Customer Reviews

212: The Extra Degree

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

SL Parker writes on page four of this charming little pamphlet "So simple is the analogy, that you can stop reading right now, walk away with the opening thought firmly planted in your mind and benefit from it for the rest of your life." I'm not sure about the life-long benefits, but I agree that, had I stopped right then & there, I wouldn't have missed a thing.
Big fonts, bigger margins, poor writing & not even a particulary interesting premise. Most of the passion of the book falls in the last few pages where you are enticed to buy copies of the book by the 100's and give them to everyone you know. Let me save you $10. What Mr. Parker wants you to know is this: If you want something, work for it. Hard. That's it. And it's free.

This small, simple book is a must have for everyone. Its profound principle about going "the extra degree" easily applies to the professional and personal parts of our lives. It spread through our organization in just weeks and has become part of the vernacular. When we talk about setting goals, we ask the question: Is it 211 or 212?

212 The Extra Degree by Sam Parker and Mac Anderson is a small book with some big ideas and a great way of simplifying the notion of taking action and achieving more.

The premise is:

"At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive."

So, it's about the power of one degree, or that tiny bit of extra effort that can make all the difference in our lives.

It's about raising your awareness and understanding that one extra bit of effort, one additional bit of action, can totally change your results. To that end, they have included some quite interesting stories, statistics and quotes throughout the book.

Some of these you will be familiar with, particularly if you are a student of motivational literature. But, some, you might find worth learning about.

One of these is that the average margin of victory in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 over the last ten years has been 1.54 seconds (how quick is that?) and that the winner--the driver who got there 1.54 seconds faster than the one behind him won more than double the prize money. That's an expensive couple of seconds.

The book is divided into five sections/chapters.

1--Introduction - What 212 degrees is all about.
2--Thoughts and Facts--quotes and examples that illustrate the concept.
3--Stories about Success, Attitude, Leadership, Kindness, Commitment, Belief, Focus and Perseverance.
4--Actions. Sample action steps which will help you heat things up to 212.
5--Reflections. Information about using the 212 information to improve your life--with examples on such ideas as practicing kindness, stopping complaining, and more.

Maintaining motivation can be difficult. Inertia overtakes us and we dig ourselves a rut and hunker down in it, or we burn ourselves out trying to do and be everything and dig ourselves a hole and crawl in. Having resources like this book on hand can help you climb back out and get back to work on what you are supposed to be doing. Then, you'll find yourself climbing mountains and raising the bar. The view is so much better up there!

This book and/or DVD are great for gifts, too--particularly graduations, or for people just starting new adventures such as new jobs, new businesses, enrolling in college, or training for a marathon or 5K.

Simple Truths is a company that specializes in inspirational and motivational books. This book begins by a simple scientific fact, which is that 211 degrees water is hot, but just one more degree (212) and it boils, thus creating steam. Steam can create power and movement. It uses this analogy to give inspiration to the reader push themselves to greater achievement.

The material covers things like thoughts and facts, showing how success is measured by fractions of seconds and holding on a minute longer. The book has various quotes from great men such as Vince Lombardi who said, "Inches make a champion." This book has various short stories to further provide examples of successful people going that one extra mile in order to achieve greatness.

It emphasizes how attitude determines how far a person will succeed in life. The final two sections deal with actions and reflections. Besides the full color beautiful photographs, a DVD is also included in the back of the book. In conclusion, this is a book for anyone interested in how to push forward in their lives. This is also the kind of book you will want to give as gifts to your friends and relatives.

Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Season of the Warrior: a poetic tribute to warriors)

212: THE EXTRA DEGREE by Sam Parker is a short book--make that,
a very short one--that has a lot of meat in its relatively few pages.

You may have seen its basic premise; e.g., in an email that's
been widely circulated on the Internet (without giving proper
credit to Parker):

* At 211 degrees, water is hot.

At 212 degrees, it boils.

And with boiling water, comes steam.

And with steam, you can power a train.

One degree.

Applying one extra degree of temperature to water means the difference
between something that is simply very hot and something that generates
enough force to power a machine--a beautifully uncomplicated metaphor
that ideally should feed our every endeavor--consistently pushing us to
make the extra effort in every task, action and effort we undertake.
Two-twelve serves as a forceful drill sergeant with its motivating and
focused message while adhering to a scientific law--a natural law. It
reminds us that seemingly small things can make tremendous
differences. So simple is the analogy, that you can stop reading right
now, walk away with the opening thought firmly planted in your mind
and benefit from it for the rest of your life.

I like how Parker then expands this premise through a series
of thought-provoking facts, including this one:

* Two of auto racing's premier events are The Daytona 500
(stock car) and the Indianapolis 500 (formula one). Each takes
roughly three to three and half hours to complete. In the 10-year
period between 1997 and 2006, combining all 20 races, the winner
took the checkered flag by an average margin of 1.71 seconds and
took home $1,426,003 in first place prize money. The average
prize for the second place finisher was $716,464--a difference of
$709,539 - roughly half of the amount banked by the winner.

The author also offers a series of action steps you can take, such as:

* Eliminate one half hour of television watching each day and get
182.5 hours each year to allocate elsewhere (equivalent to four and
half weeks at work).

And he concludes with several reflections that will get you
thinking about life . . . I particularly liked the following:

* Complaining once less a day chokes off 365 seeds of negativity
a year.

As the holidays approach, methinks 212 would be the perfect
stocking stuffer for almost anybody on your list--including your
children and grandchildren, as well as nieces and nephews, who
could all gain from Parker's valuable insights.

I got this book to help motivate me to get back in shape, and it has really helped! It's such a quick read that I plan to read it at least a few times a month to keep my mind "in shape" as well! I highly recommend this book!

I've always been a firm believer in the expression "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." At a time when stressors are at an all-time high, this book serves as a gentle reminder that our demeanor, disposition, and overall presence has a huge impact on the results we get in our work and lives. This book is not in your face with self-help strategies, but it's also not packed with earth shattering new insights. Buy it, read it, and remember one degree does make all the difference in the world.
"At 211 degrees, water is hot.
At 212 degrees, it boils." One degree can make all the difference!

This book is in the "Who Moved the Cheese" short book vein. However, it has a simple, valuable message. You could easily read it in one sitting. I would recommend it.

Very impactful book and very beneficial whether you are in sales or whatever your profession. Very easy to read. I gave them to my children who are in sales.

This book is a simple but great tool that explains the rewards of pushing just a little harder. There's nothing earth shattering here, but a good (and QUICK) read. After reading it, I bought one for all of our company's managers.