This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal – How to create the life you've always wanted
Sometimes, all a person needs is a glimmer of hope. Sometimes, they need to know someone understands their frustration — what they’re going through.
Sometimes, a simple little book comes along and offers that hope and encouragement. I know what it’s like to be up against it. I know how it feels to be down and out, broke, hungry, homeless, at the bottom. I know the feelings of pain and hopelessness that come from not being able to see a way out.
I also know how it feels to succeed in ways beyond anything I could have imagined. I know what it's like to be living my dream life and I want to share with you the steps I took to change my own life.
Here's what a few readers had to say about this book:
"A manual to help you achieve your goals, and to lead fulfilling and meaningful life. Inside, there are 74 ideas for the success of life that anyone can start immediately, all written in an easy-to-understand manner." Mr. Cho Fujio, Former CEO, Toyota Corporation
"Jim Donovan has put together a magnificent 'success manual' that is down to earth, fun to read, and right on target." Jeff Keller, author, Attitude is Everything "Once again, you've assembled basic truths to share with the world. Your newest contribution is so supportive, like an unconditional friend. It's here to inspire, to nurture, to encourage and to offer hope." Bonnie Ross–Parker, author, Walk in My Boots
Is this book a cure for the ills of the world? Of course not but it is a simple to use guide that can help you turn your life around. It can help a friend or loved one gain the confidence they need to change their life.
I know this deep in my heart. I know the ideas in "This Is Your Life, Not A Dress Rehearsal" work. I've used them in my own life to go from living, as Thoreau so aptly put it, ‘a life of quiet desperation,’ to living a life today that is beyond my wildest dreams.
This Is Your Life, Not A Dress Rehearsal has been published in paperback in more than 20 countries and is being read by hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world, ordinary people, like you and me, who simply want a better and more satisfying life.
My easy to use, simple ideas and techniques have become my trademark. I write easy to use books so people will read them and use the information they contain. The ideas in This Is Your Life, Not A Dress Rehearsal are not theory. They have been used by me and countless others to change our lives.
From teenagers to seniors, executives to single parents, people from all walks of life are resonating with the ideas in this easy to read book.
What is it about This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal that has had people all over the world telling me what a powerful impact it had in their lives? To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t know. I do know that there’s something “magical” in this simple, little book.
I've had people tell me the book changed their life in dramatic ways. One man told me he had been contemplating suicide but, after reading this book, felt he had a renewed sense of purpose. I can’t even describe how awesome that felt! Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not taking any credit for this. I‘m not claiming to have caused this effect. This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal was written by a power greater than myself. I feel as though it was written through me rather then by me. You see, when I sit down to write, I say a prayer that I will be guided what to say. I believe this is the “magic” in This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal.
Sure the stories are mine and the chapter structures are mine but there’s something else in there that I, truthfully, do not understand. Something that connects with people from all walks of life on a deeper level.
This Is Your Life, Not A Dress Rehearsal contains simple, practical ideas, techniques, and principles for living a life that is truly ideal -- however the reader defines the ideal life. The information offered by author Jim Donovan is not just theory, they are proven principles that work and that have stood the test of time. Donovan has -- Book Description
About the Author
Jim Donovan, a native New Yorker, has implemented the timeless principles in his books to first, turn his own life around, and then to devote his life to helping others do the same. Jim practices these principles every day and is living proof that they work.
A bestselling author, whose books are published in 22 countries, and a highly sought after motivational speaker, he has touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who want a better life.
Crossing all ethnic, age, and gender barriers, his simple message has been embraced by teenagers and seniors alike. From business leaders to single parents, people throughout the world are improving the quality of their lives by following the simple techniques in his books and programs.
After a personal meltdown, Jim became a student of self-help literature in 1986. Seeing the results in his own life, he began writing his newsletter and delivering seminars to help others. This led to his first book and a life dedicated to helping people tap into the power within them and create the life they were born to live.
Jim's practical techniques and powerful stories have made him a sought after speaker for businesses, trade groups and associations.
His seminars have benefited audiences nationwide, including banks, medical practices, accounting firms, small business groups, chambers of commerce, women-owned businesses, associations, government employees, network marketing companies, school faculty, students. He delivers seminars as a volunteer in adult and youth correctional facilities.
Jim's seminars inspire audiences to take responsibility for their lives, provide them with transformational ideas and strategies for their success, and motivate them to take charge of their destiny and create the life they were born to live.
'This Is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal' inspires the reader to become pro-active about his life and then provides the techniques and tools to change the course of his life. For years I had allowed myself to drift down the river of life allowing the current to control my course. Jim Donovan has shown me how I can take control and change the course of my life. This book provided and provides me with many insights into discovering who I am and the means to become who I would like to be. For instance, after reading Chapter 2, I discovered how I limited myself by beliefs I had acquired as a child. Beliefs that were not true. From Donovan I learned how to challenge those beliefs, those false limits, and remove them. Is this book worth it? Absolutely. In fact, I have given away at least a half dozen to friends. Many read it the same day and called me to tell me how much it meant to them. I have used this book as a study guide for an adult Sunday School class. And I continue to use it on a daily basis.
At a time when we all seem to be reassessing our priorities, this is the perfect gift...for yourself or someone you care about. It is an easy read filled with wise, inspiring thoughts. Packed into this slim volume are powerful tips for refining your focus, buoying your spirit, and putting your "some day" plans into motion. Reading it reminds you of your power to set things right and challenges you to live fully each day of your life.
this book is good and easy to read. Having read a few books on self-improvement, I recognized a lot of important subjects. The author presents these in an easy-going way and really does his best to build the reader up along the way.
So why only four stars? The answer lies in the word "touches" in the title of my review. The book doesn't contain all that much text. The author skims past about 50 subjects, each of which deserver a book in their own right.
The again, you want to improve your life, (probably) not get a Ph.D. in psychology. So, if you feel that you could do with some wise and credible words from a man who's been there, go ahead and buy this book. If you, after reading, feel that you're still stuck in a rut, then look further, cause there's a lot more in-depth material out there.
"My Passion is to Help You Create the Life You Were Born to Live"
Jim Donovan is known as one of the most inspiring people in the personal development industry. Called "The original feel good guy," due to his ability to bring out the best in people, he openly shares his own personal struggles and challenges.
Jim delivers a message of hope and possibility to everyone he comes in contact with. Facing his own "demons" and overcoming impossible odds, he is able to see the potential in others even when they themselves cannot and his absolute refusal to accept limits, either in himself or others enables him to bring out the best in those who he encounters.
Several of Jim's books have been proclaimed self-help classics and have inspired people of all ages and from all walks of life. His seminars have motivated audiences from single parents trying to get off welfare to company managers and business owners who want to achieve greater results.
Beyond simple inspiration and motivation, Jim provides people with workable strategies that enable them to take charge of their own destiny and reach their full potential.
For almost two decades he has positively impacted the lives of more than a million people worldwide and continues to do so today.
Jim's driving principle is that "Within you is the power to change your life" and that we are, in fact, capable of creating the life we've always wanted.
If you want to read the whole, unvarnished story, read on . . .
Many years ago, after working for two major television networks, I started my own business. I was cool. I had the fancy cars, my own company, glamorous girlfriends and all the trappings of so-called "success."
The problem was I also had a lot of very unproductive habits and an out of control lifestyle. These habits combined with my success became "my ego run wild" and led me to spend 10 years on a downward spiral.
Being raised in New York City, I decided to move to Boston and, after a few years, moved to California, looking for a better life. While there, I lived in 11 apartments in four years, and finally wound-up back in New York City where, sinking as low as I could stand - I was living in what was one of the toughest areas in New York City - I finally reached out for help. I had hit my bottom. I surrendered the care of my life to a Higher Power, who I choose to call God.
During this time I had endured every imaginable indignation yet never saw myself as being responsible for creating them. At one point, I lived in a car. I slept in Battery Park, something I do not reccommend, and SRO's (single room occupancys) in Manhattan and the Bronx. These are places where you live in a small room and share a bathroom with several strangers. Quite interesting.
I believe it was the hand of God that pulled me from what would have surely been the end of my life and started me in an entirely new direction, one that would take me to heights I had never even dreamed of.
A little at a time my life got better. I went from collecting welfare and food stamps to earning a decent income and then, once again, started my own business. This time with a much better perspective on things.
For me to learn what really mattered in life, I had to first lose everything. Only then would I give up my denial and open my mind to a higher order of living.
During this time of rebuilding my life, I became a student of personal development and self-help, reading hundreds of books and listening to audios and, later on, attending seminars.
After doing this for several years, and seeing how, as a result, my life kept getting better and better, I started writing as a way to share with others some of what I was learning. My simple newsletter "Jim's Jems" grew and, over time, became the basis of my first book Handbook to a Happier Life.
I had found my purpose and my life's mission.
I continued writing and giving seminars to a vast variety of groups, delivering my simple message that, "Within you is the power to change your life."
Today I have written several books which have been published in more than 20 countries and have created several personal development audio programs. I am a certified business coach and help people learn how to create quantum growth in their business by harnessing the powers of the law of attraction and other universal laws. I am privileged to speak to groups of people from every walk of life, sharing my message of hope and possibility.
Whether speaking for corporations, associations or non-profit agencies, I am passionate about helping people create the life that they were born to live.
I've delivered seminars and workshops for small businesses, chambers of commerce, hospital administrators, nurses, women-owned businesses, trade associations, school faculty, government employees, high school and college students, network marketing companies, and others.
Something I'm proud of is that, for over ten years, I have delivered my Yes You Can seminar to inmates at correctional centers and youth centers, in an effort to help those who are ready for change.
To say that I am blessed is a huge understatement. Today my life has meaning and purpose and I live what I can only call a "magical life."
What's important about all of this is, I know deep inside, that anyone can have a better life.
All it takes is a belief, a vision, and an action plan, and the "faith of mustard seed."
I am available to speak to business groups, associations, and government agencies. My books are available wherever books are sold and a complimentary subscription to my "Jim's Jems" newsletter, published since 1991, is available, along with a free gift, at www.JimDonovan.com
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