Customer Reviews

If There's One Thing I've Learned...: How to Seize Your Once-In-A-Lifetime Chance to Get It Right

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"To know the road ahead, ask those coming back."
--Chinese Proverb

James Green's interviews with 87 people helped them reveal their moment of truth--and what truth it is. Each story is only a few pages based on: If you could go back and change anything in your life, what would you do differently?

The subtitle of the book is "How to seize your once-in-a-lifetime chance to get it right." It's pretty obvious we will see ourselves in more than one of the stories.

You cannot have a favorite in these stories as each one makes a strong point. For example:
-- A retired NYC cop says he wishes he had been more open minded as a young man relative to people of different races.
-- A young woman tells how she loved men who didn't love her; and was loved by men she didn't love, and how she finally decided to save herself physically and emotionally for the right man.

The author is an airline pilot who decided that "He would listen to the whisper and not let life pass him by, and that he would live his life without regret."

The interview questions he used are part of the book, and if you read them, you will be forced to think about things you learned as each one is a subtle nudge down memory lane.

Can you tell I loved this book! And as a bonus, he included some really great quotes.

Armchair Interviews says with so much downer news in the media and our lives today, these stories so very uplifting.

"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first,
the lesson afterwards."
-- Vernon Sanders Law, pro baseball player

One of the things I teach in my networking and marketing workshops is the reality that "People buy on emotions, and justify with facts." The 'problem' here is that you can't buy this book "on emotions" because you've not seen it yet and obviously not read it either. So my recommendation then is "Buy this book FOR the emotions (tears, laughter, goose bumps... I got all of those in 15 minutes of reading) and, if needed, you'll be able to easily justify your purchase with facts. Like the facts the book is beautifully laid out and designed (I know, I'm an author and publisher), very well-written, filled with teaching stories that are not preaching at you. There are two "inspirational" books in my library (of about 200 such books) that I honestly think should be 'mandatory reading' for 18 to 20 years-old (and 'highly recommended' reading for everybody else): one book is "It's Not What Happens To You..." by W Mitchell, and this book by James Green is the other one. I plan to buy many copies more than I already have and offer them as gifts to people I care about. Not CDs, not ties, not earrings or boxes of chocolate...because none of those things have the power to change a life, to help someone MAKE a better life for himself/herself. This book CAN...and possibly WILL do that.

James Green's book encourages the reader to look within himself/herself, to focus upon their goals, what's important in their lives and also offers some solace that we can learn from our past, in order to improve upon our future. It's refreshing to read a "guide" which isn't another fad. Rather, the author offers thought provoking experiences from diverse individuals, which can be of benefit to all.

I received this book as a gift and was very moved by its content. The author's personal experiences, as well as those of others he shares, serve to remind the reader of the importance of living life without regret ... something I promote in my romance seminars and coaching. This book is definitely worth the read, not to mention you may want to gift someone you love with a copy. Oh, and don't be surprised if you discover that one of the stories you read is very close to your own. Congratulations, Mr. Green!

IF THERE'S ONE THING I'VE LEARNED by James Green is about "how to seize your once in a lifetime chance to get it right." The author has interviewed hundreds of people of all ages and walks of life and asked what is the most important lesson each has learned and how he or she learned it. The stories and the lessons are told in the interviewee's words. Many are followed with a related wise saying from Wisdom teachers of various faiths through the ages

If There's One Thing I've Learned...: How To Seize Your Once-In-A-Lifetime Chance To Get It Right is based on hundreds of the author's personal interviews with people from every part of the country in response to the question "If you could go back and change anything in your life, what would you do differently?" Although the answers to Jim Green's inquiries were diverse, ranging from issues of live, time, career, money, dreams, and childhood, a great many of the interviews touched upon the them of deep regrets due to mistakes and missed opportunities. The anecdotal and illustrative stories related within this unique "self-help" title also reveal the joys associated with good choices and lives well spent. An extraordinary examination of ordinary lives, If There's One Thing I've Learned... is insightful and occasionally inspiring reading that is especially recommended to the attention of anyone seeking to reexamine the possibilities and potentials of their own life choices.

Easy to read personal testimonies on the theme: "If I knew then what I know now...". A must read for those inhibited by doubt, apprehension and fear who yearn to seize today as "the first day of the rest of their lives".

Robert G. Bauer
professeur de francais emeritus
Greentown, Pennsylvania

Have you ever sat around at the dinner table listening to older people around you say, "I wish I would of, I wish I could of, I should of...." This book is a great example of that type of wisdom. Only you don't have to live a multitude of lifetimes to "get it right." The stories are real life examples of the school of hard knocks, emotional experiences that change the path of your life if you let them. James Green shows the wisdom of a man older then he appears. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical quotes, personal interviews and stories.

You will invariably connect to at least one of the profound interviews in this book. Simply a soulful catalyst to exmaine your past and apply some of the insights gained to your future.

Read this book by James Green and I dare you not to have your own moment of truth. There is a story, a message, a revealation for everyone. Mr Green talks about the whispers in our lives, but the whispers in this book actually shout out at the reader to grab hold of life and live it. Really live it.