Dare to be Yourself by Andreas Dudas

Bestselling author Andreas Dudas has solutions for those facing a career or life change in his new book, Do You Dare To Be Yourself? Developing Power in Life and Leadership Through Authenticity. The book can be described as Who Moved My Cheese? meets If Life is a Game, These are the Rules. Based on the author’s real experience gained from all over the world as project director, life coach and manager in top executive positions , the book offers frank thoughts, vivid examples, concrete advice and mental techniques all designed to inspire people in transition to find their true calling. According to Dudas, “It is an empowering resource for those willing to step beyond fear and create the real destiny that they want.  It is a master plan for living a successful authentic life.”

Do You Dare To Be Yourself? goes beyond standard how-to books. It engages the reader by placing them on a journey to self-authenticity in an allegory format—making it easy to understand complex principles that have the potential to liberate a person from living an unfulfilled life. The book provides elements of leadership, self-help and spiritual wisdom all designed to compel the reader to leave their comfort zone and make the transition to a rewarding life and fulfilling career. “I want to help people find inner peace by living authentically. I want them to find clarity and purpose for life,” says Dudas, who holds a diploma in Mental Training and Coaching, along with a host of other degrees in civil engineering, leadership, and conflict management.

Dudas believes the road to living a fulfilling life involves overcoming fear, walking in personal integrity and credibility, living true to your values and being determined to get what you want out of life. He believes that the reason there is so much stress and unhappiness in life is because people do not place those values in high regard. They are afraid to move out and are stuck in a life crisis or career crisis.  Do You Dare To Be Yourself? challenges readers to live their true values and step into a new destiny. “This will ultimately help people to achieve personal wellness, real power and mental stability.”

My apologizes I'm a little late getting this review posted.  I'm trying to stay above water this month.  I'm studying for a teacher's exam this month so we are in crunch.  Trying to keep up with 2 blogs and book reading and exam studying.  When I scheduled the monthly book reviews I wasn't thinking exam study so I did it to myself.  UGH!  any way such is life.  Now for this book review....

This book was interesting to say the least.  It wasn't what I expected in the least.  I thought it was going to be nonfiction type book; to my surprise it turned out to be a fiction. Took a little bit to get into but after I got going in it I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next.  I can't say I've ever read one quite like this.  Very unique in it's approach to the content it goes into.  If you want a fiction book to a nonfiction subject this is the book.

Andreas was born in 1964 in Switzerland to immigrant parents who spent more than 10 years in a forced labour camp. He was constantly ridiculed by the citizens of his home town, bullied by his fellow students, excluded from any social and sports activities and dismissed from school. Despite such an adverse, he was not willing to comprise himself for the sake of others’ opinions or letting people influence him in a negative way. Against all odds, he started to develop both a thick skin for fighting his way towards a life he really deserved and a big heart respecting others despite their harsh behaviour. The reward? People started to admire him for his credibility and integrity earned through his authentic life and leadership style and began to entrust him with the most challenging leadership tasks. He turned multi-billion infrastructure projects around, restructured successfully difficult ventures in emerging markets, which were initially doomed to failure or helped to successfully settle geo-political conflicts. It was only then when he recognised his true life purpose: to encourage and empower individuals to live an authentic life for reaching their deepest fulfillment and becoming outstanding leaders who make a real difference to this world.
Over the years Andreas has become a real advocate for authentic (life) leadership. Experiences have also taught him the importance of combining traditional elements of management and leadership with Eastern philosophy. He has worked for over 20 years in international management in top executive positions across various industries and in more than 25 different countries, mostly in developing and emerging markets. His career has taken him to Latin America, the United States, the Middle East and throughout Asia. Apart from his extensive involvement in top management positions he acts as mental trainer and motivational speaker and has added his vast life and leadership experience to empowering thousands of people for living and leading authentically.
Andreas studied at various international universities and holds an MSc in civil engineering, an MBA in leadership and cross-functional teambuilding, and an MSc in logistics and supply chain management. Furthermore, he has a degree in international conflict management, inter-cultural communication and holds a diploma in mental training and coaching.

Andreas has been breathing and living leadership over more than 20. He has inspired and trained thousands of people, partly through “horse-assisted” leadership trainings, a groundbreaking method for empowering authentic individuals.

Visit www.andreasdudas.com for more information about the author and Do You Dare To Be Yourself?


Don't Forget about the month long giveaways.....

A copy of this book was provided for  this review by Pump up your Book tours

The Right to Lead by John C. Maxwell

The Right to Lead is a nice little gift book for those in a leadership position or that desire to lead. In his book, Maxwell, explains that leading comes with a price and can only be earned through time. Maxwell shares with his readers quotes and saying about leadership, statistics and facts about leading, and stories of how leaders rose in their position. You will gain insight from Biblical leaders as well and modern leaders, such as George Washington, Schwarzkopf, Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman and others. Each chapter deals with a different aspect that it takes to become a leader. The book is very masculine and would make a very nice male graduation gift or Father's Day gift for any man in your life that is seeking to lead or is presently leading, of course women can learn from it too but it more with male leaders in mind. I as a woman enjoyed reading the book.

Book Description

John Maxwell offers key principles, stories, and reflections on preparing a leader's mind and heart to lead both themselves and others.

Leadership is something you learn and earn the right to do. Renowned business writer, motivational speaker, and NY Times bestselling author, John C. Maxwell, shares insight on what it takes to be a leader. The Right to Lead is a character study of outstanding men and women throughout history, focusing on the qualities that are consistent in the lives of these great leaders. Perfect for gift giving for a graduation, Father's Day, or year-round for business or church leaders.

Get more information about this book here.

A copy of this book was provided for this review by Thomas Nelson Publishing.

In Charge by Myles Munroe

It is time to play a Wild Card! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book's FIRST chapter!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Myles Munroe

and the book:

In Charge: Finding the Leader Within You

FaithWords (November 10, 2008)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Myles Munroe is the founder of the Bahamas Faith Ministries, a network of outreaches and churches headquartered in Nassau, Bahamas. He is a gifted orator and speaks to audiences around the world as both a preacher in church and parachurch settings and as a motivational speaker at large business gatherings and for other non-church organizations. He's authored more than a half-dozen books.

Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $19.99
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: FaithWords (November 10, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446580465
ISBN-13: 978-0446580465

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Chapter 1


“I’m In Charge”: The Battery and the Wire

Who’s Got the Power?

“The value in each human is the gift they were born to deliver to humanity”



Which one of these is the most important part of a car: the battery or the terminal wire? You’ve probably never heard of the little red wire that connects the battery to the rest of the engine in the car. If you’re like most people you will say, “The battery. It has the power.”

Your car has about 60,000 parts. The battery says, “I’m in charge of all of them. Nothing starts without me. I’m the battery. I have the power. Power! Power! Power! I’m the one who starts everything. Nothing starts until I arrive. I’m the power. I’ve got the power to start the engine.”

Does that sound like some people you know?

Well, if the battery is the most important part of the car, let’s disconnect the wire. The battery costs about $150. The little red wire missing from the car costs about $10. You have 59,999 working parts and only a $10 wire missing. Without it, the car will not start. Your car may be worth $40,000, $50,000 or $100,000, but it can be immobilized by this $10 wire. You want to go somewhere. You have something to do! The car says, “I’m ready, but there’s a little $10 wire missing.”

The battery says, “I’ve got the power.”

A spark plug says, “I’ve got the fire.”

“The engine says, “I run the car!”

That little wire is very quiet. He does not have to say, “You need me. You can’t start without me.” All the other parts soon realize it, and they say, “Go find the wire.” The terminal wire was created to transmit electrical current from the battery to the generator and to the engine to ignite the spark plugs that provide the fire to turn the pistons and turn the engine over. In essence, the little terminal wire was designed to be the “leader” in the area of electrical transmission. In the domain of the terminal wire, the terminal wire is in charge. It might be just a little wire, but it could shut down the engine.

If that spot is empty, the car shuts down.

Each one of the car’s parts is a leader. A spark plug can never be a battery. A battery can never be a manifold. A manifold can never be a generator. Therefore, in the domain of the battery, the battery is in charge. It is unique because only it can be the battery — no matter how jealous the battery or the spark plug gets, no matter how much the steering wheel wishes to be a battery.

Each part is important. Every component of the car was designed to lead in a specific area and to serve a purpose or function in the context of the whole. Each one is a leader!

This concept of leadership contradicts the philosophy that leadership is reserved for a small, elite group of individuals “chosen by providence” and entitled to lead the masses of incapable subordinates in need of guidance by those of superior status. It is a direct challenge to what I was taught in the colonial experience of my childhood.

My view of leadership is this: each of us has an inherent gift and must serve that gift to the world. You are a leader. You have power. Your gift is your power. You are in charge in your area of gifting, your domain. You have a leadership spot to fill and a function to carry out. Your gift determines that spot and that function. Just as the value of the terminal wire is determined not by size or cost but by function, your value is not determined by anything but your gift. Someone needs your gift, and you must serve it to the world. You also need the gifts others bear to live.

So who’s in charge? You are! Who’s got the power? Everyone of us.