Author Tom Corley, grandson of success coach, J.C. Jobbs, shares with his own son what’s in an old notebook Tom has carried around since he was in middle school. This refreshing & inspiring read presents in digestible segments, how over one summer, Tom’s productive grandfather teaches him skills to nurture positive vs. negative traits. J.C.’s examples stress turning what can help you be successful in life into habits as well as recognizing and overcoming what can be harmful in the long-run; J.C. even studied hundreds of people successful in life to see what traits they all shared. The writing’s perspective presents J.C. as the mentor and Tom as the student — driving across the point of the importance of mentoring others, whether it be like the author’s illustration of 4 generations of mentoring or asking someone you respect who may have strengths in an area you want to improve. While I am blessed to have a lot of people in my life that specialize in areas I am inspired in, what if you don’t have a person to learn from? — J.C. stresses making the effort to go out into your extended circle or community to find a mentor in the area you want to improve in. J.C. also breaks down, “The Three Traits of Successful People”, “Daily Self-Improvement” and “The Anatomy of a Goal.”
Throughout the book, I noticed that J.C. didn’t seem to brag or need to have attention on himself. Something that especially stood out was how J.C. was already well into his 60’s in age yet could outplay Tom in any sport on top of his profound words of wisdom. In small bits throughout the book, we learn that J.C. was not only considered one of the most respected personal improvement coaches around the world, he was also healthy and athletic enough to be a former coach of John McEnroe; oh, and he was also a mentor to Ronald Reagan when he was an actor and eventually Reagan’s speech writer when he went into politics (Reagan was even on J.C.’s staff as a personal improvement coach!). That humbleness follows J.C.’s lesson of not bragging and constantly drawing attention to yourself — that’s a poverty trait — (balanced by when you are extra proud of something). On the flip side, the 5:1 lesson of listening versus speaking is shown in action. Tom and J.C. are invited to a White House event; rather than bragging about how grandpa is bringing him on different learning trips, Tom practices listening, engaging in the conversation, making the effort to remember the conversation, and, making the effort to stay in touch with the people. As a result, Tom is able to get a job internship when he is much older; plus, to this day, he stills maintains a friendship with another tween he met at the event. While at first the examples shared seemed to be common sense, I really had to stop and think about whether I make the effort myself in each of the topics.
The book is also worth having in digital form so you can bookmark the learning lists! This is a beneficial read for young people and even families to read together. Learning from his own grandfather’s writing methods, Tom purposely breaks the lessons into manageable parts, presenting scenarios in ways we can relate to them even now. Work hard, play hard or remember to reward yourself for accomplishments. Be healthy mind, body and spirit. Determine whether an intent is a wish or a personal goal; turn that wish into goal. Give back to the community, roll up your sleeves and volunteer. Make time for reading or listening to self-improvement literature is another lesson mentioned in the book. This book would truly be an approachable read to tackle together in a class setting. In school, we learn about career ed, sex ed, testing skills, but not much on how to grow positive habits outside of school-related purposes. The various learning methods could apply to any of us. I hope to see an updated version of the book in the future in a voice directing & mentoring teens to build skills that will help us grow richer in life when we are out on our own!