Keith Lightfoot Blogosphere

This is Willie’s second book (the first was “It only takes a minute to change your life”) and he uses this new book to reflect on his personal experiences, setbacks and comebacks.

Willie also describes the temporary failures of many successful people and how they rose above their obstacles to try and try again, until they finally broke through.

There are many motivational books on the market and I have heard some say that there is no room for any more, and that the message is very similar across every book.

I believe the message has to be the same and in “being the same” reinforces the very thing we should do to succeed.

Every author brings a new flavour to the message, coupled with their personal heartaches and stories, and he or she adds a unique element to what we already know.

It is this “unique viewpoint” that often jells with us and finally causes us to get our “but” out of the way and allows us to move towards our goal.

I found the book refreshing, full of great uplifting stories and overflowing with awesome quotes, some of which I have listed below for your enjoyment and inspiration.

One of personal favourites:

“Most of us are standing in a river and dying of thirst.”  
Cathy Mateo

Willie Jolley: Quotes and Reflections

“In every life there comes a time
A minute when you must decide
To stand up and live your dreams
Or fall back and live your fears
In that minute of decision
You must grasp the vision
And seize the power
That lies deep inside of you!
Then you will see
That dreams really can and do come true
And that all things truly are possible
If you can just believe!
It only takes a minute to change your life!
It only tales a minute to learn that
A setback is nothing but a setup
For a someback!”   
Willie Jolley

“I have only just a minute
Only sixty seconds in it
Forced upon me, can’t refuse it
Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it
But it’s up to me to use it
I must suffer if I lose it
Give account if I abuse it
Just a tiny little minute
But an eternity is in it!”   
Dr Benjamin Mays

“The minute you make a decision to take action … is the minute you change your life!”  
Willie Jolley

“None of us can change of yesterdays, but all of us can change our tomorrows!”  
Colin Powell

“While prosperity discovers vice, adversity best discovers virtue, and the virtue that comes from adversity is fortitude. The good things, which belong to prosperity, are to be wished, but the good things, which belong to adversity, are to be admired. Therefore he knows not of his own strength that has not met adversity.”
Sir Francis Bacon

“Adversity can either break you or make you.  The same hammer that breaks the glass also sharpens the steel.” 
Bob Johnson

“Good timber does not grow with ease, the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.” 
J. Willard Marriott

“If thou faint in the time of adversity, thou strength is small.”  
Proverbs 24.10

“Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank wit poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat. The joy of living is his who has the heart to demand it.” 
Theodore Roosevelt

“Mediocrity is a place and is bordered on the north by compromise, on the south by indecision, on the east by past thinking, and on the west by lack of vision.”  
John Mason

“Every crucial experience can be regarded either as a setback, or the start of a wonderful new adventure, it demands on your perspective.”
Mary Roberts Rinehart

“Do you get upset because roses have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” 
Author Unknown

“All men dream, but not equally. Those men that dream at night in the dusty recesses of their minds, awaken to find that it was just vanity. But those that dream by day are the dangerous ones, for they dream with their eyes open, to make sure that their dreams will come true.”
T.E. Lawrence

“You can be the designer of your life, or the victim of your circumstances; it’s up to you!” 
Redenback

“The only ‘good luck’ most great people ever had was being born with the ability and determination to overcome ‘back luck!’“
Channing Pollock

“If the dream is big enough the facts don’t count.” 
Dexter Yager

“Gravity is a fact, but airplanes circumvent that fact on an hourly basis.” 
Neil Armstrong

“Keep my words positive, because my words become behaviors
Keep my behaviors positive, because my behaviors become habits
Keep my habits positive, because my habits become my values
Keep my values positive, because they become my destiny.’ 
Mahatma Gandhi

“Because I’m special, I have my sense of self
And it’s not for sale, I know who I am
And I refuse to fail, I know who I am
I’ve got the power to succeed, and in the spirit of faith
I’ve got all that I need
A blessing in disguise, as evidence of things not seen
Is the secret of success, in the seed of self esteem,
Because I am, that I am, there’s no way I can let myself down,
Hang-ups and setbacks are only stepping stones to higher ground,
Because I am special, I am who I am.”    
Danny Queen

“There are only two things to worry about;
Either you are well or you are sick.
If you are well, there is nothing to worry about.
If you are sick, there are two things to worry about;
Either you will get well or you will die.
If you get well, there is nothing to worry about.
If you die, there are only two things to worry about;
Either you will go to Heaven or you will go to Hell.
If you go to Heaven, there is nothing to worry about.
If you go to Hell, well why worry now! It’s too late!” 
Author Unknown

“You may not be responsible for being knocked down, but you are responsible for getting back up.” 
Jesse Jackson

“If you can just believe, all things are possible to them that believe.” 
Mark 9.23

“We go through life with a series of God ordained opportunities, brilliantly disguised a challenges.”
Charles Udall

“In life you are either just interested in a relationship or committed to a relationship.  You are either just interested in completing your studies or committed to completing your studies.  You are either just interested in starting your own business, following your dream or committed to it.  You are either just interested in improving your health, income, or lifestyle or you are committed to it.  You are either just interested in reducing the stress and mess in your life or you are committed to it.  Once you make up your mind, the main thing is to keep “The Main Thing” … “The Main Thing!”  Stay focused and committed and you will see results and not regrets.” 
Jewell Diamond Taylor

“He who Knows Not, and Knows Not that he Knows Not, but thinks he Knows, is a fool … shun him!
He who Knows Not, and Knows that he Knows Not, is a child … teach him
He who Knows, but uses not what he Knows, is asleep … wake him!
Oh, but he who Knows, and Knows that he Knows, and uses what he Knows, is a Leader … Follow him!” 
Author Unknown

“All things work together for the good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes!” Roman 8:28

This book came into my hands because I was staying with my friends Mike and Mel in Dunedin. They were gracious enough to allow me to stay in their family home and they had recently acquired the book, almost as I arrived at their house.

It was early morning, my hosts had left for work, I was alone in the house, and I was casually looking for something to read.

I reluctantly picked up “The why are you here café” and have to confess to a fleeting moment of scepticism even before opening the cover. Having read some extremely good “story telling” style books by Og Mandino and Dr. Spencer Johnson, I was also aware that many not so great “story telling” books were now filling the bookshelves of retail outlets.

I don’t mind a well written, heart felt story teaching me stuff about life and the universe, but I dislike it when the story is so badly written that it feels like learning to swim in the shallows of a child’s paddling pool.

Initially I skimmed the book, without reading the ending, felt a little better about the word structure and dialogue and then moved back to the beginning to enter the café.

Being a speed reader allowed me to complete the book in a single sitting and as I stepped into the hot shower my thoughts and my spirit were both whirling and tumbling with new thoughts, realisations of the past and new ideas for my future.

I “literally changed my life” that cold winter’s morning in Dunedin!

That is not to say “it will change your life”, I guess my time had come and the book was the missing piece of the jigsaw for me.

My next move surprised me even more, after getting dressed I sat down at the laptop and wrote to the author (John Strelecky) and a couple of days later he had the grace to reply (see emails copied below).

This is not a “book review”; it is more a “book recommendation”.

Grab a copy, enjoy the story and see if you can find your PFE!

GOD Bless

KEITH

- – - – - – - – - – -

Copy of Emails:

Hi John

Your book surprised me!

 When I picked it up, almost reluctantly, I heard myself think “not another Og Mandino or Spencer Johnson look alike”; i.e. a well meaning motivational message, thinly disguised by an emotional story of near tragedy or rags to riches methodology.

Your book touched my heart because it is obvious, at every level that it has been written from the very core of your being.

You have not written this book purely to make money, although clearly you deserve to, you have written this book because “you actually believe it”.

Thank you for having the courage and discipline to produce this book; you have opened yet another door in my quest to fulfil my purpose.

God Bless

KEITH LIGHTFOOT

New Zealand

- – - – - – - 

Hi Keith,

Thanks for your email, I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience at the café with me.

It may sound strange, but the book and the story seem to have an energy all their own.  I wrote it, or perhaps more importantly, it seemed to write itself and I just typed it, in 21 days.  I had never written a book before, or ever had plans to write one.

My wife and I had just returned from a nine month backpacking excursion around the world which was the closest I’d ever felt to feeling perfectly in synch with my own purpose.  For whatever reason, the book just “came out” at that point.  It’s been a pretty amazing journey since then, and when I receive letters like yours, it really makes it all worthwhile.

All the best as you continue fulfilling your PFE, and thanks again for your email.

Cheers,

John

John P. Strelecky

International Best-Selling Author- The Why Cafe
407-342-4181
jstrelecky@whycafe.com
http://www.whycafe.com
What are your “Big Five for Life” and how can I help you achieve them? www.mybigfive.com/jstrelecky