You Don't Have to Learn the Hard Way: Making It in the Real World: A Guide for Graduates

J.R. Parrish has written a no nonsense guide for grads and should have his book handed out with every high school and college diploma! I only wish I had gotten some of his advice when I was young. It might have saved me a lot of trouble.

This book is a terrific collection of ideas, quizzes, and stories from his life, so important to successful living, and yet not taught in schools. Parrish has captured, what we oldster might call “Common sense” , but what so many young people are sorely lacking.

The art of managing people, making friends, finding mentors, being successful, money, and even marriage are covered in fun and interesting chapters. I found his plain spoken style refreshing, and not at all preachy. I will be buying several copies to give as gifts to the young people in my life. This is the perfect gift for and Grad!

I received this book from Anna Suknov at FSB associates. Thanks Anna!

Here is a short article from the author-

Whisperings
By J.R. Parrish,

Author of You Don't Have to Learn the Hard Way: Making it in the Real World: A Guide for Graduates. Some people can see at a glance what others cannot see with microscope and telescope. This article is for parents and it is a whispering. Whisperings are subtle, quiet and hardly noticeable, but they are very important. Some people notice when the breeze picks up or a few raindrops fall, while others don't pay attention until they are hit by a hurricane or flood.The reason I wrote You Don't Have to Learn the Hard Way was to help young adults who wanted to get ahead in life by teaching them four of life's most important lessons for success that are still not taught in school. As time has passed I have realized that the real audience for the book should be their parents. Since parents were not taught these things in school they cannot teach it to their children and that is where the learning process begins.As a parent you may be thinking, "What is it that I was not taught?" You were not taught the power of your thoughts and that your entire future would depend on how you think. You were not taught what to think and why. You were not taught that your thoughts are your preview of your life's coming attractions and never to think anything about yourself that you don't want to be true. That how you think is a habit. That good habits are the key to all success and bad habits are the unlocked door to failure. That most habits are formed without your realizing it. The habits that would lead to your success and the ones that would cause you to fail and how to acquire the right ones and eliminate the bad ones. That 80% of your success would depend on your human relations skills. What makes up those skills and how to acquire them. The greatest need of every man, woman, and child on the face of the earth after they have food, clothing and shelter. (If you knew the greatest need of everyone think how easy it would become to win with them). That you have an abundance of what other people want and yet share very little of it and why. That the "Golden Rule" is not the best rule. People do not want to be treated the way you want to be treated, they want to be treated the way THEY want to be treated. One of the worst mistakes we make is thinking others want to be treated the same as us. The six step process that will allow you to make your dreams come true. That people who feel sorry for themselves should. The root of anger and how to eliminate it from your life. The "Better World Theory". How to choose the drivers seat rather than the passenger seat in life. That it is not your circumstances that determine your future.I could go on, but by now I hope you can hear the whispering and want to learn these things so you can teach them to your children and those you love and want to help. This will be one of the best gifts you can give yourself and your child or loved one. It will help you and them succeed in every aspect of life and achieve more than you ever thought possible. If learning these things could take me from milkman to top salesman for a Fortune 500 company, to founder of one of the most successful commercial real estate firms in Silicon Valley, to retirement in Hawaii at age 55, imagine what it can do for you.

©2009 J.R. Parrish, author of You Don't Have to Learn the Hard Way: Making it in the Real World: A Guide for Graduates