A Legacy Driven Life (Live a Legacy to Leave a Legacy) by Adil F. Dalal is a revelation. It is very much unlike the writing done by those seeking to relocate us to a better plane in life by passing the baton of knowledge gleaned from reading some of the millions of pages already printed on this vastly nebulous subject. Here is the benefit of direct personal experience.
Those who try to get us to shift gears, and thereby re-arrange and tidy up our emotional baggage, will have delved into (we must be fair to them for their efforts) volumes of psycho-babble to get to what they feel is the crux of the matter. Only tragedy is that there is too much variety in this so-called concept of matter, that they seem to be addressing some of the 'ills' that they perceive in our methods. There is a pre-supposition that we are somewhere unfit and that their book is the perfect panacea. Other authors seek to teach us how to out-guess and out-manoeuvre our detractors in the office arena – assuming we are embattled. A war to end all wars becomes their prescription, wanting us to leave a trail of the vanquished in our wake.
Rarely do we come across a person who has been in a situation in corporate life, copes with the less than perfect circumstances and yet does his best because he remembers that it is what he endorsed and signed for on his appointment letter. And then he decides to do even better than the best for his organisation – only to end up riding the crest of the career wave where there is no turning or even looking back as an individual or as an employee.
A Legacy Driven Life is a near distillation of all that it takes to attain a similar scale of success, it is his legacy for all us readers, in corporate or private life – the principle of living a legacy and thus leaving a legacy. It is a very unslefish and egoless work and does not seek to impose some sort of drill and then ensure you are conscripted and driven to march to success.
The author, in very friendly prose, provides classic examples of people who identified what was their core principle in life and then lived their days standing by and standing tall for what they believed in. Mahatma Gandhi, Rosa Parks – the non-white woman who refused to vacate her bus seat for a white passenger, Nelson Mandela – who freed not just the non-whites from the abhorrent scourge of apartheid, but also the white South Africans from their time-warped mindset, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilee, Albert Einstein, who all made changes in history of mankind by first initiating the changes within themselves. What a Legacy these persons of humble origins have left behind!
Visualisation is the beautiful device that the author suggests we employ, assuring us that it will help us reach the pinnacle. He emphasises that it is the power of visualisation that has been responsible for all the successes on the planet, and with the several examples and the references cited, we are inclined to believe him. Visualisation works on the brain very miraculously, and helps us plan our goals and persist in our efforts in order to realise them.
Early in the book, there is the fascinatingly uplifting poem, Invictus by Willaim Ernest Henley, who faced terrible deprivation in health and economic situation, even a leg being amputated, to turn the tables on fate. The first two stanzas of this valiant sounding poem go like this:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
To continue with the reassurance, the author introduces to five persons or personalities, who overcame life's threatening odds to make a mark for themselves and more importantly, for others. They are shining examples of fortitude: Rob Bryant, Tom Cunningham, Sherry Unwala, Billy Billimoria and holocaust survivor Izzy Gesell. They are selfless enough to tell us they were inspired by other role models. Tom Cunningham, who is an instructor from the Napoleon Hill Foundation, while sharing information about himself, happily talks about Nick Vujicic who was born without arms and legs, and has spoken all over the world reaching out to millions via YouTube. There is also reference to W. Mitchell who after suffering 65 per cent burns in a motorcycle later went on to fly his own plane, which crashed, leaving him paralysed from waist down. He remains unfazed and has done sky diving and river boat rafting.
The author says: In order to successfully live and leave your legacy, to convert your dash into infinity : 1) Know the purpose – Pursue it! 2) Winning is a habit – Cultivate it! 3) There will be resistance — Face it! 4) Passion is a requirement – Show it! 5) Sky is the limit – Reach for it!
Simply great stuff, inspiring and invigorating. The author is the CEO of Pinnacle Process Solutions, with award winning book, The 12 Pillars of Project Excellence, and is a keynote speaker, executive coach and the host of See2B Talk radio.
A Legacy Driven Life
by Adil F. Dalal
Pinnacle Process Solutions, International, LLC
This book can be acquired online through Amazon
We can triumph over every problem
What's Your Excuse? Making the Most of What You Have by John P. Foppe is very rightfully on this page. Foppe was born without arms, but overcoming adversity, has managed to distinguish himself as a professional speaker, motivating thousands with his high-impact presentations on attitude control, personal growth, and performance improvement to business houses and organisations across the globe.
He has received special blessings from the Pope at the Vatican which took note of his selfless service at raising thew morale of all those who feel handicapped by life's crippling circumstances, and are unable to see a better and manageable future for themselves. He recalls his mother's reaction on first seeing him: As the nurse gently placed me into her arms, Mom pulled back the blanket and saw the slick spots where arms should have been. All she could say was, “Thank God, he has legs!”
Later on, Foppe learned about options for dealing with various situations: Sleeping in, a passive choice of a person so overwhelmed that he or she just doesn't know what to do.
Caving in, where the emotional capitulation leaves one paralysed. Tuning in is where an honest evaluation helps see the hurdles along with the solutions.Digging in is where you have chosen to deal with your circumstance in order to move ahead.
Instead of sleeping in or caving in, Foppe tuned in to understand his situation, and then dug into pursuing the solutions. Read this and overcome your handicap, mental or physical.
What's Your Excuse?
by John P. Foppe
Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Available on Amazon, ebay