
This slim little volume may very well become my bible. It's funny how simple things, things we already think we know, seem to click that light bulb on in our heads just by stating and outlining simple concepts. That's what this book does.The book focuses on seven strategies to achieve our goals and they are all solid guidelines for those of us who struggle with goal setting and implementation. I am a master at procrastination. A book like this, referred to often, is the ticket I need to regularly work to overcome my "put it off until tomorrow, Scarlet" mindset.The strategies that really spoke to me the most were Create a Plan of Action, in which you break your goals down in 90 day (seasonal, really) increments. Instead of making New Year's resolutions once a year, you make, work toward, and reevaluate your goals every 90 days. Ramirez also advocates creating a visual "map" which I love. Dealing with Fear was great because, let's face it, we all deal with fear when it comes to the goals we set, even if it's a small fear. The best thing to always be thinking is, "What's the worst that can happen?" If I write this story/novel, yes, it might be rejected, but then again, it might not. You can't let fear stop you from possibly experiencing that it won't be rejected. Ramirez says that "FEAR IS: False Evidence Appearing Real." Telling, isn't it? I think this last one is my favorite: Never Ever Quit. Yes, we might fail time and again, but the point is to never give up. We need to always hold onto that childhood mentality of the sky's the limit. This passage from the book nearly brought me to tears (yes, I'm an emotional wreck):Do you remember what it felt like to be that age? Do you remember with what kind of anticipation you would respond when someone asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" You couldn't wait. Being grown up was going to be awesome.So what happened? Where did it go wrong? At what point did you take those dreams and place them in a box at the back of the closet to gather dust? At what point did you say to yourself, "Well, that would be nice...but it will never happen."I believe it can happen. I believe it does happen for those who are too stubborn or too stupid (or maybe a little bit of both) to put their dreams in that box. I believe your dreams should be displayed proudly on the shelf where you can look at them every day and say with confidence and expectation, "That is where I am headed!", but you will never get there if you quit.I want to display my dreams on the shelf! I want to say to myself every day, "That's where I'm headed!"...and I will. Ramirez also included in this chapter a favorite quote of mine from Theodore Roosevelt:"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."Awesome!"The best days of your life, regardless of your age, should be the days ahead; the days you have not yet lived," says Ramirez. I wholeheartedly agree! A lifetime of achievement is to have your dreams, strive toward those dreams, to not be afraid of the journey, and to never quit that journey. If you're searching for something to help you along on your journey, get this book. I know it will now be a constant resource in my life.