Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a Yes! Attitude for a Lifetime of Success

Jeffrey Gitomer knows how to write about selling . . . I've read and enjoyed two of his other books--THE LITTLE RED BOOK OF SELLING and THE SALES BIBLE . . . in each instance, I found myself taking copious notes . . . that's always a good sign; i.e., it shows there is something that I wish to retain and/or share with others. The same thing happened when I devoured JEFFREY GITOMER'S LITTLE GOLD BOOK OF YES! ATTITUDE . . . it took me just a few hours to read, but that's misleading in that after I finished, I had to go back to revisit much of it . . . and I'm sure I will continue to do so in the future, in that it is that good. Perhaps most importantly, Gitomer got me to think about what's important in life . . . for example, when feeling down, he advises that all you need to do is: Visit a children's hospital or help someone less fortunate than you. Get comfortable with the plight of others, and feel good about the minuteness of your problems compared with theirs. I also liked his advice on how to find out about the weather: Poke your head outside in the morning. It's a lot more accurate than the weather guy. The above might seem basic, but if you're like me, you need to be reminded of it every so often . . . likewise, Gitomer urges you to think the following when it comes to making money: Most people get into a career to "make money." There could not be a worse reason to enter a profession. The best way to amass a lot of money in a career is to earn it. And, also, I liked the author's shortest goal lesson in life: Post your goals (in front of your face) on your bathroom mirror, and say them twice a day. Once achieved, post your accomplishments on your bedroom mirror so you can start each day by looking at your success. Lastly, Gitomer constantly offers readers the opportunity to gain even more from his book by references to his website . . . one free offer promises you his collection of personal quotes for your personal inspiration . . . please excuse me while I go get that now.

I've been gravitating more towards personal improvement books and blogs of late, and this particular book was one that I was looking forward to receiving... Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS by Jeffrey Gitomer. It may not be everyone's particular style of choice when it comes to self-improvement, but I loved this little gem... Contents: Insight to Your Inside Attitude; Attitude Self Awareness; Attitude Actions; Attitude Attributes; Attitude Achievement; Attitude Fulfillment Gitomer is well-known as a sales motivator, and many of his prior titles deal with the art of the sale. While there's still a bit of a sales focus in YES!, it's more designed to be a personal motivator for your attitude in all areas of life. In terms of content, he's similar in nature to the big names of personal improvement, such as Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, and others. But his style of writing is more "in your face", more "cheerleader" in look and feel, and I don't mean that in a bad way. He uses a never-ending kaleidoscope of fonts, colors, and print layouts to get his point across. You definitely don't get bored reading the book... He is big on surrounding yourself with positive influences as well as structuring your schedule to get positive input each day (preferably first thing in the morning). By consciously focusing on these things, you start to ensure that your attitude moves from (potentially) negative to positive, and then to the level of YES!. There were a number of things that resonated with me when reading this, such as taking an hour a day to work on your skills instead of spending that time watching news (largely negative) or TV (mostly worthless). At the end of a year, those hours will add up and make you really knowledgeable on whatever you focused on. You might become an expert on some part of your career, or you may be an expert on American Idol. Which is going to be more beneficial to your personal success? I've found this to be true when it comes to my writing activities. I've gotten much better at it (whether I'm "good" is up for debate), and I'm sure it's due to spending time at it as opposed to following the latest reality series... I would like to apply this same focus to attitude, and see the improvement that would make both at work and home. An excellent book, fun to read, and very thought-provoking. And if you take his words seriously, your life will never be the same (and that's a good thing)...

I have only read 30 some pages, and my attitude is changing already. I just went to run a few errands and took Gitomer's "Yes" attitude with me, what a difference it can make because there is incompetence everywhere. Gitomer is a real jewel, a Napolean Hill for the modern age. Thanks Jeff for another chance to get inside your beautiful mind. After reading this book a month ago, I just reread it again. It just keeps getting better like a fine wine.