READY, SET ... GROW! BY DONDI SCUMACI.

                                                                          

This book was recommended by one of our avid readers of the Gold Rush Book Club (GRBC)  Shekinnah Oghosa (Male)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR    

DONDI SCUMACI is an international speaker, author, and expert in leadership development, communication, talent management, and mentoring. She is known for high energy on the platform and for the dramatic results her presentations inspire. She is the author of Designed for success.

BOOK REVIEW

Ready Set… Grow! Is a book that shows you how to rediscover your passion, overcome your fear, and create the life you’ve always wanted. The author in order to pass across the various stages on getting to the place we have always dreamt of being, has divided the book into three parts as follows:

i.                    PART 1- PREPARATION

ii.                  PART 2 -PLANTING

iii.                PART 3 -PRODUCING  

Below are points from principles  from  part 1  

-          The results you are getting right now, in every area of your life, reflect what you believe! If you want a new result, you must get a new belief.

-           Problems are magnified when you look through glasses of fear.

-          An event or experience does not have the power to shape our expectations. It is the way we interpret and process the event. It is how we summarize it, how we tell the story, and what we remember about it. It is what we replay in our brain that ultimately carves the memory into our minds.

-          You are not a victim of your past, your present or your genes. You do have choices and options. You can empower yourself, even in the most difficult situations. In the end, it is not what happens  to you –it is how you respond that will become the story of your life.

-          In the most devastating circumstances, some people focus on what they cannot do and what they have lost. Others focus on what they can control and what they have. Incredibly, those who lose the most are often the most triumphant. What remains (even in the rubble) is a beautiful, relentless hope for the future.

-          Self-esteem is not something you get and keep forever. It is something you must work to build and maintain. It’s critical that you do because your children will inherit your self-esteem, and your child self-esteem is the foundation for the choices she will make throughout life.

-          Worry will never change an outcome, solve a problem, or invite a miracle. Creativity will. Persistent will. Action will. Prayer will. But worry cannot. In fact, worry will keep you from doing all of the things that will make a difference. Worry is the great stumbling block of the mind.

-          The moment we focus on the action we can take, the decision we can make- what we can do, a critical shift occurs. We move from a state of worry into a state of action. And action, you will find, is a marvelous cure for worry.

-          We must be careful what we give our strength to. Honestly, there are many situations that are simply not worthy of your attention or your strength. (We only have so much strength to go around, so we need to be pretty selective).

-          The choices we make when we are hurt by others become the seeds we plant. These seeds don’t just grow in one area of our life or in one relationship. They don’t stay where we plant them.

-          There may come a time in your life when you must decide to completely disengage from a toxic person – to end a relationship. It’s helpful to remember you aren’t moving them. You are moving you. you are making a healthy choice for your life.

-          As you assess the relationships in your life, decide how to deal with toxic people, and build your scripts. Remember, this is not about changing other people. We don’t get to do that. The goal is not to change them, judge them, or even teach them a well deserved lesson. The goal is to manage our responses, protect what we value, and create highly functional relationships.

-          You cannot reach for what is new until you let go of the thing you are clutching so tightly. This is a little like holding on for dear life to a rock ledge, terrified of falling. Within your reach is the rope that will carry you to safety. To grasp that lifeline, you must do two things- you must let go of what you are clinging to, and then you must reach out.

-          We don’t always control what happens, but we do always control how we respond. We are hundred percent responsible for our responses. There is a powerful principle at work here. Responses ultimately shape outcomes.

-          Change is uncomfortable, but if we manage it well – if we are open to the opportunity inside of it- the changes we face will become the victories we celebrate.

Below are points from principles from part 2:

-          Just as words can build and empower, they are able to cripple and destroy. Be careful what you say to yourself and others because the words you speak are the seeds you are planting in their lives. Whatever is in the seed will grow. It will produce.

-          Replace what is negative and limiting with what is positive and empowering. This is a process in which something must stop (the negativity) and something must start (positive, powerful proclamations).

-          Seeds can only produce what they are. Seeds of faith produce faith. Seeds of discouragement produce discouragement.

-          The story you tell about your future is like a road map. An old map will take you to an old place. If you want to move beyond the old boundaries, you must create a new map with a new story.

-          Many people worthy, even exciting aspirations. Only a small percentage of people actually put these in writing and consistently read them.  The moment you take these steps, you have separated yourself from the multitude that stops with a dream. You give your dreams strong leg to run on.

-          Ultimately you will answer the question: ‘what do I value most?’ you answer by the choices you make. Your time, actions and energy should reflect what you value. If they don’t, something must change – either you must change your focus or become more honest about what you really value.

-          There will be times when you acquire balance through rest. Allow yourself these seasons; they have tremendous purpose in your life. Seeds know about seasons; inside of each one the potentials waits to burst forth at just the right moment.

-          Effective boundaries allow you to live, love, and work productively. They guard yourself respect, protect what you value, and allows you to ask for what you need. Without proper boundaries, personal and professional relationships are jeopardized.

-          in your situation, where you find yourself right now-faced with the decisions you face-what would a hopeful person do?

-          If you want to change the way you feel, you must change the way you think.

-          Events do not define you; they reveal you.

-          Ultimately, you are in charge of how you respond to the events of life. You may not control what happens, but you always control how you respond to what happens. This is where framing sets the stage. How you frame or interpret an event will always determine your respond to it. Gratitude is a powerful thing. It produces resiliency and hope. Gratitude encourages the heart. Gratitude heals.

          

Below are points from principles from part 3:

-          When tired of a trellis, a vine designed to grow and climb will do both of these things beautifully. The potential for that is in the seed, and you have already learned that whatever seeds are, they become.

-          Like old maps and old stories, continually doing what you have always done will bring you back to old places, the places you have been before.

-          Hope flourishes when you are fully invested in what you love – what you are passionate about – and when you are growing and making a real difference. Hope grows when you build on your natural strengths and talents, honouring your gifts and growing with the grain.

-          There is no such thing as a dead end for you- not in your career or in any goal you may set for yourself.

-          Paths are personal things. Each is unique, just as unique as the person who travels them. So you shouldn’t wait for someone to roll out the corporate rug. It is up to you to build your own road.

-          For a life trying to grow, feedback is essential; it is one of the tools you use to train your growth. You leverage feedback when you learn to do two things well- know where to find feedback, and how to process it effectively.

-          When it comes to feedback, you are wise to remember that people give you what they have, not necessarily what you need.

-          You will attract what you make yourself available for and what you invest yourself in. that can work for or against you Much like a self-fulfilling prophecy, you attract what you think about, talk about, and pay attention to.

-          Mentors will see things you don’t see. They bring a new perspective – a new way of looking at old things. Mentors help you generate options and push you to explore them. A good mentor is a sounding board, a trusted advisor, and a visionary.

-          As you look for a mentor, remember to be one. As you reach forward with one hand, reach back with another and bring someone along. You may have the answer someone else is looking for . invest yourself in others. It is such a pleasure to watch another person become.

-          In times of adversity, people look for leadership, and they look for hope. You can show them both.

-          You are not stuck .

-          Living with intention requires that you pay close attention to the choices you make and where those choices take you.

-          You have the power to plant the seeds of hope , to help others persevere and accomplish great things, and to inspire greatness in another life. What a legacy you can leave.

-          You create an appetite for winning by tasting and experiencing wins.

-          And finally, keep all of your appointments with hope. Always be hopeful no matter the situation.