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The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success
by
Andy Andrews (Goodreads Author)
Only a few months ago, he was a successful executive. Now he’s a desperate man. But a divine adventure is about to unfold. Join David Ponder on an incredible journey that will help you discover the Seven Decisions for Success. In the tradition of best-selling books by Og Mandino, The Traveler’s Gift is destined to become a classic.
Audio CD, 0 pages
Published
September 30th 2004
by Oasis Audio
(first published November 5th 2002)
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Amazingly compelling, captivating and inspiring!
I received this book as a gift from Robert D. Smith, who is the man the book is dedicated to as well as a very close friend of the author. I was going to skim it real quick and then give it to a friend who I knew would enjoy it more but wait, I couldn't. I was in the middle of 4 other books - I LOVE to read! _ and I had to put them down and even stop doing some of my projects to devour this book. Well-done Andy Andrews!!
The story of David is so com...more
I received this book as a gift from Robert D. Smith, who is the man the book is dedicated to as well as a very close friend of the author. I was going to skim it real quick and then give it to a friend who I knew would enjoy it more but wait, I couldn't. I was in the middle of 4 other books - I LOVE to read! _ and I had to put them down and even stop doing some of my projects to devour this book. Well-done Andy Andrews!!
The story of David is so com...more
Andy Andrews, described on the book jacket as "a comedian, author, speaker, entertainer, television celebrity, and...serious fisherman," offers up this piece of fantasy historical fiction in which the protagonist, David Ponder, is about to lose everything he values because of a business gone bad. In an It's a Wonderful Life twist, he seeks to end his life, thinking that his family would be better off without him by collecting his insurance money. Rather than not being born, however, Ponder is tr...more
The first Andy Andrews book that I picked up was The Traveler’s Gift, and it was as if God himself handed it to me, one of those “perfect books at just the perfect time.”
It’ s funny how things unfold according to God’s plan. Those moments of “I really don’t understand why this is happening to me,” unfold into “EUREKA!!! – Thank you Lord!!!” – I’ve learned to take it all in stride and keep living happily in the moment, learning from the past but not holding onto it, and embracing every moment of...more
It’ s funny how things unfold according to God’s plan. Those moments of “I really don’t understand why this is happening to me,” unfold into “EUREKA!!! – Thank you Lord!!!” – I’ve learned to take it all in stride and keep living happily in the moment, learning from the past but not holding onto it, and embracing every moment of...more
Good afternoon readers! This week I'm going a little off the beaten path. As most of you know, I almost always write about a mystery in my blog posts. But this week's book was a little different, and it might be something of interest to you if you need a little pick-me-up in your life. :-)
The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews is a wonderful fiction book about a forty-something-year-old man named David Ponder who's a bit down-and-out on his luck. He lost his job, his daughter needs her tonsils out,...more
The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews is a wonderful fiction book about a forty-something-year-old man named David Ponder who's a bit down-and-out on his luck. He lost his job, his daughter needs her tonsils out,...more
2 likes · like · see review
At a recent business conference I heard Andy speak. He was surprisingly funny, but had some very poignant insights into business and life. I decided to get some of his books after hearing him speak because I had learned so many things from him.
This book was great. It sucked me in right from the start. Profiling a man who lost everything he'd put into a career, his low income and low self esteem spill over into his home life and begin affecting his marriage and relationship with his daughter. Bro...more
This book was great. It sucked me in right from the start. Profiling a man who lost everything he'd put into a career, his low income and low self esteem spill over into his home life and begin affecting his marriage and relationship with his daughter. Bro...more
I gave this book more than 1 star because I think the seven decisions presented in the book are valid concepts to help your life go more smoothly. I mean choosing to be happy, to accept responsibility for your decisions, to forgive others, etc, etc, etc. - it's all good advice, that when correctly applied could certainly help you become more successful.
That being said, I canNOT believe how self-important this author is! The last guide he meets with tells the main character, "You have been given...more
That being said, I canNOT believe how self-important this author is! The last guide he meets with tells the main character, "You have been given...more
7 Decisions that Determine Personal Success
1. The buck stops here. President Truman. Forget the past and quit blaming it on yourself or someone. You are responsible from this day forward.
2. Seek wisdom. King Solomon. Be with wise people and those who are searching for truth. Not just those who are on a journey.
3. Be a person of action. Joshua Chamberlain-Civil War-20th Maine Division. Do something. Don't be paralyzed by fear. Make decisions.
4. Have a decided heart. Christopher Columbus. Decide...more
1. The buck stops here. President Truman. Forget the past and quit blaming it on yourself or someone. You are responsible from this day forward.
2. Seek wisdom. King Solomon. Be with wise people and those who are searching for truth. Not just those who are on a journey.
3. Be a person of action. Joshua Chamberlain-Civil War-20th Maine Division. Do something. Don't be paralyzed by fear. Make decisions.
4. Have a decided heart. Christopher Columbus. Decide...more
Nothing groundbreaking, no new news here. Boring, hokey, overwrought...seven steps most of us have learned by our early teens. Yes, there are historical inaccuracies, but that is the least of this books' problems. The set up for the story reads as if a high school english teacher asked his students to write the saddest thing they could ever think of, and then make it sadder, just, pile it on. The historic characters are so free from fault, it is difficult to draw inspiration from them. Personall...more
Essentially, this book is about a man who travels through time to meet people who have developed skills for success. Each person he meets gives him a letter highlighting one particular skill, and as he reads the letter he is catapulted to the next time period.
I'm not really a huge fan of self-help books, but I read this for my book club. The idea of putting his seven steps into a story was good, but I found myself skipping through the story to get to the point-- the seven "letters" written to t...more
I'm not really a huge fan of self-help books, but I read this for my book club. The idea of putting his seven steps into a story was good, but I found myself skipping through the story to get to the point-- the seven "letters" written to t...more
I really enjoyed this book - and I'm usually not a big fan of self-help books. And this is definitely a self-help book, even though it's cloaked in a fictional tale.
The protagonist is a middle-aged man whose life is in shambles. He's an executive who lost his position in a hostile takeover, and now he's scraping along at a minimum-wage job. He's overextended on all his credit. His wife is cleaning houses to make ends meet.
Then his daughter gets sick, and he has no idea how he's going to pay for...more
The protagonist is a middle-aged man whose life is in shambles. He's an executive who lost his position in a hostile takeover, and now he's scraping along at a minimum-wage job. He's overextended on all his credit. His wife is cleaning houses to make ends meet.
Then his daughter gets sick, and he has no idea how he's going to pay for...more
David Ponder had given up on life. After losing his job as an executive in a large company, he thought life couldn’t get any worse. But it does, his twelve year old daughter, Jenny, got sick. And with his current and very large money issues the last thing he needed was another bill to pay. Eventually the stress beat him, and he tried to kill himself by crashing his car. When he woke up, he found himself in the presence of Harry Truman. As if that wasn’t crazy enough, Truman informed him the year...more
David Ponders was a successful hard working husband and father. He loved his bright happy life, Until he lost his job. He had slowly climbed to the top and once he got there, he was tossed right back down. Soon money was gone. To make matters worse, his precious daughter had become sick. He soon gets fired from a part time job at a hardware store.
When life became almost unbearable something amazing happened. David finds himself driving down a highway at dangerous speed. He finds himself contem...more
When life became almost unbearable something amazing happened. David finds himself driving down a highway at dangerous speed. He finds himself contem...more
David Ponders was a successful hard working husband and father. He loved his bright happy life, Until he lost his job. He had slowly climbed to the top and once he got there, he was tossed right back down. Soon money was gone. To make matters worse, his precious daughter had become sick. He soon gets fired from a part time job at a hardware store.
When life became almost unbearable something amazing happened. David finds himself driving down a highway at dangerous speed. He finds himself contem...more
When life became almost unbearable something amazing happened. David finds himself driving down a highway at dangerous speed. He finds himself contem...more
In the first few pages of this book, I felt like the author was telling the story of my life. I was amazed that a book released in 2002 wrote about the decline in the economy that eventually happened six years later. I thought Andy was some type of spiritual medium that could predict the future. Then I was told that everyone knew the economy would go bad, it was just a matter of time. You can see how much I pay attention to political news. That was a bubble burst. What was not a bubble burst is...more
I try not to give out one star ratings lightly. I only give them to what I think are the worst books, the books in which I can say afterwards that they were a waste of my precious time and I wish I had those moments of life back. This book I feel is worth that one star rating.
This is a pop psychology self help book with a religious undertone. As is popular with self help material, the author broke his work into a list. Surprisingly, he did not create an acronym to describe the ideas as well.
For...more
This is a pop psychology self help book with a religious undertone. As is popular with self help material, the author broke his work into a list. Surprisingly, he did not create an acronym to describe the ideas as well.
For...more
Dec 09, 2010
Peregrine 12
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
avoid-at-all-costs
This book was one of the worst things in print I've ever seen. Three problems:
1. Main character is 2-D. False and unbelievable. Just a prop to get us into the author's story.
2. Author references history - but his facts are WRONG. (Specifically: Truman's apparent reluctance to drop the H-bomb on Japan; history shows that not only did he do it willingly, but he refused to NOT do it when Japan tried to surrender! This incident in the story supports the nice, convenient view that every American lead...more
1. Main character is 2-D. False and unbelievable. Just a prop to get us into the author's story.
2. Author references history - but his facts are WRONG. (Specifically: Truman's apparent reluctance to drop the H-bomb on Japan; history shows that not only did he do it willingly, but he refused to NOT do it when Japan tried to surrender! This incident in the story supports the nice, convenient view that every American lead...more
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Garrett and I went to the ReAL/Rio Tinto Open House a few weeks ago. (Garrett loved the two locker rooms, player tunnel, Q&A with the general manager, Garth Lagerwey, meeting a player & mascot, etc.) There was a Q&A with Coach Jason Kreis. One person asked him what his favorite book was and he said "The Traveler's Gift." He also mentioned that he made all his players read it the first couple years he coached. Hadn't heard of it so I figured I'd read it to see what it was like.
The boo...more
The boo...more
This is a combination fantasy/self-help book. A man with a wife and daughter finds himself at a crisis point in his life. He has lost his job, and his child is sick and he can't afford a doctor. He slips into despair and nearly has a fatal car accident, but an all-knowing hand saves him and sends him on a voyage through time where he meets seven famous people from history, each of whom gives him a small piece of essential wisdom on how to live your life. It is interesting to see him travel to di...more
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Breath taking and inspiring are the two words I would use to describe this book. Some would say it is fiction, but I would argue against that. I'm the type of person that only likes nonfiction and I absolutely loved this book.
Once a successful business man, David Ponder falls on his face only to discover where your true success stories come from. Although it is really David traveling and learning from people that were courageous in the midst of storms, YOU will feel like the traveler. Most of...more
Once a successful business man, David Ponder falls on his face only to discover where your true success stories come from. Although it is really David traveling and learning from people that were courageous in the midst of storms, YOU will feel like the traveler. Most of...more
Okay, let me start off by saying that I'm not a huge fan of self-help books. The ideas presented by the author to help one be successful were good ideas. The biggest problem that I had with the book was that the people that David went and visited. I didn't feel that the author was true to their actual characters and personalities. Also, the timing in which David "visited" these people was not at all realistic, and so much to the unrealistic side that I found them to be annoying. For example, Dav...more
At first, I felt that the book had great potential. It followed a man on his struggle to make better decisions for himself—took him on a fantasy-like journey not unlike a scrooge adventure with the ghosts. Each person he met taught him a new lesson on how to be a leader. The format was intriguing. But the further I moved through the book the more unhappy I became. At the end, I felt that the message being told is: All men are capable of greatness, which will lead to both fame and fortune. There...more
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I am only on Chapter three of my last year's Holiday gift ( I know. I am way behind in my reading) but am very intrigued by this book. There has been a lot of negativity in my life lately so it is reminding me that I need to surround myself with more successful and positive people. The concept is very different that's for sure. The main character is at his lowest point in life and contemplating suicide. He starts to time travel to different times and people in history that have been deemed succe...more
David Ponder, a man down on his luck and in despair, experiences a personal miracle that not only changes his life, but has the potential to change others and the world itself.
The author weaves a tale of near death experiences, time travel, and adventure. Using historical characters and facts, he introduces the main character and the reader to seven decisions that one can take to determine personal success in life.
This is a prelude to "The Final Summit"; where Andrews continues David Ponder's jo...more
The author weaves a tale of near death experiences, time travel, and adventure. Using historical characters and facts, he introduces the main character and the reader to seven decisions that one can take to determine personal success in life.
This is a prelude to "The Final Summit"; where Andrews continues David Ponder's jo...more
This book was kind of confusing but also very interesting. I read it for one of my online classes I am taking called the "Hero cycle". This book had a lot of great lessons to learn from it. In this book the main character doesn't think that he is good enough for his family and for life so he crashes into a tree and then he goes to a whole bunch of different people who teach him things and then give him letters to help him remember what they taught him. He goes to Anne Frank, Christopher Columbus...more
If you like feel-good pop psychology plus bad theology then you will like this book. My antenna went up when I saw the endorsement by Robert Schuller. The first decision was okay--every one needs to take responsibility.
But the second, seek wisdom, was where I got off. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that is not Andrew's premise by a long shot.
But the time Andrews got to Anne Frank's decision to be happy and to laugh for seven seconds the first thing each morning, I started...more
But the second, seek wisdom, was where I got off. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that is not Andrew's premise by a long shot.
But the time Andrews got to Anne Frank's decision to be happy and to laugh for seven seconds the first thing each morning, I started...more
Are you a poor, miserable, lazy, slob? Then CHOOSE not to be. There. Now you’ve read the book, too. (Oops, sorry. I’m going to forgive myself for that harsh comment so I don’t spend eternity “chained to the Mirror of Regret.”)
Perhaps it would have been more persuasive if written without the pretense of being a fictional novel and simply left in the category of “self-help.” Andy Andrews could have used the historical figures as compelling examples just as effectively and probably with more grace...more
Perhaps it would have been more persuasive if written without the pretense of being a fictional novel and simply left in the category of “self-help.” Andy Andrews could have used the historical figures as compelling examples just as effectively and probably with more grace...more
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I gave this book four stars because I think the seven decisions, if followed, really will make you a very happy and successful person. I think they definitely have application for me. The writing itself wasn't great. I felt some of the transitions needed help and some of the details seemed unnecessary and out of place. I did like all the visits to historical characters. They seemed pretty accurate and well-researched. The only visit I didn't like was the one to Gabriel. The feeling of that visit...more
A friend gave this book to me as a parting gift three years ago. It sat hidden away in my bedside drawer until recently. I would call this book a self-help book in a way because it does give you short passages giving you seven decisions to make your life a success. My favorite happened to be the decision to forgive yourself and begin again each day. The book is different because it brings you these decisions through the story of a man named David Ponder. Ponder initially reminded me of a modern...more
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~ Hailed by a New York Times writer as a "modern-day Will Rogers who has quietly become one of the most influential people in America."
~ Spoken at the request of four different U.S. Presidents
~ Every single minute a book by Andy Andrews is sold somewhere in the world!
~ New York Times Bestselling Author of The Noticer and The Traveler's Gift
Source:
http://www.andyandrews.com/
More about Andy Andrews...
~ Spoken at the request of four different U.S. Presidents
~ Every single minute a book by Andy Andrews is sold somewhere in the world!
~ New York Times Bestselling Author of The Noticer and The Traveler's Gift
Source:
http://www.andyandrews.com/
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“Successful people make their decisions quickly and change their minds slowly. Failures make their decisions slowly and change their minds quickly.”
—
52 people liked it
“Life itself is a privilege, but to live life to the fullest- well, that is a choice.”
—
24 people liked it
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16. September, 15:37 Uhr