Customer Reviews

Get the Prize: Nine Keys for a Life of Victory

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Written in an easy to read and smooth style, author Larry Hehn gives nine points, each broken down in chapter form, on how to live a life of victory. I've read many of these types of books (trying to glean something from each) for it's very true that "an unexamined life is not worth living."

I am not sure who I'm quoting there, but it's so true. I would give a hardy recommendation to any looking to make improvements in their life to pick up a copy of this book and do some self reflecting. I know that there was much in here, especially for a book worm like myself, that won't be brand new advice, but there's always something to gain from reading well thought out words of wisdom. Sometimes you just need to hear things put a certain way for them to ring a bell inside your head.

I'd give this one a strong recommendation for using as a gift to the high school grad or the college student, I wish I'd had more of this kind of wisdom placed into my brain when I was younger, it might have made a big difference over time, often small changes, small habits, over time, can make or break certain dreams and visions.

Hehn uses some Biblical wisdom, but never in a preachy way, and lots of sports analogies (which are universal enough even non-sports people will catch his meanings). There are many little stories from his personal life and they made the book read more like someone was telling you a little bit about himself than someone was trying to "teach" something, which made a big difference in it's readability.

Lastly, I came away with the impression that Larry Hehn is a genuine nice guy and his work here was intended to help others.

I was most struck by the profound similarities between the journey the author took, resulting in this book, with where I find myself today and where I want to be. The short quote on the back cover states this: "Like many of us, Larry Hehn avoided "the Prize" for years. Rather than use his unique talents to pursue his true vocation, he traded the full use of his gifts for the false security of a predictable income". That grabbed my attention.

The book itself is simple, and straightforward, but often it is in simplicity where we find truth. He addresses very basic philosophies that impact our lives, including choosing our attitude, recapturing child like wonder, acknowledging our weaknesses, taking risks, and how to take others with us by sowing generously and selflessly.

The book contains sections in the manner of a workbook, where you can write in personal views and answer some of the direct questions posed. The formatting allows one to read the whole book quickly, or take a quick section in a few minutes and work through it. It would be an ideal book for a study group to take on a section a week.

I found the tone to be light and encouraging, while at the same time direct and motivating. Sometimes wisdom comes in simple packaging, and here is a great example of that concept in practice.

"Make a point of always knowing why you do what you do. Choose the high road and do everything you can to get you closer to the person you were meant to become. Drop all activities that keep you from getting there. Make every moment count. Live a life of purpose." ~ Larry Hehn ~

There are so many beautiful things that inspire me and this book is one of them. This inspiring book gave me renewed encouragement to attain my ultimate goals and aspirations in life. Mr. Larry Hehn, an accomplished speaker, excellent author and a creative illustrator, did a superb job in writing this inspirational and motivational book. He not only outlined the most important factors in achieving a life of victory by way of nine steps, but also citing examples from his own personal experiences. The nine keys are as follow:

1. Choose
2. Become Like Little Children
3. Ask
4. Commit
5. Do Everything
6. Work At It With All Your Heart
7. Sharpen
8. Sow Generously
9. Let Your Light Shine

The first key is all about the choices we make with regard to our attitudes, habits and relationships. It's always been a part of my philosophy to look at things at a positive perspective. There's nothing like having a positive frame of mind, good habits and dignified relationship, interaction and rapport with people that we interact not only on a day-to-day basis but in the course of our lives be it our friends, our co-workers, our families and loved ones.

One of the most inspiring key is to "commit." Mr. Hehn talks about commitments in following our dreams, personal growth and ultimately the satisfaction and fulfillment of our dreams.

"What is commitment, anyway?" the author asked. "It's pushing beyond your comfort zone. It's focusing on the prize and not the effort. It's earning the respect of others and causing untold resources to come available that you never knew existed. It's stepping out of faith and knowing that you are on your way to living a life of purpose and significance." When we commit to something, we should put not only our minds but also our hearts and souls to it a hundred percent.

Chapter Five is about doing everything with specific intent even when you don't feel like it and even when you think you can't. I always make it a point to go an extra-mile to the things I want to do and I give 110% to everything I set my mind on, be it my own personal projects or projects that are work-related. In line with the next topic which is Chapter Six and all about our jobs, working hard and working smart, I have an excellent work ethic and I'm a workaholic. I can't stand being idle. I'd rather be busy as a bee than being idle and doing nothing. And I have always admired friends and co-workers who have excellent work ethics, and have set goals for themselves and knew exactly what they want and where they are heading to.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" ~ Philippians 4:18 ~

The above quote is one of my favorite verses from the Holy Bible. There are times when I think of the things that are so impossible and hard to do or accomplish. All I have to do is to ponder on the above verse coupled with my earnest prayers and everything will turn out smoothly and voila - a job well done! There's nothing that can really stop us from doing the things that we truly want to do. If at first we don't succeed, don't be discouraged. It's not the end of the world! Try again until we have succeeded and we'll be surprised that each attempt to succeed comes with renewed enthusiasm and dedication.

"If we do all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves." ~ Thomas Edison ~

Chapter Eight is about "Sowing Generously." Mr. Hehn believes that sowing generously means sowing wisely, willingly and unselfishly. I totally agree with him and this is one of the best chapters in this wonderful book. I firmly believe in what Mr. Hehn has written -- "We reap what we sow." The same is true with - "If you want people to treat you with respect, you need to treat yourself and others with respect."

And the last chapter is about letting your light shine through by taking into consideration all these principles, studying them, applying them and teaching them through example.

I wholeheartedly recommended this inspiring book for your reading pleasure. It's a must-read! It's such a good book to be missed out. It's also a great gift not only this Christmas but for any occasions. You'll love all of Mr. Hehn's examples and personal experiences cited as well as the remarkable quotations, Biblical and otherwise.

"In a race, all runners run, but only one gets the prize. Run in such a way as to get the prize." ~ Larry Hehn ~

* * * * *TEN STARS* * * * *

I've read scores of self-help and leadership books. Many of them sound like they're copies of each other--different authors simply regurgitating the same worn-out ideas and stories. "Get the Prize" isn't one of these.

The concepts Larry Hehn writes about aren't new. And that's a good thing. He's writing about timeless principles. Would they be "timeless" if they were new? In fact, his "nine keys" are firmly grounded in biblical truths.

What makes "Get the Prize" stand out is that Hehn expresses these truths with completely refreshing originality. The source of that originality is his life experience. Often the stories in books of this type are little more than watered down cliches. By using the story he knows the best, his own, he breathes new life into changeless truths.

"Get the Prize" could be a book that will change your life, if you back up what you read with action. It can be read from cover to cover or used as a workbook to assess and redirect your life. Personally, I didn't find the workbook-like questions helpful. But I think they will be for some readers.

I would recommend picking up a copy of "Get the Prize." It will be a great start if you're new to this genre; a refreshing boost if you're well versed in it. "Get the Prize" definitely has a place in my library.

CONTENTS:
Foreword
Introduction
1. Choose
2. Become Like Little Children
3. Ask
4. Commit
5. Do Everything
6. Work At It With All Your Heart
7. Sharpen
8. Sow Generously
9. Let Your Light Shine
Epilogue: Be Transformed

Get the Prize uses the analogy of life as a race to encourage you to set some direction, make purposeful progress and keep trying. The book emphasizes nine keys "for a life of victory." These keys are:

1. Choose your attitudes, habits and relationships
2. Become like a child (acknowledge your weaknesses, adapt and persist)
3. Ask (right questions, big questions, and ask often)
4. Commit to following your dreams, personal growth and action
5. Do everything with specific intent, even when you don't feel like acting, and even when you don't think you can
6. With all your heart at your vocation, work hard and work smart
7. Work with mentors to sharpen your skills with challenges, wisdom and encouragement
8. Sow the world with your efforts wisely, willingly and selflessly
9. Study, apply and teach these principles to others to let you light shine

Those are worthy suggestions. The way they are conveyed is however unusually effective. Mr. Hehn uses small stories, many from his own life, to capture the essence of each lesson. I thought his personal stories were terrific! He then adds questions to help you apply the principles and plenty of room to write down your answers in the book. Further, he adds his own illustrations and cartoons to give the lessons a light emotional touch. Further, each section contains one or more interesting quotations . . . many with a Biblical base.

The book ends with a wonderful poem, The Race, by D.H. (Dee) Groberg in which a small boy falls during a race and keeps picking himself up again, until he finishes . . . to the praise of all who saw him persist.

The feeling that I got from the book was not unlike the endless optimism that I felt as a 10 year-old starting up with my first baseball team. I seldom feel that way any more, but this book with its many sports stories from youth leagues brought it all back.

The book will be of most value to those who played sports as a young person. Some women may find that Get the Prize works less well for them because of the sports analogy and many sports stories. Although there are team anecdotes, the emphasis is on individual performance . . . and individual contribution. Those who favor the values of cooperation and team accomplishment may find this book a little too individualistic for their taste.

I've read many self-help books that were intended to inspire and help the reader make progress. This is one of the best. Give it a try!

If you knew that you could ultimately not fail, what would you start doing now? Don't wait! Get started!!

I must confess that I am not really a fan of `self-help' books of this sort - I suppose it is that I jaded a bit by too many `infomercials' telling me how to get rich quick if I'll only do this or that, so I always approach books such as this one with more than a little bit of suspicion. Happily, this is a book that is not promising a get-rich-quick scheme; indeed, it doesn't promise riches (in terms of material wealth) at all, but looks for something far more valuable and long lasting, that is, personal fulfillment.

Author Larry Hehn describes in the stories here some of his own struggles in life with overcome unhelpful attitudes and self-defeating personal practices. He identifies nine key principles toward getting `the prize' - the ultimate prize is most likely a life worth living, but in fact Hehn lets each reader decide for herself or himself what the prize truly is. Hehn derives these nine principles largely from Biblical texts and ideas, but they are more generally applicable, as the reader will discover, and are certainly not tied to any particular denominational framework.

The first principle is that of Choosing - you get to choose, not just your prize and what you work toward, but all through life each step of the way. Will your attitude be positive or negative? Will you approach set-backs as challenges or as obstacles? Choosing the right thing needs to become a matter of habit - as Hehn writes, no one gains 20 pounds of unwanted weight overnight, but rather through a long-term succession of dietary choices; our choices similarly add up to making us who we are.

Supplementing the narrative text about choosing attitude, habits, and relationships, Hehn includes questions for reflection (with space for writing the answers in the book), pull-quote boxes with passages from the Bible and other important texts and thinkers, as well as graphics that are simple, humourous and meaningful.

Each of the nine principles proceeds in a similar fashion. The principles include becoming like little children, asking, committing, doing everything, working with one's whole heart, getting sharpened, sowing generously, and letting your light shine. Some of these principles sound easy, and in fact are easy, from a conceptual standpoint. Of course commitment is required. Of course one should ask (`ask, and it shall be given'). But putting these principles into practice requires dedication and perseverance.

Some of these concepts may seem difficult - just what does `doing everything' mean? Who has the time? Hehn's gentle descriptions and encouragements show how the reader can make a change from getting by in life to becoming fully engaged, to become wholeheartedly involved and do everything required for particular tasks and for long-range goals.

Each of us has stories in life that can be instructive - Hehn's stories for me helped me to revisit my own history, finding parallel examples in my life that could work as motivational examples or instructional warnings. It is a worthwhile book for personal as well as group work, working toward making life more full and headed toward the prize.

Are you in a rut? Not achieving up to your dreams? Not living the life you were meant to? Not contributing what you should to your community? Well then, rush out and buy a copy of "Get The Prize" by Larry Hehn. It will not only pick you up, it will grab you by your shirt-front, throw you against the wall, and force you to answer some hard questions. Like, what can you do about your goal in the next five minutes? This book has punch. It moves along quickly, with verve and humor. It contains so much adrenaline it will make you shake.

And, it will make you think and reflect. It is easy reading, in a sense, but it is also meant to be re-read, studied in fact. It calls for the reader to do things, to take specific actions. It won't happen right away, of course, but if you take the book seriously it will bring about change.

Author Larry Hehn, who is a Canadian and a ferocious hockey player, writes with ease and grace. He peppers the text with humorous anecdotes from personal experience, throws in his own original drawings, and provides questions for home study. Author Hehn insists that there is no such thing as self-help, so his book should not be called a self-help book. He makes a very strong case for community--for finding people who can help you with your weaknesses, and then doing the same for others. So this is a help-each-other book. It is also inspirational, motivational, and demanding. It is a book to be read more than once. I highly recommend it. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

Of all the books coming out these days on "How to Achieve Success" this is one of the best. Larry covers all the key attributes of successful people, and shows you in clear terms what you need to ASK FROM YOURSELF to achieve the greatness within you. I found this book to be an empowering and inspiring read.

Another thing I liked about this book was Larry's down to earth, practical style. He writes not only about his successes but also about his personal humbling experiences as well. Plus the cartoons in this book are A+. I found them both humorous and empowering!

If this book would be a mandatory read by all high school graduates, this world would be a much better place to live. I highly recommend it.

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works

Written in an engaging, easygoing style, and sometimes with marvelous humor, the basic principles outlined in this book stand the test of time and are invaluable to getting the most out of every facet of one's life.
It is also part workbook, as after many sections it asks insightful questions, and gives one the page space to answer, sharpening one's self-knowledge, goals, and much more.
The selected quotes from other sources, most of them from the Bible, are wonderful, and also adding much to the book is the final poem, "The Race", by D.H. Groberg.

Chapter 1, "Choose", is one of the most important, as every moment of our lives we make choices, and with every choice add another brush-stroke to the portrait of our life. Here Mr. Hehn delineates the consequences of our choices, with our attitudes, habits, and relationships, and it is the latter that is illustrated with one of Larry's many clever cartoons, giving the reason we no longer have unicorns living among us.
Chapter 4, "Commit", is also one of my favorites, with a very important point made on page 51: "Often we place too much emphasis on the desired results, and not enough on the person we need to be to achieve and support those results".

There are many sports examples given, and how they directly relate to the "game of life". Complacency and mediocrity won't win you any medals or satisfaction, on or off the playing field, and though it takes courage and determination to make these "Nine Keys" work, the reward is mighty, and will lead to making the fullest use of your capabilities, and also to being a better human being.

More than just for adults, this would be a terrific book for a family to read and discuss together, and I highly recommend it for teenagers or for any adult who is mentoring a youngster. The language is simple enough for a young person to comprehend, and Larry tells many stories from his school days that a teen would relate to; it is never too soon to get started on the right path to success and the ethics of living a good, productive life.
It is never too late either, to make a commitment to excellence, and make the most of your God-given talents; this is a great motivational book, at any stage of your life.

Let me say I'm not a fan of motivational speakers or books. I appreciate the message, but I don't always like the tactics, the style, the flash, and the glossing over of life's difficulties. If someone expects me to get excited, I tend to do the opposite.

Along comes Larry Hehn. He sends me an email and asks if I'd be interested in the book. I warn him that I'll be honest. I tell him I'm not a fan of this sort of thing. Nevertheless, I agree to give it a shot.

Hehn is more than a motivational writer. He's a storyteller, an encourager, a realist and an optimist. I sped through the book, uncovering gems of wisdom, pearls of truth, and lodes of laughter. I didn't want to appreciate the book as much as I did. Hehn convinced me, though, he has something worth saying and he's more than capable of presenting it in an easygoing style.

If you're in search of a mentor, if you're ready to get off your duff and pursue your goals and dreams, then pick up this book and "Get the Prize."