Customer Reviews

Success Bound: Breaking Free of Mediocrity

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Gilbert asserts (and I agree) that, for various reasons, many people may be willing but are unable to escape from mediocrity in their careers as well as in their personal lives. They are victims of what he calls "FAILURE-itis." Gilbert speaks from his own experience from which he learned 21 strategies "to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones, solve any problem, overcome any obstacles, and achieve any goal" he could set for himself. Having the benefit of what Gilbert shares in this book, will it then be easy for anyone else to do so? Of course not. The journey to success (however one defines it) involves overcoming numerous and formidable barriers; there are great perils along the way; and not everyone embarked on that journey eventually completes it. In this context, I am reminded of Henry Ford's observation: "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." Hence the importance of having a positive attitude, a confidence in one's abilities, and a determination (preferably a tenacity) to achieve success, once embarked.

Gilbert carefully organizes his 21 strategies within four Parts: Rainbows After the Rain (i.e. viewing "failure" within an appropriate context from the right perspective), Wisdom for Young and Old (i.e. leveraging knowledge from failure to gain wisdom), Shatter the Glass Ceiling (i.e. replacing a fear of failure with an appreciation of benefits to be derived from what it reveals), and Free to Live and Love (i.e. how to "fail in love" and thereby nourish an "active faith"). I hope my parenthetical i.e. comments do not incorrectly suggest that Gilbert advocates a soft-headed, "feel good," "You can do it!" approach. On the contrary, make no mistake bout it, he fully understands how difficult it is to overcome negativism and despair with positive, affirmative values. As he candidly acknowledges in this book, it took him years to do so. His own journey to success continues. His life remains a "work in progress," as is everyone else's.

Throughout the book, Gilbert includes dozens of especially relevant quotations (from diverse sources as Thomas Edison, S.I. Hayakawa, Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Stephen Covey, Robert Allen, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Benjamin Franklin) which help to illustrate as well as support the key ideas with which he concludes each chapter. Some readers may be uncomfortable with Gilbert's frequent references to basic tenets of his Christian faith. Frankly, I commend him for sharing them. His purpose is to place proper emphasis on spiritual values whatever each reader's religious faith (if any) may be. Those captive to mediocrity tend to be self-preoccupied and frequently view themselves as victims of forces over which they have little (if any) control. Connors, Smith, and Hickman have much of value to say about this in The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability. One of the most important assertions in this book is that each person not only can but should determine what her or his purpose in life is. Gilbert is totally convinced that each of us "is meant to succeed in life. It is our destiny." He goes on to quote Thoreau: "Men are born to succeed, not to fail." Gilbert is thoroughly convinced that success is a human birthright. It remains for each person to decide what to do with that birthright.

It is possible but unlikely that every person who reads this book will immediately embark on a journey to fulfill her or his human potential but several will. Some will then become discouraged because of a fear of failure, others because of a fear of success. The strategies which Gilbert shares obviously offer no guarantee of success but they do provide valuable perspectives on human nature which, I am convinced, will help many people to free themselves from self-imposed limits, to become more forgiving of themselves and therefore of others, to turn at least some stumbling blocks into stepping stones, to solve at least some problems, to overcome at least some obstacles, and to achieve at least some goals. Gilbert would be the first to insist that his own "journey" is still underway. Problems and obstacles await him as he proceeds.

There is no "right time" for anyone to embark on such a journey except now, this moment. That is a commitment only each of us can make. To those who have already embarked on that "journey," I join with Gilbert in wishing them bon voyage!

My grandmother had several favorite sayings. One was "If all you do is what other people do, all you get is what other people get...and all you'll ever be is average..."

Read "Success Bound" by Randy Gilbert, and you'll never have to worry about being "just like everybody else" again. "Dr. Proactive" lays out a blueprint for leaving mediocrity behind...a step-by-step guide. It's a nice mix of theory and practical application, punctuated with dozens of insightful quotes.

This is an easy read, but it's also the kind of book you like to put down in your lap every few pages while you stare out the window and ponder the wisdom Randy offers. I especially liked the section on dealing with failure because it reminded me of another of my grandmother's favorite quotes (which I've since learned originated with Henry Ford): "Where you think you can, or whether you think you can't -- either way, you'll be right.

This is a book you should keep on the shelf -- but bring down often to read over and over again.

I found this book to be exciting for the many positive strategies and examples given in it. It is not an overly exuberant 'quick fix' type book like many on the market today.

The strategies given are insightful and can be practised by anyone willing to try. It is also a great reference book in that there are many topics and issues discussed where if you want to pursue them into more depth a book by another author is listed. I enjoyed the examples given about the author's own family, they make the book more personal to the reader.

Being 'pro-active' is now a key method for me that I can use for dealing with daily occurances and long range planning. Plus I have a whole new outlook on how I view and will handle failures in my life. They are no longer something to be dreaded and avoided.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for strategies to improve their life so it is more exciting, fulfilling and successful. For 'life long learners', this book would be a great addition to their library. It's not a book to read just once, but to refer back to and keep throughout one's life.

I love Randy's success tips for how to lead a proactive life in Success Bound. He reinforced my carpe diem approach to life, which includes getting out there, taking chances and thinking outside your box. Randy interviewed me on his Inside Success Show about my "SMART Man Hunting" dating book. He asked great questions that helped me bring out the benefits of proactively searching for Mr. or Mrs. Right. If you want to be encouraged to go after your life dreams, check out Randy's proactive approach to life in this fun book. Go Randy Go!

One of the first things that impressed me about Randy's book is that he summarizes and then builds on all the great teachers of self-improvement, including some of the greatest names in sales and marketing of all time, e.g., Charles Schwab - the man responsible first for selling the idea of US Steel and then developing our modern investment system. Randy also quotes Napoleon Hill, one of my personal favorites, whose book "Think and Grow Rich" is required reading for any marketer/sales person.

If you do not own any self help books or have never read any, "Success Bound" is as good a place to start as any. This book will serve as an excellent introduction to who you should read and gives you a basic introduction to each teacher's ideas.

What is more important about "Success Bound" is that Randy takes the lessons of each of these masters of motivation and synthesizes them into a coherent system based on the premise that to really take control of your life and your own success, you need to be proactive rather than reactive.

The major focus of Randy's proactive approach to success is for each of us to change how we look at and deal with "failure." Randy's proactive approach uses "failure" not as a defeat but rather as a victory. With each failure we eliminate a wrong option in our lives - something that we were not meant to do, and thus bringing us closer to finding out what it is that we are supposed to do. He uses the story of how Thomas Edison tested over a thousand possible filament fibers before he found the one that worked. Edison never labeled all those that did not work as "failures," but rather as one more step on the road to a successful light bulb.

Failure is not something to fear, but something we use to teach us what we need to do in order to succeed. Much of what Randy presents has been said by others. What Randy does that is different is that he actually shows you how to use failure to become successful. As Randy says in his foreword, "There are many books about how to succeed in a myriad of ways. Failure is a subject that is always mentioned, but never fully explained. Some of them go as far as to say that you cannot succeed unless you first learn how to fail; and then leave you hanging." Randy does NOT leave you hanging.

In "Success Bound" Randy presents twenty-one strategies for learning how to fail in a way that leads to ultimate success. I am not quite halfway though my first intensive reading of this book, but already I know that I will read and re-read this book for years to come. I was a bit skeptical when I first started to read this book, even though it comes with some very powerful testimonials from people whose opinions I value, like Jay Conrad Levinson. I want to go on the record saying that this book far exceeded my expectations and is worth considerably more than what Randy is charging for it.

I strongly recommend that you consider adding this book to your personal library.

(...)

How did you learn to read? Did you do it perfectly the first time? Probably not. You spent months learning the proper technique by trying various methods and getting better at the ones that work. People learn most things that way.

As adults, though, we become self-conscious and easily discouraged when our first attempts are not brilliantly successful. Those reactions hold us back from accomplishing more.

Success Bound attacks both reactions head on, and provides wonderful stories and examples to overcome them.

The only other comparable book I have read is John C. Maxwell's Failing Forward. I heartily recommend both Success Bound and Failing Forward. All of us need as much motivation as possible for overcoming our inertia towards doing nothing new. I suggest you reread each book as often as you need to feel motivated to go out and fall on your face, laugh at yourself, pick yourself up and try again with a smile on your bruised and bleeding face.

The book contains 21 strategies that look at the benefits and psychological challenges of trial and error. I found each of them to be very helpful. Mr. Gilbert uses personal examples especially well to bring his points home. He is also very well read, and appropriately and considerately refers to many other fine books. As a result, Success Bound is a great bargain and time saver. It distills the best of over 2 dozen books into one short, easy-to-read one. Unlike many authors who make such references, Mr. Gilbert has the gift of making the material fresher and easier to use than the original. One particularly helpful section explains how to overcome bad thinking habits so that you can make better decisions. Very nice!

Unlike most books about success, this one is aimed at all parts of your life. It deals with religious faith, family, raising children, relationships with others, as well as career issues. If you are a Christian, you will probably especially enjoy the Biblical bonus which explains how accepting spiritual failure is essential to your soul being saved.

You can supplement this book by reading advanced studies of what are the cutting edge practices in your field of interest. By combining that knowledge of what to start trying with an attitude that welcomes learning from your experiences, you'll be unstoppable and your heart will be filled with joy.

...

Written for fans of the greatest self-improvement books of all times, like Dale Carnegies "How to Win Friends and Influence People". This new book "Success Bound" captures their essence and summarizes them all while adding the personal flavor and experience of Randy Gilbert. His clear examples make this a book anyone can understand and appreciate in relation to their everyday life. Take the time to enjoy it, you won't regret the time spent and will come away refreshed as I did.

A lot of self-improvement books skirt around the issue of Christianity. Not so with SUCCESS BOUND: BREAKING FREE OF MEDIOCRITY by Randy Gilbert. There is a unique approach to success here, where the primary focus is learning how to fail before you can learn how to succeed. Gilbert's book gives twenty-one strategies for turning failure into success.

The book is broken into four parts; (1) Rainbows After the Rain addresses the problem so many people have of giving up too soon. They encounter failure a few times and pin the label on themselves rather than on the action plan they used. These first five chapters teach the reader how to overcome this failure mentality. (2.) Wisdom for Young and Old focuses on learning from failures, both yours and the failures of others. Here we begin examining some of the natural laws dealing with success and failure such as the Law of Cause and Effect. (3) Shatter the Glass Ceiling instructs readers on how to overcome self-imposed restrictions we place on ourselves. There is a good bit of detail here on overcoming fear of failure. (4) Free to Live and Love covers familial relationships, both spousal and parenting. This section alone is worth the price of this book.

Society today says it's wrong to keep score in children's games. Gilbert correctly illustrates how this type of political correctness is condemning a generation to life of mediocrity because they never learn how to fail. If you never learn how to fail, you will never learn how to succeed. Gilbert encourages parents to allow their children to fail and he does so in a constructive manor that reminds parents to always show love and support regardless of the result. These chapters alone make this a great book for parents.

There is a ton of information packed into 200-pages. I also love the quotes scattered throughout the book. This is one of the best success focused books you ever read. I did have one disappointment. Gilbert mentions in the book that he had at least two other books in progress, but I have been unable to find any indication that they ever went to print. He does have several books available that are business interviews that he apparently did in a radio show format. I have never read any of these, but they could be worth a look.

Randy Gilbert's strategies illustrated in his book,"Success Bound" shows us how to view our failures not as roadblocks but rather as pathways that will lead us to achieving our
goals and dreams." Priscilla Y. Huff

This book is a must read for anybody who is chasing a tough goal. I have often find that fear of failure holds me back. This is what the book is about, failure managment. After reading this book i changed my attitude to failure . Thomas Edison took more than 10,000 experiments to invent the lightbulb. At something like the 5000th experiment a journalist asked him "so how does it feel to have failed 5000 times Mr Edison". Edison replied "Young man there is something that you dont understand about life. I didnt fail 5000 times i just found 5000 ways that didnt work" This is the attitude that the author is conveying and he does it well. His choice of quotes are also good. Many coming from Napoleon Hill who is probably the most famous author on success ever. I would recomend u read this book if you want to become proactive minded.