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The Skinny on Success: Why not you?
In Jim Randel's distinct and unique format of telling a story through skinny stick people, readers will see success in a new light as they learn the tools that will help them to become victorious or, if they want to flourish even more, how to take their dreams about achieving to the next level. The Skinny on Success will explain how Identify the three steps in the process that leads to success that triumphant people take; See the importance of passion, action, & persistence; Decide how big a role talent plays in becoming successful; Be inspired by the examples of Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, and others, who went from rejection after rejection to huge triumphs; Benefit from the author's synthesis of the key findings from illuminating books on success, including Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, Daniel Coyne's the Talent Code, and others.
204 pages, Perfect Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Jim Randel
42 books19 followersJim Randel, a graduate of the Columbia University College and Law School, has made his living as an entrepreneur. During his 30-year career, Jim has been the lead investor in many real estate and business deals. He has been a guest speaker at Harvard and NYU Business Schools, annual conventions for national organizations, and investor sessions in every large city in the United States. He has also appeared on numerous networks as an expert on investing. Recent engagements include ABC, CBS, Fox, Fox Business and BetterTV.com.
Throughout his career, Jim's passion has been to teach and write. His first book, The Real Estate Game (CCH), was published in 1986 and received national recognition from investors and critics. From 1988 to 1990 he was a daily commentator on the Financial News Network (now CNBC). In 2006 he wrote Confessions of a Real Estate Entrepreneur (McGraw-Hill) which reached #1 in several Amazon categories.
In 2008 Jim founded Rand Media Co, which, under the imprint The Skinny On™, publishes a revolutionary line of illustrated non-fiction books.
The first book in this series, The Skinny on the Housing Crisis, was awarded First Prize in the prestigious Robert Bruss Real Estate Book competition sponsored by NAREE, a group of 600 journalists who cover business and finance. This was quickly followed by 8 more titles: The Skinny on Willpower, The Skinny on Credit Cards, The Skinny on Success, The Skinny on Real Estate Investing, The Skinny on Direct Sales (also available in Spanish as The Skinny on Venta Directa), The Skinny on Time Management, The Skinny on the Art of Persuasion, and the newest in the series, The Skinny on Networking.
Jim lives and works in Westport, Connecticut with his wife Carol. They have four grown children and two grandchildren.
For more information about the Skinny on series, go to: www.TheSkinnyOn.com.
Throughout his career, Jim's passion has been to teach and write. His first book, The Real Estate Game (CCH), was published in 1986 and received national recognition from investors and critics. From 1988 to 1990 he was a daily commentator on the Financial News Network (now CNBC). In 2006 he wrote Confessions of a Real Estate Entrepreneur (McGraw-Hill) which reached #1 in several Amazon categories.
In 2008 Jim founded Rand Media Co, which, under the imprint The Skinny On™, publishes a revolutionary line of illustrated non-fiction books.
The first book in this series, The Skinny on the Housing Crisis, was awarded First Prize in the prestigious Robert Bruss Real Estate Book competition sponsored by NAREE, a group of 600 journalists who cover business and finance. This was quickly followed by 8 more titles: The Skinny on Willpower, The Skinny on Credit Cards, The Skinny on Success, The Skinny on Real Estate Investing, The Skinny on Direct Sales (also available in Spanish as The Skinny on Venta Directa), The Skinny on Time Management, The Skinny on the Art of Persuasion, and the newest in the series, The Skinny on Networking.
Jim lives and works in Westport, Connecticut with his wife Carol. They have four grown children and two grandchildren.
For more information about the Skinny on series, go to: www.TheSkinnyOn.com.
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October 7, 2012Another excellent cartoon-style informational book. Great perspective and inspiration!
January 25, 2018
Cuốn sách biết về sự thành công. Đặc biệt nhấn mạnh về sự kiên trì, nhẫn nại và khó khăn là điều không thể tránh trên con đường dẫn tới thành công. Phải tin tưởng vào chính bản thân mình sẽ làm được, không được lần này sẽ có lần khác chỉ cần chúng ta nổ lực cố gắng.
Sách được viết theo kiểu truyện tranh về hai nhân vật chính là Billy và Beth. Cả hai đều muốn đến thành công của cuộc đời mình nhưng đều đang mắc những lỗi trên con đường này.
Billy chàng trai làm việc trong văn phòng và có ước mơ trở thành diễn viên hài bởi vì tưởng rằng mình có năng khiếu có thể làm người khác cười. Và nghĩ rằng người khác thành công thì mình cũng sẽ nhất định thành công nhưng anh ta đã hoàn toàn sai khi nhìn vấn đề một cách tổng quát và chỉ xem kết quả mà không quan tâm đến cả quá trình của người khác. Billy nói với Jim sẽ đăng kí tham gia cuộc thi diễn viên hài và luôn khẳng định trong lòng điều này cho dù Jim có kể cho anh nghe bao nhiêu câu chuyện về sự kiên trì và thành công không phải chỉ nhờ năng khiếu mà là sự cố gắng nỗ lực trong một khoảng thời gian dài luyện tập. Sau một khoảng dài, Billy mới đồng ý với quan điểm này của Jim nên đã trở thành 1 giáo viên với năng khiếu hài của mình đưa vào những bài giảng.
Beth là bạn gái của Billy, có ước mơ có thể làm những người trong dịch vụ công cộng. Trong một lần được đề cử đi thi thì Beth lại cảm thấy mặc cảm với bản thân mặc dù rất muốn tham gia. Nhưng lại suy nghĩ rằng mình không thể thắng, không đủ tự tin về năng lực, số phiếu đắc cử sẽ rất ít. Nhưng Jim cũng đã kể cho cô nghe những câu chuyện về sự thất bại trong thành công, cô đã hiểu và tham gia nhưng đã thua. Sau đó, cô trách Jim nhưng cô đã cố gắng từng ngày trở thành người mà mình mong muốn.
Sách được viết theo kiểu truyện tranh về hai nhân vật chính là Billy và Beth. Cả hai đều muốn đến thành công của cuộc đời mình nhưng đều đang mắc những lỗi trên con đường này.
Billy chàng trai làm việc trong văn phòng và có ước mơ trở thành diễn viên hài bởi vì tưởng rằng mình có năng khiếu có thể làm người khác cười. Và nghĩ rằng người khác thành công thì mình cũng sẽ nhất định thành công nhưng anh ta đã hoàn toàn sai khi nhìn vấn đề một cách tổng quát và chỉ xem kết quả mà không quan tâm đến cả quá trình của người khác. Billy nói với Jim sẽ đăng kí tham gia cuộc thi diễn viên hài và luôn khẳng định trong lòng điều này cho dù Jim có kể cho anh nghe bao nhiêu câu chuyện về sự kiên trì và thành công không phải chỉ nhờ năng khiếu mà là sự cố gắng nỗ lực trong một khoảng thời gian dài luyện tập. Sau một khoảng dài, Billy mới đồng ý với quan điểm này của Jim nên đã trở thành 1 giáo viên với năng khiếu hài của mình đưa vào những bài giảng.
Beth là bạn gái của Billy, có ước mơ có thể làm những người trong dịch vụ công cộng. Trong một lần được đề cử đi thi thì Beth lại cảm thấy mặc cảm với bản thân mặc dù rất muốn tham gia. Nhưng lại suy nghĩ rằng mình không thể thắng, không đủ tự tin về năng lực, số phiếu đắc cử sẽ rất ít. Nhưng Jim cũng đã kể cho cô nghe những câu chuyện về sự thất bại trong thành công, cô đã hiểu và tham gia nhưng đã thua. Sau đó, cô trách Jim nhưng cô đã cố gắng từng ngày trở thành người mà mình mong muốn.
April 15, 2018
An easy, entertaining, and inspirational read with some great quotes. Loved that Randel mentioned the importance of exercise and a healthy lifestyle - I feel like that often gets overlooked in how-to books.
November 6, 2021
A booster for confidence in sucess.
May 3, 2010
What I like about Jim Randel’s The Skinny On books, is that they are like hiring an excerpt consultant to come and spend a couple of hours teaching from their extensive research and experience, all for the price of a couple of cups of coffee. Written in a power point type fashion with wonderfully simple but effective and well illustrated characters, Randel teaches through fictional case studies. Peppered throughout these studies are the wisdom of experts who have been well researched and quoted by Randel along with an extensive bibliography for those wanting to delve deeper. Usually when I attend a conference or listen to an expert speaker, I consider it well worth my time if I can learn one new factoid or item that I can put into practice. While I have read a number of the references Jim uses in his books, I still found multiple take-aways to use going forward making reading The Skinny On books well worth the time.
They say to be successful, learn from someone that already is. The Skinny On: Success is replete with story after story of successful people from all facets of life. Each of their stories as well as the research Randel provides suggests one common theme - success is not overnight and persistence is the key. Perhaps not an earth shattering revelation, but Randel weaves an entertaining storyline to make this point along with the other 10 top characteristics of successful people. In the book, fictional characters Beth and Billy have desires to be successful in two very different fields – comedy and politics. Randel’s message to this couple as well as to all of us is that to be successful one must travel through an undeterminable number of set backs and failures. Those who are successful are those that are truly committed to their endeavor and will continue to persistent no matter what. One of my favorite quotes in the book is from Winston Churchill “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm”.
Randel refutes claims that natural born talent is the key to success citing numerous studies as well as personal interviews with a number of successful athletes, broadcasters, and others. “Talent Schmalent!” he claims. To achieve world class excellence takes up to 10,000 hours of practice! Similar to his book on willpower, the idea of inertia and building upon success breeds more success until one reaches their ultimate goal.
Regardless of the methods you use, Randel’s book contains a lot of information packed into a small and engaging package. Perhaps not all ideas will resonate with everyone, but there is so much good content here, everyone will gain a key take-away or two.
They say to be successful, learn from someone that already is. The Skinny On: Success is replete with story after story of successful people from all facets of life. Each of their stories as well as the research Randel provides suggests one common theme - success is not overnight and persistence is the key. Perhaps not an earth shattering revelation, but Randel weaves an entertaining storyline to make this point along with the other 10 top characteristics of successful people. In the book, fictional characters Beth and Billy have desires to be successful in two very different fields – comedy and politics. Randel’s message to this couple as well as to all of us is that to be successful one must travel through an undeterminable number of set backs and failures. Those who are successful are those that are truly committed to their endeavor and will continue to persistent no matter what. One of my favorite quotes in the book is from Winston Churchill “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm”.
Randel refutes claims that natural born talent is the key to success citing numerous studies as well as personal interviews with a number of successful athletes, broadcasters, and others. “Talent Schmalent!” he claims. To achieve world class excellence takes up to 10,000 hours of practice! Similar to his book on willpower, the idea of inertia and building upon success breeds more success until one reaches their ultimate goal.
Regardless of the methods you use, Randel’s book contains a lot of information packed into a small and engaging package. Perhaps not all ideas will resonate with everyone, but there is so much good content here, everyone will gain a key take-away or two.
May 27, 2010
The Skinny On: Success continues the tradition of The Skinny On series to present their distillation of information blended with their own unique humor, stick figure drawings, expert testimony, real life examples, and it succeeds!
The main thesis of The Skinny On: Success is that success isn’t necessarily a result of being the most talented, the smartest, or even having built the better mousetrap, but of being the most persistent in attaining your goals, which isn’t necessarily a new idea but the contemporary information and presentation make it a unique book and learning experience.
The Skinny On: Success, like other books in the series is meant to be an introductory to its subject, to offer some footing, simple and straight forward advice, and if you need more in-depth help, or something in the book piques your interest other books on the subject are quoted from and referenced throughout the book. In the back of the book an extensive bibliography is included.
The book also offers the wisdom of the ages quoting liberally from philosophers down through the ages like Emerson, Buddha, Tacitus, Lao-Tzu, and the most often quoted source down through time, Anonymous. The Skinny On: Success offers many examples of people who at times have failed in life, but aren’t failures like, Abraham Lincoln, Steve Martin, John Grisham, J.K. Rowling even to an inclusion of note from Jay Leno’s 5th grade report card. The only real failure is to stop pursuing your goals or dreams.
Returning are Beth and Billy, the Dick and Jane of grown-up concerns and sensibilities who present a non-threatening and humorous way to present the average person’s natural reticence towards self-help systems or books.
In summing up the book The Skinny On: Success offers ten pithy, succinct ideas to help remind you of the ideas covered, and includes an insert with those ten reminders that can be used as a bookmark.
This is the second The Skinny On book I’ve read and enjoyed. I’m not a person who usually reads self-help books or even necessarily believes in their efficacy. The Skinny On: Success is a book I would refer to as a morale booster, and I can see myself keeping both the books close and referring to them as need be.
The main thesis of The Skinny On: Success is that success isn’t necessarily a result of being the most talented, the smartest, or even having built the better mousetrap, but of being the most persistent in attaining your goals, which isn’t necessarily a new idea but the contemporary information and presentation make it a unique book and learning experience.
The Skinny On: Success, like other books in the series is meant to be an introductory to its subject, to offer some footing, simple and straight forward advice, and if you need more in-depth help, or something in the book piques your interest other books on the subject are quoted from and referenced throughout the book. In the back of the book an extensive bibliography is included.
The book also offers the wisdom of the ages quoting liberally from philosophers down through the ages like Emerson, Buddha, Tacitus, Lao-Tzu, and the most often quoted source down through time, Anonymous. The Skinny On: Success offers many examples of people who at times have failed in life, but aren’t failures like, Abraham Lincoln, Steve Martin, John Grisham, J.K. Rowling even to an inclusion of note from Jay Leno’s 5th grade report card. The only real failure is to stop pursuing your goals or dreams.
Returning are Beth and Billy, the Dick and Jane of grown-up concerns and sensibilities who present a non-threatening and humorous way to present the average person’s natural reticence towards self-help systems or books.
In summing up the book The Skinny On: Success offers ten pithy, succinct ideas to help remind you of the ideas covered, and includes an insert with those ten reminders that can be used as a bookmark.
This is the second The Skinny On book I’ve read and enjoyed. I’m not a person who usually reads self-help books or even necessarily believes in their efficacy. The Skinny On: Success is a book I would refer to as a morale booster, and I can see myself keeping both the books close and referring to them as need be.
November 27, 2010
This book, part of a series, attempts to distill a number of self-help books into a clear and easy to read format. It is intended for busy people who don’t have time to read all those self-help books.
If there is such a thing as a definition of a successful person, it is someone who finds something about which they are passionate, they take action to achieve that objective, and they don’t give up when setbacks get in the way.
Billy works for a CPA, and thinks that he has a knack for making people laugh. Therefore, it’s nothing to participate in a comedy club’s open mike night, become a successful comic, and appear on the Tonight Show, right? All you need is talent, right?
Randel, the narrator, tells Billy that passion and determination are much more important than talent. Stephen King got so many rejection letters that he needed a large spike on which to hang all of them. Steve Martin spent 10 years working to become a stand-up comic, after he worked at Disneyland as a teenager, trying out jokes and magic tricks on the public. Did they give up when success was not immediate? Brian Williams of NBC News and Jim Nantz of CBS Sports knew what they wanted to do when they were 8 years old. Many people give up on their dreams out of fear of failure, or fear of looking stupid. That may happen, but unless you try, failure is assured.
Billy’s wife, Beth, is a paralegal with an interest in politics. She has been asked to run for the town Board of Finance, but she is wavering. She decides to go for it, and after getting beaten handily, is ready to give up on politics. Randel tells her that persistence in whatever you do is most important, along with not giving up when things don’t go your way.
This book is excellent. It does a fine job at presenting a potentially vague subject like "success" in terms anyone can understand. Don’t let the stick figure illustrations turn you off of this book that is made for busy people.
If there is such a thing as a definition of a successful person, it is someone who finds something about which they are passionate, they take action to achieve that objective, and they don’t give up when setbacks get in the way.
Billy works for a CPA, and thinks that he has a knack for making people laugh. Therefore, it’s nothing to participate in a comedy club’s open mike night, become a successful comic, and appear on the Tonight Show, right? All you need is talent, right?
Randel, the narrator, tells Billy that passion and determination are much more important than talent. Stephen King got so many rejection letters that he needed a large spike on which to hang all of them. Steve Martin spent 10 years working to become a stand-up comic, after he worked at Disneyland as a teenager, trying out jokes and magic tricks on the public. Did they give up when success was not immediate? Brian Williams of NBC News and Jim Nantz of CBS Sports knew what they wanted to do when they were 8 years old. Many people give up on their dreams out of fear of failure, or fear of looking stupid. That may happen, but unless you try, failure is assured.
Billy’s wife, Beth, is a paralegal with an interest in politics. She has been asked to run for the town Board of Finance, but she is wavering. She decides to go for it, and after getting beaten handily, is ready to give up on politics. Randel tells her that persistence in whatever you do is most important, along with not giving up when things don’t go your way.
This book is excellent. It does a fine job at presenting a potentially vague subject like "success" in terms anyone can understand. Don’t let the stick figure illustrations turn you off of this book that is made for busy people.
February 6, 2012
As someone who has been studying the Laws of Success since the 90s, I am always looking for NEW ideas on the topic, as I am continually learning as I achieve my goals and move onto the next one. Goal achievers always look for new and more efficient ways to get from point A to point B and reading ideas from those who understand achievement is a must. This book is crucial for anyone looking to take their goals to the next level; which really is what success is all about.
This book brought tears to my eyes as I understood so clearly where I am in my own success quest. Randel explains topics I have been studying for years in such a clear and concise manner as he allows the reader to reflect upon their own potential, and self-assess. Are you doing all that you can do to achieve your goals? Where are you falling short? Once you can see this, he shows you how to navigate back on course using the reservoirs of talent that he reminds us we each possess.
He also gives clear cut examples of well known people and their steps towards the successful life they lead. Most people find they had to keep working on their passions, navigate back on course when they steered off, work on their mental attitude so they could stay on track, persevere and keep a high level of integrity.
If you are struggling to achieve a certain goal, or level of success, you MUST read this book. You will gain some insight on the action you need to take next, and keep working, and then one day, you will realize your goal has been achieved. I am thankful to have come across this book.
This book brought tears to my eyes as I understood so clearly where I am in my own success quest. Randel explains topics I have been studying for years in such a clear and concise manner as he allows the reader to reflect upon their own potential, and self-assess. Are you doing all that you can do to achieve your goals? Where are you falling short? Once you can see this, he shows you how to navigate back on course using the reservoirs of talent that he reminds us we each possess.
He also gives clear cut examples of well known people and their steps towards the successful life they lead. Most people find they had to keep working on their passions, navigate back on course when they steered off, work on their mental attitude so they could stay on track, persevere and keep a high level of integrity.
If you are struggling to achieve a certain goal, or level of success, you MUST read this book. You will gain some insight on the action you need to take next, and keep working, and then one day, you will realize your goal has been achieved. I am thankful to have come across this book.
October 2, 2010
There are two huge mistakes people make when it comes to making their dreams come true. The first is obvious- some people never even try. Before they even step out of the gate, they decide that their dream is silly or they don’t have what it takes. Then, they simply give up.
For those that do try, many fall prey to thinking that success is something that will be handed to them. Perhaps, they believe that they have talent or see others who have made it seem easy to succeed. Then, once things get tough, they run for the hills.
The Skinny on Success looks at success realistically. If you don’t try, you won’t succeed. If you believe success is your birthright or that your talent will give you a leg up on the competition, you are just as likely to abandon your dreams when the real work begins. Being successful is like anything else in life- you have to work very hard, keep focused, and get a little lucky.
Essentially, do what you love and put yourself into it fully. Be open to the opportunities. Make mistakes and learn from them. There are no guarantees, of course, but if you’re doing what you love you’ll be a lot happier for it. I believe that’s success in and of itself.
For those that do try, many fall prey to thinking that success is something that will be handed to them. Perhaps, they believe that they have talent or see others who have made it seem easy to succeed. Then, once things get tough, they run for the hills.
The Skinny on Success looks at success realistically. If you don’t try, you won’t succeed. If you believe success is your birthright or that your talent will give you a leg up on the competition, you are just as likely to abandon your dreams when the real work begins. Being successful is like anything else in life- you have to work very hard, keep focused, and get a little lucky.
Essentially, do what you love and put yourself into it fully. Be open to the opportunities. Make mistakes and learn from them. There are no guarantees, of course, but if you’re doing what you love you’ll be a lot happier for it. I believe that’s success in and of itself.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews