212 the Extra Degree: Extraordinary Results Begin with One Small Change

The book is very short. Basically it IS the one sentence recap in the other reviews. If it makes you think, then it might be worth it; otherwise, I would like to have seen a little more expansion around the core idea.

212: THE EXTRA DEGREE by Sam Parker is a short book--make that, a very short one--that has a lot of meat in its relatively few pages. You may have seen its basic premise; e.g., in an email that's been widely circulated on the Internet (without giving proper credit to Parker): * At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And with steam, you can power a train. One degree. Applying one extra degree of temperature to water means the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine--a beautifully uncomplicated metaphor that ideally should feed our every endeavor--consistently pushing us to make the extra effort in every task, action and effort we undertake. Two-twelve serves as a forceful drill sergeant with its motivating and focused message while adhering to a scientific law--a natural law. It reminds us that seemingly small things can make tremendous differences. So simple is the analogy, that you can stop reading right now, walk away with the opening thought firmly planted in your mind and benefit from it for the rest of your life. I like how Parker then expands this premise through a series of thought-provoking facts, including this one: * Two of auto racing's premier events are The Daytona 500 (stock car) and the Indianapolis 500 (formula one). Each takes roughly three to three and half hours to complete. In the 10-year period between 1997 and 2006, combining all 20 races, the winner took the checkered flag by an average margin of 1.71 seconds and took home $1,426,003 in first place prize money. The average prize for the second place finisher was $716,464--a difference of $709,539 - roughly half of the amount banked by the winner. The author also offers a series of action steps you can take, such as: * Eliminate one half hour of television watching each day and get 182.5 hours each year to allocate elsewhere (equivalent to four and half weeks at work). And he concludes with several reflections that will get you thinking about life . . . I particularly liked the following: * Complaining once less a day chokes off 365 seeds of negativity a year. As the holidays approach, methinks 212 would be the perfect stocking stuffer for almost anybody on your list--including your children and grandchildren, as well as nieces and nephews, who could all gain from Parker's valuable insights.

212 The Extra Degree by Sam Parker and Mac Anderson is a small book with some big ideas and a great way of simplifying the notion of taking action and achieving more. The premise is: "At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive." So, it's about the power of one degree, or that tiny bit of extra effort that can make all the difference in our lives. It's about raising your awareness and understanding that one extra bit of effort, one additional bit of action, can totally change your results. To that end, they have included some quite interesting stories, statistics and quotes throughout the book. Some of these you will be familiar with, particularly if you are a student of motivational literature. But, some, you might find worth learning about. One of these is that the average margin of victory in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 over the last ten years has been 1.54 seconds (how quick is that?) and that the winner--the driver who got there 1.54 seconds faster than the one behind him won more than double the prize money. That's an expensive couple of seconds. The book is divided into five sections/chapters. 1--Introduction - What 212 degrees is all about. 2--Thoughts and Facts--quotes and examples that illustrate the concept. 3--Stories about Success, Attitude, Leadership, Kindness, Commitment, Belief, Focus and Perseverance. 4--Actions. Sample action steps which will help you heat things up to 212. 5--Reflections. Information about using the 212 information to improve your life--with examples on such ideas as practicing kindness, stopping complaining, and more. Maintaining motivation can be difficult. Inertia overtakes us and we dig ourselves a rut and hunker down in it, or we burn ourselves out trying to do and be everything and dig ourselves a hole and crawl in. Having resources like this book on hand can help you climb back out and get back to work on what you are supposed to be doing. Then, you'll find yourself climbing mountains and raising the bar. The view is so much better up there! This book and/or DVD are great for gifts, too--particularly graduations, or for people just starting new adventures such as new jobs, new businesses, enrolling in college, or training for a marathon or 5K.

The Tipping Point meets Zig Ziglar meets Martha Stewart. This is a beautifully packaged (ala Martha Stewart publications) quick read on how the extra effort can make such a big difference (in essense, a tipping point) supported by delightful positive attitude reminders (ala Zig Ziglar). Well done!

My company provided us with this book in a recent training. Most of the trainings are boring and something memorable for only a short time. This book is not that. The simple metaphor used in the introduction, and the entire basis of the book is very meaningful and easy to see in action. Today I hear so many people complain and feel that they are entitled to things instead of taking responsibility for their actions. This book shows that the smallest increment of effort can have positive effects not only on your professional life, but all aspects. This book uses real life examples that are easily relatable and prove the point. This is a quick read, but definitely worth the price and definitely applicable to life. I highly recommend this book.

This small, simple book is a must have for everyone. Its profound principle about going "the extra degree" easily applies to the professional and personal parts of our lives. It spread through our organization in just weeks and has become part of the vernacular. When we talk about setting goals, we ask the question: Is it 211 or 212?