The Compassionate Samurai: Being Extraordinary in an Ordinary World

I am reading this book for the second time and feel compelled to share that it is a must read for a person interested in a world that works for everyone. You have a choice in life to be a victim or be responsible, If you are a victim read this book because it will help you discover how to release that feeling. If you are responsible, read this book so that you can have an even bigger impact on the world and teach others to become responsible. Brian Klemmer presents a foundational work in being a person that makes the world a better place. The book is timeless, the trainning his company offers is changing the world. If you are frustrated with what you face in the world, read this book and change it.

I've added this book to my favorite "how to live" books, right along with ziglar, Carnegie and the other great motivators. This stuff just makes sense.

I bought this book for my boyfriend, who is not as in to the spiritual/metaphysical genre as I am. It seemed like a good "practical man's" guide to incorporating heart & head. This book is published by Hay House, a leading self improvement/spiritual publishing house, so I took that as all I needed as reference. Brian's writing is great. Very easy to follow, great analogies, and practical no-nonsense advice. It is a great book for anyone open to new ways of thinking, yet not interested in "new age fluff". I very much enjoyed the few chapters I read, and my boyfriend continues to rave about it. If you apply the wisdom contained in this book, you will change your life for the better!

Of several books that Brian Klemmer has written, this is the one I will recommend most to the leaders that I serve when consulting. For those whose highest motivation is to serve, I encourage you to not get stuck in the allusions to wealth. This is not another book that equates material prosperity with success and it does have much that will appeal to those who measure accomplishment in dollars. What I find most compelling is Brian's call to state bold intentions and to commit to their accomplishment. Much of my work is with congregations and not-for-profit organizations that could make much larger and longer lasting impacts on the communities they claim to serve. Instead they settle for mediocre results and have become good at making excuses for less than stellar outcomes. Brian calls that what it is - selfish - and challenges us with stories of those who dare to attempt larger goals. I recommend this book to every leader of every religious and not-for-profit leader. It is time we all stepped up - beyond chronic under-achievement and into inspirational service.

This book provides a good foundation for developing leaders with a heart. Throughout his many years of leadership training, Brian noticed that there seemed to be generally two kinds of people: Very successful millionaires or billionaires who are heartless and goal oriented who would do anything to achieve success or caring and loving people who are always broke (Mother Teresa comes to mind). With the right training, Brian believes there is a third way (hence the name Compassionate Samurai). He spells out 10 key values that we can adopt which, if practiced, will lead to living happy, productive, abundant and purpose driven lives. The 10 values are: 1. Courage 2. Personal Responsibility 3. Trust 4. Honesty 5. Commitment 6. Focus 7. Abundance 8. Contribution 9. Honor 10. Knowledge I've read many leadership and motivational books and this numbers at the top. Brian is trying to create a revolution in leadership that not only affects the individual but also the community and ultimately the world. Very timely in an election year. I wonder what would happen if all the politicians followed the tenets of this book?