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The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success Paperback – May 2, 2005
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Christian author and motivational speaker Andrews effectively combines self-help with fiction to catch readers' interest, sustaining momentum while simultaneously passing on instructions for positive thinking. With his can-do style, Andrews (Storms of Perfection; Tales from Sawyerton Springs) tells the allegorical tragedy of one David Ponder, whose woes begin when he loses his job, his confidence and essentially his drive for living. After a succession of losses, Ponder is rendered unconscious after a car accident, and is magically transported into seven key points in history. At each stopping point, he is met by historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Anne Frank, King Solomon, Harry Truman and Christopher Columbus, each of whom imparts one of the seven key decisions that Andrews asserts are essential for personal success. After his travel through time, Ponder regains consciousness in a hospital and discovers he is holding letters given to him by the various heroes. The letters offer familiar self-help counsel: accept that the buck stops with you, become a wisdom seeker and a person of action, determine to be happy, open the day with a forgiving spirit, and persist despite all odds. Although Andrews writes from a Christian perspective, his overall message (trust that God is sovereign, but do your part in making your future happen) will ring true with a broad spectrum of inspirational readers. Some astute thinkers may be put off by the simplistic story line, but Andrews does an exemplary job at providing positive suggestions for overcoming life's obstacles.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
Comedian and motivational speaker Andrews has crafted a breezy little fantasy reminiscent of It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol. Our hero, the likable David Ponder, finds himself at a midlife crossroads: events beyond his control have deprived him of money and his job. With a wife and daughter to support, he becomes seriously distraught and contemplates suicide. A car crash precipitates the imaginary (or is it real?) journey that forms the bulk of the book-individual visits with seven historical notables. Each offers our titular "traveler" gifts in the form of written "Decisions for Success," which he then absorbs. For example, Anne Frank's "gift" vividly demonstrates that happiness is a choice. At book's end, there is a strong element of faith, but Andrews uses a light touch. Readable and less sentimental than Richard Paul Evans's The Christmas Box, this will find a ready audience.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
204 of 211 people found the following review helpful
By
Jeffrey E Ellis
on September 11, 2004
Format: Hardcover
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2 Comments
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"The Travelers Gift" is a little treasury of wisdom for living an unconventional life in a conventional world. In the spirit of Og Mandino, Andy Andrews outlines seven principles for successful living:
1. The Buck Stops Here - Taking personal responsiblity
2. Seek Wisdom - Search for understanding and discernment
3. Be a Person of Action - Being a courageous leader
4. Have a Decided Heart - Overcoming double-mindedness
5. Choose Happiness - Possessing a grateful spirit
6. Forgive others - The power of grace and mercy
7. Persist - Perservering with faith until the end
Using historical personalities (Lincoln, Anne Frank, Truman) and events (Civil War, Holocaust, World War II), Andrews draws powerful lessons from the past to inspire today's reader. This is not a particularly "Christian" book. Believers and non-believers alike will see the wisdom and usefulness of the seven decisions and their related stories. While there is an undertone of faith, the book is not certainly not a "religious" book in the traditional sense.
If you liked the Og Mandino collection, you'll really love this. An inspirational book with some meat to it. Hope you enjoy it!
1. The Buck Stops Here - Taking personal responsiblity
2. Seek Wisdom - Search for understanding and discernment
3. Be a Person of Action - Being a courageous leader
4. Have a Decided Heart - Overcoming double-mindedness
5. Choose Happiness - Possessing a grateful spirit
6. Forgive others - The power of grace and mercy
7. Persist - Perservering with faith until the end
Using historical personalities (Lincoln, Anne Frank, Truman) and events (Civil War, Holocaust, World War II), Andrews draws powerful lessons from the past to inspire today's reader. This is not a particularly "Christian" book. Believers and non-believers alike will see the wisdom and usefulness of the seven decisions and their related stories. While there is an undertone of faith, the book is not certainly not a "religious" book in the traditional sense.
If you liked the Og Mandino collection, you'll really love this. An inspirational book with some meat to it. Hope you enjoy it!
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43 of 44 people found the following review helpful
By
Grady Harp
HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on February 25, 2008
Format: Paperback
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Andy Andrews absolutely practices what he preaches. His little 'novel' cum self-help book has become widely popular since its introduction to the mass market in 2002. And there is a reason why. Aside from the personal biographical data that the author lived as a street person for a period in his life before he took charge and made changes in his philosophy that led to his rather startling success as a comedian, an advisor, an inspirational speaker and an author, Andrews knows how to capture the attention of his audience, lead them through his concepts of the Seven Decisions the Determine Personal Success in the guise of a novel, and follows up his service to mankind with variations of his original platform. Not only is Andy Andrews an inspirational writer, but he is also a successful marketer!
The original book THE TRAVELER'S BOOK is so well known that repeating a summary is unnecessary. Very succinctly, David Ponder is at the end of his rope financially, emotionally, and physically when he happens to have an auto accident, an event which triggers a time travel where he meets and gathers advice from King Solomon, Harry Truman, Anne Frank, Abraham Lincoln, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, Christopher Columbus, and the angel Gabriel, each of whom delivers him a message of how to enhance life. Those seven decisions are 1)The buck stops here: Adversity is preparation for greatness, 2) I will seek wisdom: I will choose my friends with care, 3) I am a person of action: I can make a decision and I can make it now, 4) I have a decided heart: My destiny is assured, 5) Today I will choose to be happy; I am the possessor of a grateful heart, 6) I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit: I will forgive myself, and 7) I will persist without exception: I will find way where there is no way.Read more ›
The original book THE TRAVELER'S BOOK is so well known that repeating a summary is unnecessary. Very succinctly, David Ponder is at the end of his rope financially, emotionally, and physically when he happens to have an auto accident, an event which triggers a time travel where he meets and gathers advice from King Solomon, Harry Truman, Anne Frank, Abraham Lincoln, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, Christopher Columbus, and the angel Gabriel, each of whom delivers him a message of how to enhance life. Those seven decisions are 1)The buck stops here: Adversity is preparation for greatness, 2) I will seek wisdom: I will choose my friends with care, 3) I am a person of action: I can make a decision and I can make it now, 4) I have a decided heart: My destiny is assured, 5) Today I will choose to be happy; I am the possessor of a grateful heart, 6) I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit: I will forgive myself, and 7) I will persist without exception: I will find way where there is no way.Read more ›
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138 of 158 people found the following review helpful
By
Lleu Christopher
on November 22, 2003
Format: Hardcover
1 Comment
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The Traveler's Gift is a book of success principles told as a parable. It has several points in common with many other books in the self-help genre. On the plus side, if you study and follow the principles, you will probably benefit. On the downside, it is not especially original and it's not a book you would read for its literary qualities. This book also has a certain spiritual and political slant that will appeal to many readers but will alienate others. The hero of the story is David Ponder, a man down on his luck who, after an accident, finds himself hurled through history meeting many famous (and a couple of not so famous) leaders and other heroic figures. This includes two American presidents, Lincoln and Truman, Christopher Columbus, Ann Frank and King Solomon. The spiritual slant is definitely Judeo-Christian, with the archangel Gabriel even making an appearance. I suppose this aspect of the book can be appreciated as a parable even for those who don't share the author's religious perspective. The political slant I found a bit more problematic. Anyone who has qualms about the conventional American interpretation of historical events such as the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan, the noble motives of Christopher Columbus or the pure idealism of Lincoln and the Union during the Civil War might be distracted from the self-help aspect of the book and question some of the author's assumptions and historical sources. It may be that he is aiming his message at a very specific type of reader and is not concerned with such possible objections. This bias, no doubt, is reflected in the success principles themselves, which are mostly very macho and gung-ho (one notable exception is the section on forgiveness), with many military analogies .Read more ›
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By
Shelli Hellinghausen
on November 8, 2002
Format: Hardcover
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Andy Andrews has written a thought-provoking book that will challenge you to be your best. The Traveler's Gift is written in story form which makes it fun to read and hard to put down. The incredible journey of the main character, David Ponder, is gripping and enlightening. The seven decisions revealed in his journey are timeless and applicable to all areas of our life. I loved this book because it encouraged me to live up to my fullest potential. I would encourage you to read this book and give it to everyone you care about.
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