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Blind Ambition: How to Envision Your Limitless Potential and Achieve the Success You Want
A goal-setting guide to top achievement from an award-winning engineer, champion paratriathlete, and IRONMAN world record holderDiagnosed with a pediatric brain tumor, Patricia Walsh became blind at the age of five. As a teenager, she lost what little vision remained due to surgical complications, and the straight-A student began a downward spiral into depression and hopelessness.
But Walsh eventually had an if she didn't do something--and fast--she would doom herself to a life devoid of meaning.
Today, Walsh is an award-winning computer engineer and champion paratriathlete. She has raced in more than a dozen marathons and ultra-marathons and competed in two IRONMAN triathlons. In 2011, she set the world record for blind triathletes, shattering both male and female records by over 50 minutes.
How did she do it?
Patricia Walsh refused to be defined by any limits.
In Blind Ambition, Walsh both inspires and educates by relating her unforgettable personal story while detailing her proven Fuel / Fire / Blaze approach to achieving any
Set your base goals--those small, day-to-day tasks designed to collectively build toward your final goal
Map important milestones on your journey to keep yourself on track and motivated
Your highest goals, your most burning desire made real--this is what happens when you add fuel to fire . . .
Drawing on her experience of great adversity--and even greater success--she shows you how to set realistic milestones and describes a simple and effective process for mapping these milestones to daily tasks that will help you achieve what you previously thought unachievable.
Every path has obstacles, but you can overcome them. Apply a champion's hard-earned lessons to achieve your goals and live a personally enriching and professionally rewarding life. All it takes is Blind Ambition.
Go for the Gold! A Proven Model for Success from a World-Class Athlete
"Patricia Walsh lays out an extremely effective framework for achieving your highest goals--in business and in life. I have personally seen Patricia apply this approach to great success at Microsoft. Anyone who reads this book will be that much closer to achieving their goals." -- Steven Sinofsky, former president of the Windows division at Microsoft Corporation
"In a book filled with practical, actionable advice for true goal setting, framed by her experience with the toughest of real-world challenges, Patricia Walsh provides a no-nonsense framework for actualizing your goals and becoming resilient. Whether you are looking to excel in business, in sports, or in life, Blind Ambition will serve as your go-to guidebook for achieving breakthroughs, managing challenges, and fulfilling your own marvelous potential." -- Meg Hare, president of the board of Austin Women in Technology
"Whether it is running your first 5K, competing in an IRONMAN, or completing an important work project, the steps and lessons shared in this book will help you get there. Patricia Walsh is an expert in overcoming challenges that stand in the way of reaching one's goal.
But Walsh eventually had an if she didn't do something--and fast--she would doom herself to a life devoid of meaning.
Today, Walsh is an award-winning computer engineer and champion paratriathlete. She has raced in more than a dozen marathons and ultra-marathons and competed in two IRONMAN triathlons. In 2011, she set the world record for blind triathletes, shattering both male and female records by over 50 minutes.
How did she do it?
Patricia Walsh refused to be defined by any limits.
In Blind Ambition, Walsh both inspires and educates by relating her unforgettable personal story while detailing her proven Fuel / Fire / Blaze approach to achieving any
Set your base goals--those small, day-to-day tasks designed to collectively build toward your final goal
Map important milestones on your journey to keep yourself on track and motivated
Your highest goals, your most burning desire made real--this is what happens when you add fuel to fire . . .
Drawing on her experience of great adversity--and even greater success--she shows you how to set realistic milestones and describes a simple and effective process for mapping these milestones to daily tasks that will help you achieve what you previously thought unachievable.
Every path has obstacles, but you can overcome them. Apply a champion's hard-earned lessons to achieve your goals and live a personally enriching and professionally rewarding life. All it takes is Blind Ambition.
Go for the Gold! A Proven Model for Success from a World-Class Athlete
"Patricia Walsh lays out an extremely effective framework for achieving your highest goals--in business and in life. I have personally seen Patricia apply this approach to great success at Microsoft. Anyone who reads this book will be that much closer to achieving their goals." -- Steven Sinofsky, former president of the Windows division at Microsoft Corporation
"In a book filled with practical, actionable advice for true goal setting, framed by her experience with the toughest of real-world challenges, Patricia Walsh provides a no-nonsense framework for actualizing your goals and becoming resilient. Whether you are looking to excel in business, in sports, or in life, Blind Ambition will serve as your go-to guidebook for achieving breakthroughs, managing challenges, and fulfilling your own marvelous potential." -- Meg Hare, president of the board of Austin Women in Technology
"Whether it is running your first 5K, competing in an IRONMAN, or completing an important work project, the steps and lessons shared in this book will help you get there. Patricia Walsh is an expert in overcoming challenges that stand in the way of reaching one's goal.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2014
2 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 25, 2020
I enjoyed reading about Patricia Walsh’s personal experiences and how she overcome her challenges to reach where she is today. The anacdotes about her unique ways of training and the adventures she had with her guides for her many marathons and triathlons were interesting to read about.
However, the second portion of the book about making and setting goals was somewhat messy and repetitive. I think that if the reader’s objective was to focus in on this topic, other books may have served better. IN fact, this section just seems like a compilation of theories and suggestions from other Writers....
However, the second portion of the book about making and setting goals was somewhat messy and repetitive. I think that if the reader’s objective was to focus in on this topic, other books may have served better. IN fact, this section just seems like a compilation of theories and suggestions from other Writers....
August 28, 2014
√ Crashing is Part of the Plan
This book is an inspirational tale about a young woman struggling to cope with a horrific disease that left her with only the slightest smidgeon of eyesight. When this happened, the author went from "top of my high school class to struggling to read 'See Jane run' in Braille." It wasn't just academics that Patricia struggled with. She became a real problem in high school, and in 9th grade, she was expelled for drug violations from Washington State School for the Blind.
She eventually changed her direction--she chose to change. She discovered that she liked running. She was able to run on a track by sensing the edge of the inside lane. To mark her end point, she invented a sure-fire way to sense the end. She put a rock on the track, causing her to stumble: "If all went well, the rock I had left for myself would trip me on the way back. Crashing was a part of the plan. That's how I knew I needed to get off the trail and head home." Well, that's one way to do it.
BLIND AMBITION has plenty of good tips on goal-setting. She notes, for example studies from the Journal of Applied Psychology that identified three critical aspects of goal setting: Goals must be Specific, Difficult, and Group-centric. In addition, writing down goals and sharing progress leads to a far greater chance of accomplishment. Patricia calls her progress "following the root line," which means staying on the most efficient route: "Keep your focus on the task at hand, and avoid the everyday distractions of work and life."
Patricia's determination led her to become the fastest Woman on the U.S. Paratriathlon Team. The author developed a three-tier strategy, which she calls, "Fuel, Fire, Blaze." At the bottom is FUEL. This is the foundation for the higher goals; fuel includes the day to day tasks. Next up is FIRE, which is the intermediate step to the ultimate personal goal. The most powerful and important goal is called BLAZE. This is "the place where your greatest passions intersects with your greatest practice. It's your dream made real."
As useful as the author's goal-setting strategy is, that insight is not really the strength of BLIND AMBITION. After all, there are a plethora of books giving counsel on effective goal-setting. The idea of writing down and affirming goals is not really anything new or exciting. The value of BLIND AMBITION is not in the field of business strategy or personal enrichment arena; rather, it's the personal example--the striving, falling, getting up and pressing on. In her words, "Don't allow the fear of failure or the fear of looking like you're not smart keep you from taking risks or avoiding challenges."
The message of BLIND AMBITION is not so mundane as setting goals, but a bigger, more difficult task: Ignore your limitations. The author often calls this drive, "grit." To that end, "Make no excuses," "Unknow" your limits, "Constantly test your limitations," and then just ignore what appears to be a drawback.
The author demonstrated this grit during an "Ironman" competition. Whilst running the last stage (running a marathon), she realizes that she needs to increase her pace. She speeds up as her companion yells out, "Blind runner." This is yelled out not so Patricia can have an advantage, but so that the slower runners will get out of the way! So, the slower runners parted to let her pass. One man was despondent at being passed-- not so much by a woman, but by a BLIND WOMAN. This chap fell into the ditch, weeping. It was in this race that Patricia broke the world record for blind athletes.
At speaking events, the author often mentions a key core value: "How to fail," or what she calls, "Failing Gracefully." If you're not careful, you may begin to embrace learned helplessness. As a young blind teenager, the bar was set very low for her. She could have adopted much lower goals, but she chose not to. She failed often, such as having to withdraw from classes for which she was unprepared. She swallowed her pride, gracefully took the step back, then re-evaluated how to go forward.
Finally, after the stories of races won and challenges overtaken, Patricia Walsh admonishes the reader to "Be a source of light." Build someone up, instead of tearing them down: "I'm competitive both on the racecourse and in the office, and I love opportunities for my skills to shine. but more than anything, I care about the integrity involved in achieving. I don't want to take the easy way out by cutting someone else down."
That's the message of BLIND AMBITION. Not how great the author is, but how great YOU can be. That message comes through loud and clear.
This book is an inspirational tale about a young woman struggling to cope with a horrific disease that left her with only the slightest smidgeon of eyesight. When this happened, the author went from "top of my high school class to struggling to read 'See Jane run' in Braille." It wasn't just academics that Patricia struggled with. She became a real problem in high school, and in 9th grade, she was expelled for drug violations from Washington State School for the Blind.
She eventually changed her direction--she chose to change. She discovered that she liked running. She was able to run on a track by sensing the edge of the inside lane. To mark her end point, she invented a sure-fire way to sense the end. She put a rock on the track, causing her to stumble: "If all went well, the rock I had left for myself would trip me on the way back. Crashing was a part of the plan. That's how I knew I needed to get off the trail and head home." Well, that's one way to do it.
BLIND AMBITION has plenty of good tips on goal-setting. She notes, for example studies from the Journal of Applied Psychology that identified three critical aspects of goal setting: Goals must be Specific, Difficult, and Group-centric. In addition, writing down goals and sharing progress leads to a far greater chance of accomplishment. Patricia calls her progress "following the root line," which means staying on the most efficient route: "Keep your focus on the task at hand, and avoid the everyday distractions of work and life."
Patricia's determination led her to become the fastest Woman on the U.S. Paratriathlon Team. The author developed a three-tier strategy, which she calls, "Fuel, Fire, Blaze." At the bottom is FUEL. This is the foundation for the higher goals; fuel includes the day to day tasks. Next up is FIRE, which is the intermediate step to the ultimate personal goal. The most powerful and important goal is called BLAZE. This is "the place where your greatest passions intersects with your greatest practice. It's your dream made real."
As useful as the author's goal-setting strategy is, that insight is not really the strength of BLIND AMBITION. After all, there are a plethora of books giving counsel on effective goal-setting. The idea of writing down and affirming goals is not really anything new or exciting. The value of BLIND AMBITION is not in the field of business strategy or personal enrichment arena; rather, it's the personal example--the striving, falling, getting up and pressing on. In her words, "Don't allow the fear of failure or the fear of looking like you're not smart keep you from taking risks or avoiding challenges."
The message of BLIND AMBITION is not so mundane as setting goals, but a bigger, more difficult task: Ignore your limitations. The author often calls this drive, "grit." To that end, "Make no excuses," "Unknow" your limits, "Constantly test your limitations," and then just ignore what appears to be a drawback.
The author demonstrated this grit during an "Ironman" competition. Whilst running the last stage (running a marathon), she realizes that she needs to increase her pace. She speeds up as her companion yells out, "Blind runner." This is yelled out not so Patricia can have an advantage, but so that the slower runners will get out of the way! So, the slower runners parted to let her pass. One man was despondent at being passed-- not so much by a woman, but by a BLIND WOMAN. This chap fell into the ditch, weeping. It was in this race that Patricia broke the world record for blind athletes.
At speaking events, the author often mentions a key core value: "How to fail," or what she calls, "Failing Gracefully." If you're not careful, you may begin to embrace learned helplessness. As a young blind teenager, the bar was set very low for her. She could have adopted much lower goals, but she chose not to. She failed often, such as having to withdraw from classes for which she was unprepared. She swallowed her pride, gracefully took the step back, then re-evaluated how to go forward.
Finally, after the stories of races won and challenges overtaken, Patricia Walsh admonishes the reader to "Be a source of light." Build someone up, instead of tearing them down: "I'm competitive both on the racecourse and in the office, and I love opportunities for my skills to shine. but more than anything, I care about the integrity involved in achieving. I don't want to take the easy way out by cutting someone else down."
That's the message of BLIND AMBITION. Not how great the author is, but how great YOU can be. That message comes through loud and clear.
June 5, 2018
译者序
成功包含着两层意思：第一层意思是预想或设定一个需要经过努力才可以实现的目标，第二层意思则是努力地实现这个目标，并获得预期结果。我们可以将这两个步骤——设定目标和实现目标——视为取得成功的“必经之路”，但就是这看似简单的两个步骤却让很多人感受到了失败的痛苦。失败可能会在任何时间、任何地点，以任何方式出现在我们通往成功的道路上，我们会因为它而感到沮丧、受到打击，甚至会一蹶不振，但是最终由成功带来的，无论是物质上还是精神上的满足，都将推动着其中一部分人竭尽全力地战胜困难并取得成功。然而，对于另外一部分被失败笼罩着的无法实现突破的人们而言，借鉴他人成功的经验，吸取他人失败的教训，以及从他人的经验与教训中探寻出一条适合自己的成功方法，便显得尤为重要了。本书作者从自己独特的人生经验出发，结合自己的故事详细地阐述了一系列战胜失败取得成功的方法，希望会对你起到帮助作用。
本书作者帕特里夏·沃尔什是一位曾经在失败和挫折面前感到手足无措，对自己的人生感到迷茫和彷徨的盲人。失明带给她的不仅仅是视觉上的黑暗，而且她的人生也因此失去了光彩。但是，在经历了一段黑暗、颓废和自我放弃的生活后，帕特里夏从跑步中重拾对未来的信心和希望。在我看来，跑步为帕特里夏带来的是一个目标，一个对于当时的她而言最为迫切需要的、想要跑得更远的目标。她凭借着自己对目标的坚持和对美好生活的憧憬，成功地实现了为自己设定的一个又一个目标，而她的人生也随之变得更加开阔且充满着无限可能。帕特里夏开始像其他视力正常的人一样进入大学学习、接受工作上的挑战，以及开创自己的事业。现在的帕特里夏不仅是一名优秀的铁人三项运动员，而且还是一名优秀的演说家，她希望利用自己积累多年的经验与教训帮助更多人重拾信心并取得成功。
在《内心强大是一种怎样的体验》这本书中，帕特里夏·沃尔什从自己的真实经历出发，以讲故事的方式让读者看到一位拥有着独特的经验、智慧和勇气的盲人，如何突破自己在生理和心理上的极限从而培养出积极向上的人生态度，如何最大限度地开发潜能来完成那些看似无法完成的任务，以及如何转败为胜使自己的人生充满着无限可能。在帕特里夏看来，取得成功是一个循序渐进的过程，首先要知道为什么要取得成功和想要取得哪些成功，即明确自己的目标是什么；其次要知道如何才能够取得成功，即开发自身潜能并掌握取得成功的正确方法；最后要知道取得成功所必备的个人特质是什么和如何培养并保持这些特质，即通过培养韧性、增强意志力并建立起良好的习惯来获得更多、更大的成功。
或许你会认为这是一本人物传记，因为本书作者以自己的真实故事为背景，希望借助自己的亲身经历让这些方法变得更加生动和具体，读者也就能够更好地理解并运用这些方法；或许你会认为这是一本励志书，因为作者希望通过本书来帮助那些在失败中停滞不前的人以及对成功充满渴望的人获得一个成功的人生。但是，我却认为这是一本工具书，类似于上学时使用的词典。作者在本书中一共提炼出九个成功方法（分别在本书的第二章至第十章提及），并且这九个方法是按照非常明确的顺序排列起来的，首先是确定并设定正确的目标，其次是突破极限坚持目标，最后是培养成功特质从而取得更多、更大的成功。本书作者希望通过这个三个非常明确的步骤，引导着读者一步一步地走向成功。成功无捷径，本书的所有方法都是需要读者通过长期坚持和精神磨炼才可以实现的。而且，这九个方法是紧密连接、相辅相成的，只有你掌握了第一个方法，才能够保障将第二个方法的效应发挥到最大。
弃的生活后，帕特里夏从跑步中重拾对未来的信心和希望。在我看来，跑步为帕特里夏带来的是一个目标，一个对于当时的她而言最为迫切需要的、想要跑得更远的目标。她凭借着自己对目标的坚持和对美好生活的憧憬，成功地实现了为自己设定的一个又一个目标，而她的人生也随之变得更加开阔且充满着无限可能。帕特里夏开始像其他视力正常的人一样进入大学学习、接受工作上的挑战，以及开创自己的事业。现在的帕特里夏不仅是一名优秀的铁人三项运动员，而且还是一名优秀的演说家，她希望利用自己积累多年的经验与教训帮助更多人重拾信心并取得成功。
在《内心强大是一种怎样的体验》这本书中，帕特里夏·沃尔什从自己的真实经历出发，以讲故事的方式让读者看到一位拥有着独特的经验、智慧和勇气的盲人，如何突破自己在生理和心理上的极限从而培养出积极向上的人生态度，如何最大限度地开发潜能来完成那些看似无法完成的任务，以及如何转败为胜使自己的人生充满着无限可能。在帕特里夏看来，取得成功是一个循序渐进的过程，首先要知道为什么要取得成功和想要取得哪些成功，即明确自己的目标是什么；其次要知道如何才能够取得成功，即开发自身潜能并掌握取得成功的正确方法；最后要知道取得成功所必备的个人特质是什么和如何培养并保持这些特质，即通过培养韧性、增强意志力并建立起良好的习惯来获得更多、更大的成功。
或许你会认为这是一本人物传记，因为本书作者以自己的真实故事为背景，希望借助自己的亲身经历让这些方法变得更加生动和具体，读者也就能够更好地理解并运用这些方法；或许你会认为这是一本励志书，因为作者希望通过本书来帮助那些在失败中停滞不前的人以及对成功充满渴望的人获得一个成功的人生。但是，我却认为这是一本工具书，类似于上学时使用的词典。作者在本书中一共提炼出九个成功方法（分别在本书的第二章至第十章提及），并且这九个方法是按照非常明确的顺序排列起来的，首先是确定并设定正确的目标，其次是突破极限坚持目标，最后是培养成功特质从而取得更多、更大的成功。本书作者希望通过这个三个非常明确的步骤，引导着读者一步一步地走向成功。成功无捷径，本书的所有方法都是需要读者通过长期坚持和精神磨炼才可以实现的。而且，这九个方法是紧密连接、相辅相成的，只有你掌握了第一个方法，才能够保障将第二个方法的效应发挥到最大。
最后，我希望占用一点篇幅，感谢那些在我翻译这本书的过程中给予过我大力支持和帮助的人们。我想要感谢人民大学出版社的曹沁颖老师给予我翻译这本书的机会，这对我来说不仅仅是一次难能可贵的经验，更让我有机会身临其境地去感受作者独特的人格魅力和经验，我相信这段经历对我日后的工作和生活都将意义非凡。此外，我还想要感谢在翻译过程中为我提供帮助和支持的家人——我的母亲魏淑梅女士和我的父亲杨广臣先生。此外，由于本人每天只能利用工作后的有限时间进行翻译，虽已努力呈现作者希望传递给读者的内容，书中仍难免存在些许偏差，希望读者谅解。
杨阳
成功包含着两层意思：第一层意思是预想或设定一个需要经过努力才可以实现的目标，第二层意思则是努力地实现这个目标，并获得预期结果。我们可以将这两个步骤——设定目标和实现目标——视为取得成功的“必经之路”，但就是这看似简单的两个步骤却让很多人感受到了失败的痛苦。失败可能会在任何时间、任何地点，以任何方式出现在我们通往成功的道路上，我们会因为它而感到沮丧、受到打击，甚至会一蹶不振，但是最终由成功带来的，无论是物质上还是精神上的满足，都将推动着其中一部分人竭尽全力地战胜困难并取得成功。然而，对于另外一部分被失败笼罩着的无法实现突破的人们而言，借鉴他人成功的经验，吸取他人失败的教训，以及从他人的经验与教训中探寻出一条适合自己的成功方法，便显得尤为重要了。本书作者从自己独特的人生经验出发，结合自己的故事详细地阐述了一系列战胜失败取得成功的方法，希望会对你起到帮助作用。
本书作者帕特里夏·沃尔什是一位曾经在失败和挫折面前感到手足无措，对自己的人生感到迷茫和彷徨的盲人。失明带给她的不仅仅是视觉上的黑暗，而且她的人生也因此失去了光彩。但是，在经历了一段黑暗、颓废和自我放弃的生活后，帕特里夏从跑步中重拾对未来的信心和希望。在我看来，跑步为帕特里夏带来的是一个目标，一个对于当时的她而言最为迫切需要的、想要跑得更远的目标。她凭借着自己对目标的坚持和对美好生活的憧憬，成功地实现了为自己设定的一个又一个目标，而她的人生也随之变得更加开阔且充满着无限可能。帕特里夏开始像其他视力正常的人一样进入大学学习、接受工作上的挑战，以及开创自己的事业。现在的帕特里夏不仅是一名优秀的铁人三项运动员，而且还是一名优秀的演说家，她希望利用自己积累多年的经验与教训帮助更多人重拾信心并取得成功。
在《内心强大是一种怎样的体验》这本书中，帕特里夏·沃尔什从自己的真实经历出发，以讲故事的方式让读者看到一位拥有着独特的经验、智慧和勇气的盲人，如何突破自己在生理和心理上的极限从而培养出积极向上的人生态度，如何最大限度地开发潜能来完成那些看似无法完成的任务，以及如何转败为胜使自己的人生充满着无限可能。在帕特里夏看来，取得成功是一个循序渐进的过程，首先要知道为什么要取得成功和想要取得哪些成功，即明确自己的目标是什么；其次要知道如何才能够取得成功，即开发自身潜能并掌握取得成功的正确方法；最后要知道取得成功所必备的个人特质是什么和如何培养并保持这些特质，即通过培养韧性、增强意志力并建立起良好的习惯来获得更多、更大的成功。
或许你会认为这是一本人物传记，因为本书作者以自己的真实故事为背景，希望借助自己的亲身经历让这些方法变得更加生动和具体，读者也就能够更好地理解并运用这些方法；或许你会认为这是一本励志书，因为作者希望通过本书来帮助那些在失败中停滞不前的人以及对成功充满渴望的人获得一个成功的人生。但是，我却认为这是一本工具书，类似于上学时使用的词典。作者在本书中一共提炼出九个成功方法（分别在本书的第二章至第十章提及），并且这九个方法是按照非常明确的顺序排列起来的，首先是确定并设定正确的目标，其次是突破极限坚持目标，最后是培养成功特质从而取得更多、更大的成功。本书作者希望通过这个三个非常明确的步骤，引导着读者一步一步地走向成功。成功无捷径，本书的所有方法都是需要读者通过长期坚持和精神磨炼才可以实现的。而且，这九个方法是紧密连接、相辅相成的，只有你掌握了第一个方法，才能够保障将第二个方法的效应发挥到最大。
弃的生活后，帕特里夏从跑步中重拾对未来的信心和希望。在我看来，跑步为帕特里夏带来的是一个目标，一个对于当时的她而言最为迫切需要的、想要跑得更远的目标。她凭借着自己对目标的坚持和对美好生活的憧憬，成功地实现了为自己设定的一个又一个目标，而她的人生也随之变得更加开阔且充满着无限可能。帕特里夏开始像其他视力正常的人一样进入大学学习、接受工作上的挑战，以及开创自己的事业。现在的帕特里夏不仅是一名优秀的铁人三项运动员，而且还是一名优秀的演说家，她希望利用自己积累多年的经验与教训帮助更多人重拾信心并取得成功。
在《内心强大是一种怎样的体验》这本书中，帕特里夏·沃尔什从自己的真实经历出发，以讲故事的方式让读者看到一位拥有着独特的经验、智慧和勇气的盲人，如何突破自己在生理和心理上的极限从而培养出积极向上的人生态度，如何最大限度地开发潜能来完成那些看似无法完成的任务，以及如何转败为胜使自己的人生充满着无限可能。在帕特里夏看来，取得成功是一个循序渐进的过程，首先要知道为什么要取得成功和想要取得哪些成功，即明确自己的目标是什么；其次要知道如何才能够取得成功，即开发自身潜能并掌握取得成功的正确方法；最后要知道取得成功所必备的个人特质是什么和如何培养并保持这些特质，即通过培养韧性、增强意志力并建立起良好的习惯来获得更多、更大的成功。
或许你会认为这是一本人物传记，因为本书作者以自己的真实故事为背景，希望借助自己的亲身经历让这些方法变得更加生动和具体，读者也就能够更好地理解并运用这些方法；或许你会认为这是一本励志书，因为作者希望通过本书来帮助那些在失败中停滞不前的人以及对成功充满渴望的人获得一个成功的人生。但是，我却认为这是一本工具书，类似于上学时使用的词典。作者在本书中一共提炼出九个成功方法（分别在本书的第二章至第十章提及），并且这九个方法是按照非常明确的顺序排列起来的，首先是确定并设定正确的目标，其次是突破极限坚持目标，最后是培养成功特质从而取得更多、更大的成功。本书作者希望通过这个三个非常明确的步骤，引导着读者一步一步地走向成功。成功无捷径，本书的所有方法都是需要读者通过长期坚持和精神磨炼才可以实现的。而且，这九个方法是紧密连接、相辅相成的，只有你掌握了第一个方法，才能够保障将第二个方法的效应发挥到最大。
最后，我希望占用一点篇幅，感谢那些在我翻译这本书的过程中给予过我大力支持和帮助的人们。我想要感谢人民大学出版社的曹沁颖老师给予我翻译这本书的机会，这对我来说不仅仅是一次难能可贵的经验，更让我有机会身临其境地去感受作者独特的人格魅力和经验，我相信这段经历对我日后的工作和生活都将意义非凡。此外，我还想要感谢在翻译过程中为我提供帮助和支持的家人——我的母亲魏淑梅女士和我的父亲杨广臣先生。此外，由于本人每天只能利用工作后的有限时间进行翻译，虽已努力呈现作者希望传递给读者的内容，书中仍难免存在些许偏差，希望读者谅解。
杨阳
April 27, 2020
I really couldn't get into this book. The author presents her way of achieving her goals. It is really more of a biography than a self-help book. I applaud her achievements, but her method is not very adaptable. It may work for those are highly motivated already. Her story could be inspiring to some, but I wasn't one of them. There are better books out there for achieving goals.
December 4, 2014
At the risk of sounding unfair or heartless, this "practical goal-setting advice" from a award-winning engineer and acclaimed sportswoman could have been so much better. It is not a case of being bad, it is just mediocre or ineffectually-presented.
This is the life story and go-forward guide of the author, someone who fought against the odds and her visual handicap to succeed in her high-level professional career and achieve sporting greatness that would leave many "normal" people gasping in amazement and feeling quite insignificant along the way. The actual achievements realised by the author cannot be downplayed. In some ways she sets herself up for greater criticism by achieving so much and by not giving up. This is not a self-published best-effort work either - it is the considered output of one of the world's top publishing companies so there is no excuse for it not being perfect.
The author doesn't need anyone making excuses for her and her disability. Yet there is still this hard-to-explain feeling that one should be accommodating to any perceived failings in this book because of the author's disability and, well, bless her, she's achieved a lot hasn't she. Luckily, if one can use such a term, this reviewer has had to fight similar problems having been born with a visual handicap that has restricted and guided much of his life. Someone "feeling sorry for you" is perhaps well-meaning but misguided at best, and possibly quite offensive and insulting if taken to an extreme.
The author sets out to teach what is claimed to be a "proven and effective methodology for setting goals of any kind, whether professional or personal" and they have presumably worked for her. It is hard to speculate whether they could work for you as all the guidance is wrapped up in a mediocre, winding miss-match of stories, anecdotes, recommendations and allegedly inspirational text. In other words the message was lost, buried, poorly-focused and too much of an effort to pull it out to get you wanting to know more and rush to put it into practice. A damn good edit of the book is necessary to bring out what is a great story and possibly some helpful, actionable advice. It has the potential of being a fine autobiography. It could be a good self-help book. In its current state it just doesn't manage it.
This reviewer probably invested more time and effort in this book than a casual reader would have done. The temptation to close it and move on was very tempting. Perhaps if there wasn't even a common connection between the author and the reviewer it would have been easier. There is no shortage of self-help yes-you-can-do-it books after all. The advice one managed to wring out of the book was not controversial, special or a secret sauce. It doesn't need to. The application of common sense, a working technique or formula is often the most important part. Belief in yourself and your abilities is a close second.
So one will not directly write this book off but it is hard to really show any enthusiasm towards recommending it either, especially if you don't have an additional connection to the author and her problems that might perceptibly make things more relevant. A careful, considered edit would bring with it a clear structure, purpose and direction. That is part of the added value a book publisher allegedly gives to distinguish it from a self-published book. Things seem to have gone awry on this occasion.
This is the life story and go-forward guide of the author, someone who fought against the odds and her visual handicap to succeed in her high-level professional career and achieve sporting greatness that would leave many "normal" people gasping in amazement and feeling quite insignificant along the way. The actual achievements realised by the author cannot be downplayed. In some ways she sets herself up for greater criticism by achieving so much and by not giving up. This is not a self-published best-effort work either - it is the considered output of one of the world's top publishing companies so there is no excuse for it not being perfect.
The author doesn't need anyone making excuses for her and her disability. Yet there is still this hard-to-explain feeling that one should be accommodating to any perceived failings in this book because of the author's disability and, well, bless her, she's achieved a lot hasn't she. Luckily, if one can use such a term, this reviewer has had to fight similar problems having been born with a visual handicap that has restricted and guided much of his life. Someone "feeling sorry for you" is perhaps well-meaning but misguided at best, and possibly quite offensive and insulting if taken to an extreme.
The author sets out to teach what is claimed to be a "proven and effective methodology for setting goals of any kind, whether professional or personal" and they have presumably worked for her. It is hard to speculate whether they could work for you as all the guidance is wrapped up in a mediocre, winding miss-match of stories, anecdotes, recommendations and allegedly inspirational text. In other words the message was lost, buried, poorly-focused and too much of an effort to pull it out to get you wanting to know more and rush to put it into practice. A damn good edit of the book is necessary to bring out what is a great story and possibly some helpful, actionable advice. It has the potential of being a fine autobiography. It could be a good self-help book. In its current state it just doesn't manage it.
This reviewer probably invested more time and effort in this book than a casual reader would have done. The temptation to close it and move on was very tempting. Perhaps if there wasn't even a common connection between the author and the reviewer it would have been easier. There is no shortage of self-help yes-you-can-do-it books after all. The advice one managed to wring out of the book was not controversial, special or a secret sauce. It doesn't need to. The application of common sense, a working technique or formula is often the most important part. Belief in yourself and your abilities is a close second.
So one will not directly write this book off but it is hard to really show any enthusiasm towards recommending it either, especially if you don't have an additional connection to the author and her problems that might perceptibly make things more relevant. A careful, considered edit would bring with it a clear structure, purpose and direction. That is part of the added value a book publisher allegedly gives to distinguish it from a self-published book. Things seem to have gone awry on this occasion.
June 18, 2015
Part autobiography, part business motivational/inspirational book - this book gives advice for tapping into your inner fire and achieving your heart's desire. Walsh began life sighted, but due to health issues, lost most of her eyesight. However, that did not stop her from earning an engineering degree, working for Microsoft, and becoming a triathlon competitor and para-athlete. She has overcome many obstacles with grace and grit. Her secret to success is 'blaze-fire-fuel'. Blaze is the goal that gets you going whether it's a small or large. Fire are the goals that feed your blaze and fuel are the small actions you take every day to stoke the fire. This was more an autobiography with inspirational bits versus an inspirational book with autobiographical anecdotes. I liked the autobiography better than the business advice which really seemed like nothing new.
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