By Tony Deblauwe
When Turtles Fly: Secrets of
Successful People Who Know How to Stick Their Necks Out by Nikki Stone
Retail: $17.95
ISBN: 978-1600376757
I love learning from the wisdom of others - sages that have turned their dreams
into successful opportunities especially when others could not see the vision.
Nikki Stone captures the unique stories of several successful entrepreneurs
including Tommy Hilfiger, Shaun White, Stephen Covey and gold medalist Lindsey
Vonn. Stone, an Olympic gold medalist herself in aerial skiing, understands
what peak performance is all about and channels that in her research of other
successful people.
Stone’s
mother taught her at a young age – you have to be soft inside, but have a tough
outer shell and never be afraid to stick your neck out. That is the essence of
the flying turtle – and the heart of her book – being excellent and driving for
your best performance can propel you to extraordinary possibilities.
The book offers coaching exercises as key takeaways from each profile. For
instance, following the story for Lindsey Vonn and the tough training and
injuries sustained building up to excellence – she had to do things she didn’t
like to do. The message - rather than putting off the things you don’t like
doing, dive right into them, overcome them, and find your passion to build your
soft inside.
Some of the other coaching takeaways include:
Create a list of positive words that can turn you around when you hit a rough
patch
Take note of your key accomplishments and why they were successful
Connect to childhood dreams
Change your routine
Tackle the baby steps, not the giant tasks right away (pace yourself)
Focus on questions not answers
Know your root focus and why you have it
Organize, prioritize, and stay on track to avoid downward spirals
All of the stories and tips drive the core principles of the book around
Passion, Focus, Commitment, Overcoming Adversities, Confidence, Risk, and
Teamwork. The support of others through the personal journey of finding
the soft inside and being inspired by others creates an attitude and way of
being that Stone coins the “Turtle Effect.” Being in the right zone of
controlling yourself in your environment maintains peak performance. The effect
was great enough that is was instrumental in helping Stone’s parents survive
cancer.
This book will inspire you. It will make you think about who you are and where
you’re at in a way that will ignite your drive to chase your dreams and fulfill
your goals. All the profiles showcased outline the core principles of success
and that anybody can make it no matter the background, conditions, or timing.
Even better reason to love this book – 25% of the net proceeds are
donated to the American Cancer Society.
Click
to see my interview with Nikki
