Thanks to the recommendation of a blogger friend (Chris Melton of soupornuts.com), I bought Bill Strickland’s book, “Make the Impossible Possible…One Man’s Crusade to Inspire Others to Dream Bigger and Achieve the Extraordinary.”

The book, published by Doubleday, has a gorgeous jacket cover with bold gold and red lettering with an artist’s rendition of orchids that would play a powerful spiritual role in Bill’s life.  When I saw the jacket cover at Amazon, I somehow knew the book would touch my soul deeply even though I had never heard of Bill or his far-reaching mission to make a difference in the lives of so many inner-city people.

I rarely do book reviews and there’s a reason for that.  It is my staunch belief that when people make recommendations, especially those who I have come to trust, I expect them to share something from the heart.  

Because this blog is an important platform from which I have an opportunity to make a difference, I expect nothing other than honesty and integrity from myself.  It is for this very reason I don’t rush to the keyboard every single day, to force feed the blog with articles, just for the sake of posting.  When I come this keyboard, I do it because I am deeply inspired and moved to share something with the Adversity University community.   

When I received the above-mentioned book this morning in the mail, I felt irresistibly drawn to it, despite the title being somewhat generic.  After all, who hasn’t heard those words, “Make the Impossible Possible?”  But because I’ve actually seen an impossible dream come true in my own life (becoming the first deaf instrument-rated pilot in the world among others), the title held major significance for me. 

For starters, let me say for the record that I read the entire book, all 227 pages, in ONE DAY.  That’s right, ONE DAY.  I was so taken by Bill’s story that I found myself literally sobbing at certain intervals while smiling and laughing in between.  I was stunned to find many parallels between the experiences of this man and those of my own.  I wouldn’t be surprised if you were able to draw the same conclusion yourself.

It wasn’t until I was several chapters into the book that I was stunned to learn that he also had a passion for flying.  There was nothing on the jacket cover to indicate that Bill was a pilot!  As a young man, he had taken his first airplane ride in a commercial jet, sitting by the window, when his passion to fly was first ignited.  I had a similar experience.  Like what happened to me, he was told his dreams of flying was foolish.  I knew exactly what he was feeling.

Bill also talks about the power of ”swing,” his version of being in the “zone” where magical thinking, circumstances, people and places appear at just the right time to help him bring into reality his passions and visions.  It reminded me of my what my fifth grade teacher did for me with three words – “THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!” – forever altering the course of my life.   He preaches the idea that we cannot achieve our dreams alone.  We need help along the way and it is there - waiting for you - all you have to do is look for it.  There is someone else out there who believes in your dreams just as passionately as you do.  They are out there…waiting for you to make an appearance.   For those of you new here, you can see a quick clip of a video where I surprised my fifth grade teacher on a national talk show (”Leeza”) several years ago to thank her for saying those words.  Please go here to see it.

In an interesting sort of way, he talks about the components of my signature H.E.A.R. Principle as essential components of achieving the impossible.  You may recall that it stands for: Having a passion, Entertaining the possibilities, being Authentic (and taking action in some cases) and Remembering who helped you.  

Because Bill put my H.E.A.R. Principle into action (without meaning to, of course, because he isn’t yet aware that I created and then incorporated this principle as part of my speaking business!), he took a compelling vision that he had at 19 years of age and eventually built a multi-million dollar inner-city arts facility for at-risk kids and adults.  

He tells how molding a lifeless lump of clay into a thing of precious beauty was a spiritual moment for him and how that simple act of pottery propelled him forward in ways that were unfathomable to an inner-city kid who didn’t have the know-how to see very far into the future.  Throughout the book, he emphasized with elegance and poise, that the meaning of success was not and should not be confined to a set of goals but instead to a set of inner convictions.  Finally, he preaches the power of “going with the flow” in ways that will surprise and inspire you.

I am writing this book review after nearly 5, maybe 6 hours of reading this book.  As you can tell, I was absolutely inspired to the point where I am planning to contact Bill and let him know how much his story impacted me.  Even more telling is how I was able to relate to his triumphs, defeats and insecurities even though I was never raised in the inner city where drugs, violence and prostitution was a way of life.  I think you will relate too.

It is without reservation that I recommend you buy his book.  Go to Amazon and order it because I think you will also cry, smile and nod your head frequently.  It isn’t everyday that you see a book like this.   It is, without a doubt in my mind, destined to be a best-seller.  (Note of disclosure:  If you buy this book through the links I’ve provided above, I will make a small commission.)

With all the adversity he’s gone through, I am also going to invite him to be interviewed here at Adversity University.  Let us pray that our paths cross in the very near future.   

You might want to bookmark this post so that you can come back here and leave a comment after you’ve finished reading it for I would love to hear of your own reactions to Bill’s book. 

God bless you - I’m grateful that there is a such a thing as blogging where I can instantly publish my thoughts, observations, stories and tips with countless of people who come through here.  I love writing from the heart and love corresponding with you even more. 

Until the next time, enjoy each moment that comes to you.  It’s the last you will have.  We have this moment to enjoy.  The last one is gone forever.  Take it one moment at a time and everything will be alright.  

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