The Audacity of Hope eBook edition

It is eerily fitting that the author of The Audacity of Hope was written by a man who had the audacity to run for President of the United States of America. One look at the portrait on the cover told you that his chance to be President was roughly equivalent to the proverbial snowball in hell.

And yet somehow we woke up this morning with "a skinny black kid with a funny name" as the next President of the USA. Unbelievable from where I sit!

It wasn't that long ago (70 years) that the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow a "colored" woman to give a concert in their hall. As a side note -- I always find this story the ultimate irony! Women who's ancestors fought and died for freedom actually denying Marian Anderson access to a building! But I digress.

I am old enough to remember Selma and Montgomery and the passage of the Voting Rights Act. I am old enough to have heard Martin Luther King voice his dream.

In those dark days it seemed an impossible dream! Just the idea that his "children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" was unfathomable. And yet this morning those children will wake up to a country where their Dad's dream has come true!

My Dad used to say that "we are saved by hope." As a teenager I thought it was perhaps the corniest thing I had ever hears. And yet this morning I can't help but think that he was on to something.

After all. what keeps us going in the face of incredible odds? It is sometimes simply the belief in a positive outcome; the feeling we can get what we want or that at the very least everything will turn out for the best.

Hope brings out the best in all of us. Hope is the sometimes the only thing that gets us out of bed in the morning. Hope is the bedrock of the American Dream. And at least for this moment in time, hope reigns in America.

If you haven't done so yet, do yourself a favor and read Barak Obama's message of hope:

In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners’ minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Senator Obama called “the audacity of hope.”

Now, in The Audacity of Hope, Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics–a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the “endless clash of armies” we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of “our improbable experiment in democracy.” He explores those forces–from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media–that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment.

At the heart of this book is Senator Obama’s vision of how we can move beyond our divisions to tackle concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity of American families, the racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and the transnational threats–from terrorism to pandemic–that gather beyond our shores. And he grapples with the role that faith plays in a democracy–where it is vital and where it must never intrude. Underlying his stories about family, friends, members of the Senate, even the president, is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus.

A senator and a lawyer, a professor and a father, a Christian and a skeptic, and above all a student of history and human nature, Senator Obama has written a book of transforming power. Only by returning to the principles that gave birth to our Constitution, he says, can Americans repair a political process that is broken, and restore to working order a government that has fallen dangerously out of touch with millions of ordinary Americans. Those Americans are out there, he writes–“waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them.”

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Nonprofit's And Sacred Cows? Read IT To Believe It!

'The Budget Building Book for Nonprofits:' by Murray Dropkin & Jim Halpin. This eBook steps you through the terminology and methodology of preparing and using budgets in the special case of the nonprofit organization. The eBook could use a few more computational examples, but it has excellent worksheets and checklists to simplify the task and keep you on track. It says what it has to say very concisely, which helps you to focus on the tips and pointers. It is really like an annotated workbook, complete with a sample budget. If you have to do this stuff, this book is invaluable. The author did an excellent job in bringing the complex and problematic issues of budgeting for Nonprofit organizations and takes you step by step into the process. The Budget Building eBook for Nonprofits takes the fear out of budgeting. 'Death to All Sacred Cows' by Beau Fraser. Death to all Sacred Cows is a non-business book, business eBook. The authors intelligently and with a lot of humor advocate original thinking and reasonable questioning of the status quo as the only way to make a serious mark whether you are a company competing against a market leader or an individual trying to advance your career. "The customer is always right", died a humorous death as did "Teams create the best solutions" and "Internal competition Leads to Better Results" in chapter length explanations about why the sacred cow is dangerous and why it deserves to die. Unlike most business books whose authors try to impress me with their intelligence, Death to All Sacred Cows wins me over with approachable charm and well-argued examples of why everything I thought was true is in fact false. Well worth reading. Use the Coupon Code below to receive a Discount on either of these two eBook Titles.

The Budget-Building Book for Nonprofits: A Step-by-Step Guide for Managers and Boards (Adobe Reader) eBook edition by Dropkin, Murray, Halpin, Jim This best-selling nuts-and-bolts workbook, now in its second edition, has become the gold standard for nonprofit managers and boards who must work through the budget cycle. The book offers practical tools and guidance for completing each step of the budgeting process. › More Info Death to All Sacred Cows eBook edition by Fraser, Beau Never say something offensive in a headline. BANG. Try to find the right balance between playing it safe and pushing the envelope. It's okay to act like a jerk when you're talented. BANG. Sometimes you have to look below the bottom line to see what something's really costing you. A good idea sells itself. › More Info

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Business Views Abroad

'What's Next: The Experts' Guide' by Jane Buckingham. This eBook offered incredible insights on the future! I loved it. It was fun to compare my own predictions with those of the experts. I have been a huge fan of Jane Buckingham since her Modern Girl books, and her latest experts' guide is a must-read for anyone who wants to know how the most compelling people think and feel about what the future holds. It is a fascinating assortment of experts with brilliant points of view. 'Die Broke' by Stephen Pollan. Retirement, as the author points out, is a myth. There is no such thing as retirement. Retirement at age 65 was arbitrarily made up years ago to get rid of the elderly so younger people could fill up those jobs. Interesting point but not sure if I totally agree. My favorite quote from the book was this little gem: "Forget about the pursuit of a holistic work life. You cannot successfully integrate your work and the rest of your life. Your work is not your life. Your work is what you do so you can have a life." Be sure to check below for the Coupon Code. Use it at Checkout to receive a Discount on either or both of these two eBook Titles.

What's Next: The Experts' Guide eBook edition by Buckingham, Jane In her role as founder and president of The Intelligence Group, a consulting and trend-spotting company at the forefront of predictions about the ever-elusive youth and consumer market, Jane Buckingham spends her days looking for the telling details in today's culture that give clues about what our future holds. › More Info Die Broke eBook edition by Pollan, Stephen From America's most trusted financial advisor comes a comprehensive guide to a new and utterly sane financial choice. In Die Broke, you'll learn that life is a game where the loser gives his money to Uncle Sam at the end. › More Info

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It's All A Bunch Of Bull

'A Bull In China' by Jim Rogers. Jim Rogers is one of the few people I respect on Wall Street. A Yankee brain with an Alabama soul devoid of the usual B.S. found in the world of finance. His writing style is lucid, concise and down-to-earth. This eBook drives home the impact China will have on the brave new world. You can look forward to your grandchildren dating Jackie Chan look-alikes. And if the Chinese government chooses to cash in its immense American holdings, your going to wish you were born in a rice paddy. 'Finding the Next Starbucks' by Michael Moe. Every amateur investor's dream is to find the "Next Big Thing," but actually accomplishing this is harder than it sounds. The book lays a great framework for identifying investment ideas...very easy to read, simple but powerful, very engaging. I loved the interviews and industry discussions...a must read for investors, researchers and students alike. Use the Coupon Code below to receive a Discount on either of these two eBook Titles.

BULL IN CHINA eBook edition by Rogers, Jim If the twentieth century was the American century, then the twenty-first century belongs to China. Now the one and only Jim Rogers shows how any investor can get in on the ground floor of “the greatest economic boom since England’s Industrial Revolution.” In this indispensable new book, one of the world’s most successful investors, Jim Rogers, brings his unerring investment acumen to bear on this huge and unruly land now being opened to the world and exploding in potential. › More Info Finding the next Starbucks eBook edition by Moe, Michael Michael Moe was one of the first research analysts to identify Starbucks as a huge opportunity following its IPO in 1992. And for more than fifteen years, he has made great calls on many other stocks, earning a reputation as one of today's most insightful market experts. › More Info

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Being A Quiet Puncher, Is That Possible?

'Punching In' by Alex Frankel. This is a great book! All business owners/entrepreneurs, sociologists, and industrial psychologists must read "Punching In". The author informally studied different cultures of well-known businesses, such as UPS, Starbucks, and Enterprise. Only one of these companies would I work for, after reading this book. "Punching In" is fascinating for those who are business-minded. It is hilarious, and it is from the personal experience of the author. 'Quiet Leadership' by David Rock. In the first major book to explore what business leaders ought to know about the brain, David Rock creatively marshals an abundance of new research to coherently explain how it advances the use of mind-based brain change as the dynamic element of better leadership training. The key to the future of leadership development lies in these pages. Below is a Coupon Code to receive a Discount at Checkout.

Punching In eBook edition by Frankel, Alex Curious to know just what happens behind the "employees only" doors of big companies, journalist Alex Frankel embarked on an undercover reporting project to find out how some of America's well-known companies win the hearts and minds of their retail and service employees. Frankel knew the only way to find answers was to go native. › More Info Quiet Leadership eBook edition by Rock, David Improving the performance of your employees involves one of the hardest challenges in the known universe: changing the way they think. In constant demand as a coach, speaker, and consultant to companies around the world... › More Info

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Blog About Blogging... And Law That We Understand

'Realty Blogging' by Peter Tetzakian. As more traditional marketing avenues and vehicles continue to lose market share to their digital cousins, the real estate industry would be wise to gain as much understanding as we can about all of the potential advantages inherent in the organic World Wide Web, and all the new strategies, including blogging. In this new book, Richard expertly details and clarifies this new phenomenon for real estate professionals. It is the best eBook on blogging for real estate professionals. 'The Criminal Law Handbook: Know Your Rights, Survive the System' by Paul Bergman, Sara J. Barrett. An excellent source book for "getting it right" for lay persons who want to "cut to the quick" in the search for answers to legal problems concerning the criminal law system. No mumbo jumbo legalese here, just straight talk in plain English. Kudos to you and your effort. Look at the bottom of this Blog for the Coupon Code to receive a Discount on these two eBook Titles.

Realty Blogging eBook edition by Tertzakian, Peter Are you blogging for your real estate business? Realty Blogging shows you how to fully utilize this powerful, direct-communication marketing tool, giving you all the know-how you need to capture the interest and business of local homeowners, buyers, and sellers. › More Info The Criminal Law Handbook: Know Your Rights, Survive the System (Adobe Reader) eBook edition by Bergman, Paul, Berman-Barrett, Sara J. The best plain-English book on criminal law available! The criminal justice system is a complex maze, full of confusing rules and procedures. Fortunately, you can turn to this book for clear and complete explanations. The Criminal Law Handbook answers your questions about every part of a criminal case. Find out everything you’ve ever wanted to know about how the system works and why police, lawyers and judges do what they do. It covers: › More Info

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Do You Follow The Leader?

'Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life' by Donald Trump. This was a great motivational book full of insight from one of the best. It is annoying how people cannot appreciate another person's success such as Donald Trump. It is just my opinion that when a man worth billions of dollars writes a fantastic book on how he got there and gives you tips along the way to help you become successful, you take his advice. It's a must read! 'Enough' by Juan Williams. I tend to like Juan William's take on issues of race relations in America today and purchased this book because I thought it might be enlightening. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed. Instead of providing more insight into the current state of affairs, it tended to be largely an expansion on Cosby's 2004 speech at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. There are a couple of reasons I would not give this book a Five Star Rating. First, the book tends to repeat itself. Second, it comes across as too much of a defense of Bill Cosby. However, I recommend reading this book as it does fill in many gaps as to how we got to where we are now. Look below for the Coupon Code to receive a discount on these two eBook titles.

Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life eBook edition by Trump, Donald J. Donald J. Trump is an icon: the very definition of the American success story. The star of The Apprentice and developer of some of the planet's most prestigious real estate, he's been on the bottom and risen to become one of the world's wealthiest men. › More Info ENOUGH by Williams, Juan Half a century after brave Americans took to the streets to raise the bar of opportunity for all races, Juan Williams writes that too many black Americans are in crisis—caught in a twisted hip-hop culture, dropping out of school, ending up in jail, having babies when they are not ready to be parents, and falling to the bottom in twenty-first-century global economic competition. In Enough, Juan Williams issues a lucid, impassioned clarion call to do the right thing now, before we travel so far off the glorious path set by generations of civil rights heroes that there can be no more reaching back to offer a hand and rescue those being left behind. › More Info

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Knowledge Is Power!

"The Blue Way illuminates the essential political nature of corporations and personal investing-and then charts a course to bring socially progressive investing to a whole new level. This book can change the world." - Ben Cohen. This is an important, timely book. Adamson and Andrew make a compelling case that sustainable investing strategies and progressive economic policies simply work better over the long term. "Deflation", this book has a lot of interesting history about booms and busts since the 1800s. Moreover, even though history does not repeat itself exactly, the author explains what lessons can be learned. Deflation is a subject that most of us have not thought about much. This eBook will get you thinking. Both of these titles compliment each other. I found them interesting. From experience, when reading Investment, or Economy based books I have a hard time staying stimulated and interested. I found that not the case with these eBooks. New and notable, a must read. Check below for your coupon code to receive a discount on these two titles.

BLUE WAY eBook edition by Adamson, Daniel de Faro Turning conventional wisdom on its head, The Blue Way shows why socially progressive companies that make political contributions to "blue" politicians and causes outperform "red" companies.The idea that progressives are better at businesses than conservatives will surprise most people - including many progressives. But as The Blue Way shows, in nearly every sector of the economy, blue companies are the top performers. As a result, an investor who places his money in stocks of blue companies will do better than one who chooses red companies or who chooses to invest in the market as a whole. In The Blue Way, Daniel Adamson and Joe Andrew, cofounders of Blue Investment Management, identify the companies that have the most progressive social values - fair wages, equal opportunity, environmental responsibility - and also contribute to progressive political causes (or are at least neutral). › More Info Deflation eBook edition by Farrell, Chris Deflation is one of the most feared terms in economics. It immediately conjures visions of abandoned farms and idle factories, and streams of unemployed workers standing in breadlines. In this important new book, Chris Farrell explains that deflation need not presage a collapse. In the process he provides new ways of looking at our economic and financial futures. More than an introduction to the subject, Farrell points out that deflation has always been a fundamental aspect of the business cycle. As they did in 19th-century America, deflation and fast economic growth can coexist. However, the impact on business, consumers, investors, policymakers -- and you -- is the subject of this incisive volume. › More Info

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Dog eat Dog World. Leaders and Leadership

Dog eat Dog World! Trades, tricks, and quotes from some of the best businessmen of our time. These two titles are inspiring to me for they give a good look from the inside on what drives success. After reading these eBooks, I realize that success and good business come from a variable of places depending on the motivation, whether it is running a household, corporate CEO, or being deamed the "Pit Bull" of your trade. It seems that successful people are not just this species that have this "special gene" that are only a small % of our population, but can be learned behavior from people we admire. Both these titles are a very good read and I had that warm and fuzzy feeling inside... Butterfly's... call it what you will. You get my point! Nonetheless, I too can take a bite out of the successful pie and so can you.

Pit Bull eBook edition by Schwartz, Martin Welcome to the world of Martin "Buzzy" Schwartz, Champion Trader--the man whose nerves of steel and killer instinct in the canyons of Wall Street earned him the well-deserved name "Pit Bull." This is the true story of how Schwartz became the best of the best, of the people and places he discovered along the way and of the trader’s tricks and techniques he used to make his millions. › More Info The 100 Greatest Leadership Principles of All Time eBook edition by Pockell, Leslie, Avila, Adrienne For anyone preparing to step into a leadership role--be it a corporate CEO, business team leader, church deacon, or head of a household--this unique collection of quotes from 100 great leaders of armies, social movements, political revolutions, fashion revolutions, businesses, and nations is sure to inspire. › More Info

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Knowing What to Do & If You're The Right Person For the Job

Our professional lives are such a huge part of our overall lives - getting things done, getting them done right, it just isn't always that simple anymore. With so many things begging for our attention at work, I've selected two titles to feature this week to help you focus and maximize your time there. The more you bring to your job, the more you'll get out of it. Jim Kilts offers a wonderful insight into his success in acheiving and maintaing focus on the essential tasks at hand as CEO of three major companies. "Doing What Matters," is filled with wonderful vignettes to bring Kilt's experiences to life. Macus Buckingham brings the focus back to you and what you can bring to your daily tasks. Whether you're the CEO, or you are working in the mail room - "Go Put Your Strengths to Work," will help you maximize your skills to improve your whole experience of work. DOING WHAT MATTERS eBook edition by Kilts, James M., Manfredi, John F., Lorber, Robert When Warren Buffett was asked why the Gillette board of directors chose Jim Kilts to be CEO, he said, “Jim made as much sense in terms of talking about business as anybody I’ve ever talked to. If you listen to Jim analyze a business situation you get absolutely no baloney. And, frankly, finding someone like that is a rarity.” There is only one CEO in recent times who has faced—and succeeded at—the extraordinary challenges of leading three major companies—Gillette, Nabisco, and Kraft—into prosperous futures by doing what matters on the fundamentals. That CEO is Jim Kilts. In this vivid first-person account he reveals his system for success that is both cutting-edge and back-to-basics. Doing What Matters—the action plan for identifying and tackling what’s important and ignoring the rest—is the key to winning in a warp-speed world where the need for revolutionary speed and decisiveness increases by the day. Kilts illustrates his ideas with colorful stories, such as “that little red razor.” A new product idea he proposed early on at Gillette, it was initially shelved because “everyone knew you couldn’t sell a red razor,” but went on to become one of Gillette’s biggest marketing successes ever. Jim Kilts’s focus on both business fundamentals and personal attributes provides the “complete package,” showing how to get results that make a difference through: • Intellectual integrity: The ability to face the unvarnished truth about yourself and your business and using what you see as the basis for action. • Generating emotional engagement and enthusiasm: Using the force of your personality and ideas to infuse people and an entire organization with a sense of purpose and mission. • Action: Gillette, with just five product lines, had over 20,000 SKUs. After studying the issue for over two years, there were still 20,000. How Kilts got Gillette off the dime to pare down the number to 7,000 almost overnight is an astonishing example of getting the rubber to meet the road—with enormous benefits to the business. • Understanding the right things through an overarching concept to frame and filter issues: For Jim Kilts it was Total Brand Value, the framework he used in the consumer products industry for achieving better, faster, and more complete results than the competition. Whether you’re CEO of a multibillion-dollar global company, the brand manager for a product, an entrepreneur starting a small business, or just beginning a career, Doing What Matters provides the practical ideas that get results—ranging from a day one action plan for starting a new job to a chorus of cheers and support to a program of total innovation that involves everyone in changes from small to “big bang.” › More Info Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance by Buckingham, Marcus, 'Beginning with the million-copy bestsellers First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths, Marcus Buckingham jump-started the strengths movement that is now sweeping the work world, from business to government to education. Now that the movement is in full swing, Buckingham's new book answers the ultimate question: How can you actually apply your strengths for maximum success at work? Research data show that most people do not come close to making full use of their assets at work -- in fact, only 17 percent of the workforce believe they use all of their strengths on the job. Go Put Your Strengths to Work aims to change that through a six-step, six-week experience that will reveal the hidden dimensions of your strengths. Buckingham shows you how to seize control of your assets and rewrite your job description under the nose of your boss. With structured exercises that will become part of your regular workweek and proven tactics from people who have successfully applied the book's lessons, Go Put Your Strengths to Work will arm you with a radically different approach to your work life. As part of the book's program you'll take an online Strengths Engagement Track, a focused and powerful gauge that has proven to be the best way to measure the level of engagement of your strengths or your team's strengths. You can also download the first two segments of the renowned companion film series Trombone Player Wanted. Go Put Your Strengths to Work will open up exciting uncharted territory for you and your organization. Join the strengths movement and thrive. › More Info

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