This past week I read 3 books:
“Love Boldly”, by Becky Mackintosh about embracing your LGBTQ loved ones and your faith – the story of her son, Sean, coming out after 24 years of hiding his truth; eBook version –
“A Mind for Sales”, by Mark Hunter, helping with the mental aspect of how we can sell better, keep our value, make it a Win-Win for our clients and us; Audible version –
“The Old Man And The Sea”, by Ernest Hemingway, about a speaker who goes too far out into the wilderness in search of keeping his career going and nearly kills himself in the pursuit of getting a really great gig, only to have the gig canceled as he comes back to shore.
Oh wait, the book is about something else with a guy and a fish, but wow, it speaks to me.
I read that book’s paperback version, which I bought at Hemingway’s house 2 years ago when I was there for a speech, and after leaving, finally had the courage to start writing books myself.
Every day we can choose what we consume.
Amidst the struggles of the past 3 months, and especially the last 2 weeks, it is essential to listen and learn, while equally choosing as much as we can where we put our focus.
I wept as I read Becky’s book on my iPhone about her son, and it helped me greatly during this challenging time in our nation to open my heart to those who suffer in silence. I am committed to listening more, asking better questions, speaking up when I feel I should, and doing something for those in need.
A new promise at a higher level.
I laughed many times aloud with a triumphant excitement listening to Mark speak about how silly it is to not be confident in selling, as my belief in myself had dwindled over the past 3 months of being cut down left and right by so many telling me I can’t deliver anything but a LIVE experience, as I have now turned around and made virtual events begin to really happen.
This for me is the promise to not give up.
I cried multiple times, as I always do with my annual reading of the great Santiago’s struggle to catch and hang on to the giant marlin that pulls him deep out to sea, and the ensuing sharks that eat his prize before he can return home, after 80+ days of not having a catch. I don’t know if a book can resonate more with what I’m experiencing this second than this book of the old man and the sea.
The promise to still believe you have what it takes.
And then I sat down and wrote a book.
It’s almost done, 10 chapters devoted to the promise of the financial and insurance industry professional. I will release it to those who hire me for their events, a private eBook just about them, as they are the industry most resonating with The Promise messaging and hiring me to do virtual events that motivate and inspire their advisors during this coming summer.
The books we read and the books we write, the ones we remember that live in our hearts forever, those that change us upon challenging us, the book that we’ve never written but always meant to…
I love books.
I love learning.
I love having my mind filled with goodness, struggle, solutions, adventure, pain, ideas, creations, inspiration, hope –
And I love when a book makes me DO SOMETHING.
My Promise is to DO more.
That’s what those books did for me.
What are you reading these days?
~ jason hewlett
Leadership Expert * Virtual Keynote Speaker * Speaker Hall of Fame
The Promise
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4 Responses
I am so grateful you have embraced over your lifetime a love of reading. I started in 1st grade which an exceptional reading teacher who inspired my love for learning and reading over the years. There is much to be derived from the printed and now online, and audio recorded word. Your example inspires me to read even more these coming days.
I’m very grateful for a father who inspired such reading, and we can continue to converse about those things we have read through the years. Thank you for commenting and excited to learn more of what has inspired you in the coming days.
This weekend, I started Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. I’ve recently finished reading The Gift of Adult ADD by Lara Honos-Webb, PhD, Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz, and the Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown, PhD, LMSW. All were excellent! I also love reading, learning, and growing! Thanks for the wealth of information (and humor) that you continue to share with all of us! I look forward to your emails every week!
This is so great Sabrina. Thank you for sharing and your kind words. I love that you are reading such amazing books, I’ll have to look into those.