Kyle Garlett has walked to the edge so that you don't have to and you can still get all the wisdom from that right here!

Amazon Link

"Lessons from the Edge of Life: The Seven Keys to Surviving the Worst and Living Your Best" by Kyle Garlett is a one of those books that makes you just pick it up and smile all the way through.

Kyle Garlett is a four time cancer survivor.  That in and of itself is testament to the man's willpower and attitude.  But what is survival if you then become complacent?  Garlett chose to thrive instead of survive.  Most "healthy" people would not be able to accomplish the feat of completing the Ironman Triathlon.   With a heart transplant and damaged lungs from rounds of chemo, Garlett did just that.

But, like all great people worth listening to, Garlett has a sense of humility that allows him to not just share his story, but to share the insights that were gained from his journey.

Being a personal development coach, I recognized many of the points that Garlett makes, but his examples and twists on them is where the real value of this book lies. Garlett has people facing their gremlins by having them not just facing their fears, but making fear their friend.  He does an excellent job in the very first lesson when he encourages people to "climb out of the valley of the fog".

I also appreciate that Garlett never turns into a "positive in the face of everything cheerleader".  There were times when he suffered setbacks and depression.  No one is ever going to be 100% positive all the time - depression, hurt, helplessness and other emotions are OK for a quick visit, but nothing good happens from an extended stay with these emotions.

One of the greatest take-aways for me was the acronym of AWE:  Attitude, Will, Effort.  I have seen this first hand in myself and others that these three words can take a person quite far if they put them into action.

I could go on and on about the contents of this wonderfully motivating book, but I can't do it justice or give you the wisdom in a blog article.

Do yourself a favor - take Kyle Garlett's hand, walk with him to the edge of life, and learn all you need to learn on how to get more out of each and everyday.  

Amazon Link

(This review was part of an ad package.  This only moved the book to the "front of the line" and in no way influences the review"

A Legacy of Leadership

Amazon Link

Alexia's Legacy by Ray White is a short book written about leadership tips that were gleaned from an amazing young woman who may have had a shorter life than everyone wanted, but lived that life in a large way.

Having worked with children for a good portion of my life, there are some that you see and know that they just "get it".  They are "put together" so well that many adults could stand to learn a few lessons from them.  Alexia seems to have been that type of person.

The 50 tips are things that many of us have heard, but rarely practice. A refresher on servant leadership is not a bad thing at all.  To quote Zig Ziglar, "People often say that motivation doesn't last.  Well, neither does bathing.  That's why we recommend it daily."

Take one tip a day and try to put it into practice - and you have 50 motivation & leadership "baths" covered.  Need help in seeing how it is all put into practice?  The author's close relationship as Alexia's mentor allows him to share examples and emails that highlight each tip.  A few of the tips are also illustrated by memoirs of her friends, providing touching moments throughout.

I have gone through the pain of losing a younger sibling much too soon.  I can empathize with the loss that everyone must have felt at the time of Alexia's loss.  White does an excellent job of not only memorializing Alexia throughout this book, but allowing everyone to attempt continue the great lessons that she was just beginning to put into practice.

One aspect of the book that was a little difficult to overlook was the frequent repetition of many of the same topics in the emails that were provided.  While I understand that they were not intended to wind up in a book like this and were written in a very personal style, it did occasionally become a distraction.

(This book review is part of a paid ad that only allowed the author "front of the line" privileges and in no way impacts the review that is written.  This reviewer did purchase the book himself, however, as he was impressed by the material and the cause.)

Amazon Link

Goodreads Link