Gumptionade: The Booster For Your Self-Improvement Plan

by Robert B. O'Connor

WHAT IF YOU ACTUALLY KEPT YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS? For starters, you'd profoundly impress your family and friends. That's because self- improvement is not easy. Most of us try and fail to lose weight, be better partners, get fit, get organized or fix our finances. We know what to do, but we can’t make ourselves do it. Consultant and philosopher Robert O’Connor puts a name on the elusive power to do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done. It’s courage, resourcefulness, and common sense in harness together. O’Connor shows how you can build yourgumption in this inspirational, handy collection of practical life instruction sprinkled with maxims such as “Don’t confuse Easy and Magic with the work of real change”; “Put excellence before success”; and “Don’t lead with your wallet.” His advice is firmly supported by true-life examples of gumption-driven problem-solving success stories (e.g., NASA’s Apollo 13 rescue, Billy Beane’s Moneyball success, and Texas governor Ann Richards’ victory over political foes and alcohol). O’Connor draws lightly on his own failures and recoveries, then gives concrete ways to rewire destructive ineffective thought patterns. Not just a cheerleader, he’s careful to note that “Enthusiasm is not gumption” because, like good luck, it’s “great when you have it, but out – side of your control.” Sixteen compact chapters, some with worksheets, spell out how to cultivate what you can control (your character) and show how properly applied doses of gumption can root out fears, and head off destructive responses, and help you do what needs to be done

Genres: Personal Development

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 14, 2016

About the author

Robert B. O'Connor lives and writes in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the author of both Jeep Show and the nonfiction book Gumptionade. O'Connor is married with three grown sons and a grandson.

In his youth, O'Connor's father instilled a love of reading, while his mother inspired a passion for sports. He was an avid Yankees fan and is a supporter of the English soccer club Wigan Athletic. As a young man, O'Connor read mostly biographies but now favors fiction such as War and Peace, Huckleberry Finn, and Close Range.

O'Connor wrote his first book, Gumptionade, after some life difficulties revealed the power of gumption over willpower alone. A tale about the Oxydol Circus promoter Jim Hetzer inspired the idea for Jeep Show. O'Connor continues to be fascinated by stories of determination triumphing over adversity in history and everyday life.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author explains how most, if not all, of the “self help” guides are flawed, and even our own consciousness is blinded by our instincts, feelings and thoughts. He provides a plethora of checklists and questions to “help” us through these blind spots. Strange references to Jesus Christ, not sure why he adds these references as he doesn’t seem to believe Jesus has much influence on our “gumption”. I was going to give it two stars but I gave it three because it does provoke us to “look beyond the end of our noses”.