Five Books That Will Make Great Christmas Presents
By Cheval John
Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Affiliate and receive commission for each sale from their website.
I will only recommend items that I have personally used or in this case, books I have read for myself.
Christmas is right around the corner.
That means many people will be doing some last minute holiday shopping before the big day comes.
You might be wondering what type of gifts should you get your family and friends.
One suggestion I can make is to buy them some books.
“What buy them some books?” you might ask.
Yes, buy them some books.
The cost of a book will be in your price range if you are on a budget.
And books have the power to change people’s lives for the better if they apply the lessons they have read.
To give you a head start on researching for books, here are five books I believe will be a great Christmas present for your friends and family.
1. What Just Happened? by Jimmy Burgess
This book really is inspirational because Mr. Burgess was very transparent about his success and also his failures in business and life.
It is an easy read and once you start, you will not want to put the book down.
I finished the book in one day.
2. ReWork by 37 Signals
Rework was written by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson in 2010.
The book is the polar opposite to what business schools have been teaching for decades on running a business.
Though it is 288 pages, the book is an easy read as well because each chapter is about 3 to 4 pages and the message get straight to the point.
3. The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau
This book is a masterpiece by Mr. Guiullebeau because he showcases others who had their own personal quest to achieve.
He shares about his journey to visit 193 countries in the world and also documents the challenges that he faced in achieving the quest.
The book will make you laugh, make you cry and also make you contemplate about fulfilling a personal quest that you had always dreamed of for many years.
4. The FabYouList by Susan Campbell Cross
The FabYouList is one book that everyone should read because Mrs. Cross shares her personal story of how she achieved all of her list.
You will be amazed by the grit and determination of Mrs. Cross in accomplishing her goals.
Once you read this book, you will be inspired to create your own list and achieve them.
A fair warning: Some of her list may not be suitable for anyone under the age of 18, so be very cautious of who you share the book with.
5. What If And Why Not? by Jen Groover
If you ever had a desire to start a business and you are afraid of failure, then this book is for you.
Jen Groover showcases her journey to be successful with her business, “The Butler Bag” and the obstacles she faced.
The one thing that pushed Ms. Groover to succuss and helped her to overcome failure is having the regrets of not pursing her dream of being a business owner.
One of the important messages that is detailed in the book is that “everyone has a story to share.”
So there you have it, the five books that you should get this Christmas season.
Really believe that they will change your live and jumpstart the New Year with hope and optimism.
What other books would you recommend? You can leave a comment below.
Photo Courtesy of www.thebooksamaritan.com
SHSU’s Victory Over Villanova Sets Up Rematch With North Dakota State
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Villanova, Penn. – Quarterback Jared Johnson passed for 303 yards and three touchdowns and the Bearkat defense held off a late Wildcat charge as No. 19 Sam Houston defeated No. 5 Villanova 34-31 to advance to the FCS semifinals.
The Kats will face their old nemesis No. 2 North Dakota State next week at the Fargo Dome. Sam Houston has defeated three top 10 FCS foes to reach the semifinals.
Johnson completed 22 of 27 passes including TD throws of two and 66 yards to LaDarius Brown and a four-yard score to Gerald Thomas.
With Walter Payton award candidate John Robertson sidelined by a concussion, backup quarterback Chris Polony took over to accounted for 288 yards in the aid and 87 yards on the ground.
“This a great game between two good football teams,” SHSU head coach K. C. Keeler said. “We’re excited to be in the final four. My hats off to Villanova and (head coach) Andy Talley. They found out right before the game their best player and team leader wasn’t going to play. But they fought hard and their backup quarterback did a great job.”
The Wildcats looked on the verge of at least forcing overtime with a first down at the Sam Houston 26 with less than a minute to play. But a quarterback sack by Mouf Adebo, an incomplete pass and a delay of game penalty had kicker Chris Gough attempting a field goal from 51 yards out. The attempt was wide and the Kats head to the FCS semifinals for the third time in four years.
“Jared Johnson did a great job for us today as he’s been fighting the flu the past two days,” Keeler said. “We had him wearing a mask and staying in his own room and got him out of the infirmary when we left Thursday morning.”
Brown caught six passes for Sam Houston for 174 yards. Yedidiah Louis led the Kats with seven receptions for 64 yards.
Keshawn Hill led a Bearkat rushing game that accounted for 151 yards on 46 attempts. Hill carried 20 times for 75 yards. Johnson added 32 yards on 12 carries and Jalen Overstreet rushed nine times for 30 yards including the game winning one-yard TD with 4:03 to play.
Linebacker Tristan Eche led the Kat defense with 11 tackles (10 solos). P. J. Hall accounted for nine stops including two for losses to run his season total TFLs to 29.
Three-time defending national champion North Dakota State and Sam Houston met in the FCS national championship game in both 2011 and 2012.
Johnson and Brown started the show for Sam Houston early as the pair teamed up for a two-yard touchdown pass just 3:39 into the game. A blocked punt by Josh Lyons set up the five-play, 17-yard drive. Cory Hamlett recovered the punt block for Sam Houston.
Villanova struck back immediately. A 54-yard touchdown pass from Chris Polony to Poppy Livers completed a six-play, 90-yard scoring drive with 9:31 to play in the first quarter.
After Sam Houston’s first punt was downed on the Wildcat one-yard-line, Villanova drove 99 yards in 13 plays as Polony faked a handoff on fourth-and-two at the SHSU 36 then dashed around left end untouched into the end zone. Villanova took a 13-7 lead with 23 seconds left in the opening period.
Johnson opened the second quarter by leading the Bearkats on a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive. The sophomore quarterback hit Gerald Thomas for a four-yard score with 9:54 left in the period. The drive started with a 51-yard pass from Johnson to Brown to put the Kats on the Villanova 29-yard line.
With 29 seconds left before halftime, Luc Swimberghe kicked a 32-yard field goal to complete a 10-play, 54-yard drive. A 30-yard scramble by Johnson to the VU 39-yard-line was the drive’s big play3w.
The Kats’ 17-13 margin was brief as Villanova drove 36 yards in four plays after the kickoff to set up a career-long 46-yard field goal by Chris Gough as the first half ended with SHSU up 17-16.
Johnson and Brown hooked up again to start the second half, this time for a 66-yard scoring pass to put SHSU up 24-16 only 18 seconds into the period.
Kevin Monangai broke loose for a 58-yard scoring run and Polony found Kevin Gulyas in the back of the end zone for a successful two-point conversion to tie the game 24-24 with 9:36 remaining in third.
Swimberghe broke the tie five minutes into the fourth period with a 30-yard field goal as SHSU went up 27-24 after an eight-play, 39-yard drive. The score was set up by a short Wildcats punt.
Polony answered by leading Villanova on a nine-play 67-yard scoring drive. The quarterback gained the final yard himself on a roll-out to the right as the Wildcats took a 31-27 lead with 7:15 to play.
The Kats responded with a 10-play 75-yard drive to surge back in front 34-31 after an one-yard Overstreet touchdown with 4:03 to play. Yedidiah Louis’s 18-yard reception to the Wildcats 17 was a key play for SHSU.
To Succeed In Business, Build True Relationships
By Cheval John
Tamara McCleary, Creator of RelationShift
Businesses who want to succeed in 2015 need to understand how to use social media to engage with their customers and clients.
The problem is when they connect on social media, they go straight for the sale instead of building a quality relationship with their customers/clients.
When they go straight for the sale, they are sending the message to the prospective customers that they do not matter and they are just a number.
That approach will lead to a negative hit on their bottom line.
Example: Last night, I had the honored of interviewing Tamara McCleary, who is regarded as the queen of social relationships* on my podcast, “What’s The Word?”
As I allowed for anyone to ask her a question about building authentic relationships on social media, a person, which I will call Kwon, (you will hear his real name in the episode below at the 26:33 minute) called in.
Instead of respecting Mrs. McCleary’s time and asking a question, he went on his soliloquy on relationships and promoted his new book.
He tried to take advantage of the opportunity to share his thoughts and promote himself.
Afterward, he sent me a message via Twitter saying that he wanted to be a guest on the show and share about his philosophy on relationships.
Kwon showed that he was only interested in promoting his book and not sharing valuable information that would enrich other people’s lives.
He also displayed a lack of respect for Mrs. McCleary and in the process, made a bad first impression.
If he had interact with potential customers in the same way as organizations like the Houston Texans, who are constantly interacting with their fan base via the Texans Cheerleaders, then he would have earned the trust of the audience.
In turn, the audience would put their reputation on the line because they believe in his work.
So to recap, if you want to build a loyal following in 2015, be sociable and interact with your audience.
If not, then you will create a bad reputation for your brand and business because of your self interest in just selling and not creating lasting relationships with your audience.
Do you believe that companies are building trust with their potential customers on social media? You can reply below.
*Term was coined by Rachel Miller, Chief Listener of Pipeliner and co-host of the Twitter Chat, #sshour.
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