them,” Hoffman says.
He did have to do some research to refresh his memory about some of the details. He bought a collection of “Leatherneck” magazines on E-Bay, and accessed the Texas Tech Vietnam archives online, but he also “kind-of filled in the blanks a little bit with my own perceptions,” he says.
He was a little concerned how those perceptions would be received by other Marines who served at the same time as himself. He has since been vindicated, however, by reviews posted on the Amazon site where his book is available (www.amazon.com).
“I’ve really appreciated those reviews, especially since some were from folks I served with,” he says.
“The book aroused some strong memories of the times and the ‘men’ (most under 21) who humped the terrain, unloaded the bodies, resupplied their fellow Mariknes and that special group that came back to get you no matter how hot the LZ,” wrote one reviewer. “… a wonderful book that captures his Vietnam service and presents it in a very personal and real manner,” writes another; and “… an insightful and accurate portrayal,” writes a third.
“And My Mother Danced With Chesty Puller” is Hoffman’s first attempt at writing. He is currently involved in a second project, writing his memoir of 27 years with the Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Fla.
Excerpt from When Turtles Fly by Nikki Stone
Posted by: | CommentsIntroduction
by Nikki Stone
Author of When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out
I pushed the enormous rocking chair across the lime-green shag carpet. This would be the last piece of furniture I would need to complete my own Olympic podium. I had just watched Olympic Gymnastics Champion Nadia Comaneci stand on top of the real deal, and I wanted to see how it felt.
I slowly climbed onto the wobbly rocking chair, my pigtails swooshing back and forth. Occasionally a few hairs would catch on my eyelashes and I would pull the strands away from my face so I could continue on my mission. I calculated the chair’s rhythm, carefully threw my leg over the back and slowly climbed up onto the lacquered old end table. I pushed myself to my feet and threw my fists toward the ceiling in victory. A huge smile broke across my freckled face as I imagined the crowds cheering around me and the camera bulbs going off left and right. I had my answer. It felt incredible!
My mother and father came in from the family room to see what the commotion was. I beamed down at them and stated with confidence, “I’m going to win the ‘lympics!”
Now, I think most parents would be a bit leery of giving their five-year-old daughter any genuine encouragement for this giant undertaking, especially seeing that, in all likelihood, she had a better chance of winning the lottery than the Olympics someday. But my parents never flinched. I never saw any reservation on their faces when I declared my goal.
My mom lifted me off the “podium,” plopped me down on the plaid easy chair and said, “Well, then I guess it’s time for me to teach you about the Turtle Effect.”
At the time, this meant little more to me than a chance to potentially hit them up for a pet turtle at Dom’s local pet store. But I realized that if I was going to turn those living room chairs and table into a real Olympic podium, I had to learn what this Turtle Effect really meant.
She explained to me that if I wanted to be successful, I needed to be soft on the inside, I had to have a hard shell, and I had to be willing to stick my neck out.
To have a soft inside, I would need a passion for my pursuits. To build a hard shell, I’d have to focus on the task at hand, completely commit to my goals, and develop the ability to overcome any adversity that was thrown my way. And in order to stick my neck out, I’d have to have confidence, take substantial risks, and be a team player in order to succeed. Those seven lessons were key in mastering the Turtle Effect.
As I grew and developed through my years in gymnastics, and eventually, aerial freestyle skiing, I found my mom’s advice invaluable. But it wasn’t just her words about the Turtle Effect that helped me to become an Olympic champion. It was putting them into action, and experiencing challenges and pitfalls that would eventually help me understand the true depth of their power. Later, I found that by explaining these ideas to others, though motivational speeches, I could help many individuals accomplish their goals.
Galvanized by the possibilities, I decided to create a book that would offer people many profound and amazing stories for motivation, as well as hands-on activities to help them make changes themselves. I sat down and put together a list of people whose lives I found to be truly inspiring, and who’d worked hard to reach the top of their “game”. I included accomplished businessmen and women, athletes, politicians, celebrities, authors, Nobel Prize winners, musicians and philanthropists. In telling their stories, these individuals, many of whom I’ve come to know, all shared a part of the Turtle Effect that helped them find their own success. To continue the inspiration, I’ve included one more special bonus story online that you can view at www.WhenTurtlesFly.com.
Each story is followed by a daily activity that has proved successful at my coaching sessions in changing people’s lives in a concrete way, exercises you can use to improve your own personal and professional life. They serve as hands-on tools to help you enhance and develop your passion, focus, commitment, ability to overcome adversity, risk taking, and team building. From my years of experience as an athlete, speaker and peak performance coach, and by studying the habits of many powerful individuals I’ve encountered, I’ve come up with highly effective steps to encourage advancement in any career. Each activity includes blank space for you to keep notes on your own transformation.
Whether I’m mentoring future Olympic medalists, motivating hotshot businesspeople, or coaching eager young professionals, I find the Turtle Effect works brilliantly to help people reach success.
It’s never too late or too early to pursue your dreams, and you’re never too successful to work toward new goals. So get ready for the adventure of a lifetime.
Get ready to fly!
The above is an excerpt from the book When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out by Nikki Stone. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.
Copyright © 2010 Nikki Stone, author of When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out
Author Bio
At the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, Nikki Stone, author of When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out, became America’s first-ever Olympic champion in the sport of aerial skiing. What made this performance so unbelievable was the fact that, less than two years earlier, a chronic spinal injury prevented her from standing, much less walking or skiing off a twelve-foot-tall snow jump that launches aerialists fifty feet into the air. She overcame the injury and went on to earn 35 World Cup medals, 11 World Cup titles, 4 national titles, 3 World Cup titles, a World Championship title, and membership in the Ski Hall of Fame. Nikki is also a magna cum laude graduate of Union College and a summa cum laude masters graduate of the University of Utah. Her aerial retirement is less than restful as she trains Olympic athletes and business professionals in speaking/media skills, coaches personal and professional development courses, hosts group skiing adventures, sits on five different charitable committees, and writes articles and columns for many magazines, newspapers, and websites. Nikki’s career focus is now on traveling around the world working as a sought-after motivational speaker, sharing her secrets to success by inspiring her business audiences to “Stick their necks out.” Every spare moment is spent with husband, Michael Spencer, and daughter, Zali, in Park City, Utah.
For more information, please visit www.WhenTurtlesFly.com.
*** I received this book for free to review from FSB Associates.
Gen Y’s Top 5 List for How We Think and Act at Work
Posted by: | CommentsGen Y’s Top 5 List for How We Think and Act at Work
By Jason Ryan Dorsey,
Author of Y-Size Your Business: How Gen Y Employees Can Save You Money and Grow Your Business
Employers always seem to be asking me, “What in the world is Gen Y thinking when they do some of the things they do at work?” As a researcher and member of Gen Y, which I define as being born from 1977 to 1995, I think it’s important to shine a spotlight on what my generation is thinking when we show up to work (and then immediately ask for a coffee break). The more employers understand Gen Y’s perspective, the easier it is to identify the strategies and actions that can transform us into high-performing, loyal employees.
GEN Y’S TOP FIVE LIST FOR HOW WE THINK AND ACT AT WORK
1. No expectation of lifetime employment
Gen Y is the only generation in the modern workforce that has never expected to work for one employer our entire career. In practice this means that Gen Y expects to change employers throughout our lives, because it would be abnormal for us to stay with one company. This doesn’t mean Gen Y won’t or can’t stay with one employer, just that we see nothing wrong with switching employers if a job or company no longer fits us (or our sleep schedule).
Though we may not expect to be with a company for 20 years, we are willing to work extremely long hours for an employer if we feel a genuine connection to the company or its mission. At one online education company I visited, the Gen Y employees were working seven days a week, and some were taking showers in the office building in order to meet deadlines. One of the Gen Y employees told me, “That’s just what you do when your company is counting on you.”
2. A feeling of entitlement along with big expectations
The biggest complaint I get from employers of all ages — including Gen Yers who manage other Gen Yers — is that many in Gen Y feel entitled. We show up to work and act as if our boss owes us something for our presence. I know how off-putting Gen Y’s attitude can be, but before we condemn my generation as a bunch of spoiled brats (something that I find personally offensive and plan to tell my mom about) we should consider for a moment that entitlement is 100 percent a learned behavior. You are not born entitled. You have to be raised that way.
This might hit a bit close to home if your twentysomething child is still on your car insurance and carries one of your credit cards for emergency use only, which could mean a sale on cherry-flavored Pop-Tarts® at Target. In fact, many of us in Gen Y were told, “As long as you’re in college, we’ll help you out.” Seven majors and one study abroad semester later, we’re graduating with 196 credit hours and an Associate Degree — and courageously entering adulthood by returning home.
3. A hunger for instant gratification and tangible outcomes
Gen Y has come of age with almost instantaneous access to just about everything and everyone — from instant meals to instant messages. This constant immediacy has taught us to have little patience, short attention spans, and to seek ongoing progress in every aspect of our life. We hate waiting in lines at the grocery store (Can you say self checkout?) and don’t want to show our work on math problems, especially if you already told us our answer is correct. We will even walk into a fast food restaurant, see a line at the counter, and leave to go somewhere else.
However, rather than brand us as the “instant everything” generation, my research shows we are simply outcome-driven. This observation changes the conversation, because it shows we are not about having everything now, we simply don’t see — and therefore we do not appreciate — the steps involved in creating the outcomes we want. We literally do not connect the dots or consider our plans in terms of policies and procedures — that’s an older generation’s way of approaching work. Instead, all we want to know is what you want us to do. Then get out of our way so we can get it done. In the workplace, this makes us extremely project-oriented rather than job-description focused.
4. A new relationship with technology and communication
Since Gen Y grew up during the Internet boom and mobile communication revolution, technology has become an extension of ourselves. However, older generations have a big misconception when it comes to Gen Y and technology. Older generations think that Gen Y is tech savvy. This is 100 percent not true. Gen Y is not tech savvy, we are tech dependent. Important difference. We don’t know how technology works. We just know we can’t live without it.
5. A need for ongoing feedback
When it comes to employing Gen Y, if your company only gives annual reviews, then you can change the name. Call them exit interviews, because Gen Y won’t be there. We need feedback on a much more regular schedule, ideally twice a month, but don’t confuse frequency with a major time investment. We don’t want an in-depth 360-degree performance review, complete with personality assessment. Just a five-second check-in that says you notice we exist. All we need is for you to pause outside our cubicle and say, “Jordan, I saw how you helped Mrs. Booker solve the billing problem. Good job.” That’s it. Nothing more.
TURNING THESE GEN Y CHARACTERISTICS INTO A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
As a member of Gen Y, I admit that all five of these characteristics do not initially appear as workplace strengths. However, I have seen time and again how employers have made every one of these Gen Y characteristics into a workplace advantage when Gen Y is managed correctly.
The key is to start with an understanding of our mindset, find a common ground with your company’s goals, and build on it. In fact, the breakthrough moment for many of my clients who employ Gen Y is realizing that what their Gen Y employees want in order to put forth their best effort is often less expensive and easier to give than their current employment practices. Now that is something you will want us to text our friends about — but not until our lunch break.
©2009 Jason Ryan Dorsey, author of Y-Size Your Business: How Gen Y Employees Can Save You Money and Grow Your Business
Author Bio
Jason Ryan Dorsey, author of Y-Size Your Business: How Gen Y Employees Can Save You Money and Grow Your Business is an award-winning entrepreneur and an acclaimed keynote speaker often referred to as “The Gen Y Guy”®. He has been featured as a Generation Y expert on 60 Minutes, 20/20, the Today show, and The View, as well as in Fortune magazine.
For more information about the book, please visit www.JasonDorsey.com.
Publisher Note: I was sent this book for free to review. The amazon link at the top is my affiliate link. I will earn a small commission if you purchase through the link.
The new and improved Internet Marketing Gorilla Blog
Posted by: | CommentsOver the next few weeks, I will be organizing this new WordPress blog as the new and improved Internet Marketing Gorilla Blog.
The old blog archives can be found here: Internet Marketing Gorilla Blog Archives







