Author: Danny Cahill
Info: Copyright 2012: Tulsa OK: Harrison House Publishers
Where acquired: Gift from the author.
Why: I'm a fan of The Biggest Loser, but my access to the show is hit or miss, so I'd not heard of Danny Cahill (winner of season 8) or his story until my friend, Carla, told me about him and his involvement in the Journey Training. I went back and watched season 8 of The Biggest Loser and heard small pieces of his story when I attended Threshold at the Journey Training. He generously gave me a signed copy of this book.
Rating (on a scale of 1-4 hashtags): # # #
What it's about: Cahill, a budding musician in his youth, gave up on his dreams, and eventually on life itself. Addictions, massive debt, and other dangerous life choices sent his life into a downward spiral and his weight to a deadly upward spiral to over 400 pounds. After years of mere existence, Cahill "lost his quit" and was chosen for The Biggest Loser, which he won by losing a staggering 239 pounds. The book gives examples and encouragement to help others to break the cycle of mediocre survival.
Favorite Quotes:
"I have talent and I feel like I've settled for making a living instead of making my dreams come true." - p. 5
"No you are not too old, too fat, too weak, or too far gone. No, you are not too stupid, too lazy, or too tired. You just have to wake your heart up and get yourself back in the race! That dream is there, and it is up to you to make it happen." p. 8
"...the physical manifestation of anything happens long after the mental decision not to quit!" - p. 23
"You need to renew your motivation every single day of your life." - p. 24
"If there were anyone I'd want as my bodyguard in a bar fight, it would be Jillian (Michaels)." - p. 36
"External motivation is great, but if that's all you have, it won't take you far. Without a clearly defined why, it will be too easy to lean on the same excuses that have kept you where you've been for far too long. Zig Ziglar once said, 'People often say motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing--that's why we recommend it daily.'" - p. 66
"Do a little more than yesterday. Repeat the process tomorrow." - p. 78
What I Liked:
- Cahill writes in a flowing conversational style that makes the book hard to put down.
- This, like many books I've read, seems to get right into my head. I easily identify with Cahill's story: we're both musicians (he's a "Brother in bass" also), both battle weight (he's winning, me? not so much), and both think a lot alike (scary).
- The four core principles of the text are deceptively simple on paper, but they are complex in execution: Lose your quit, lose your regrets, lose the lies, find your "why."
- At less than 100 pages, this book was too short. It had gaps in the story and left unanswered questions. I would have liked a little more instruction--a little more "how." Note: I realize Cahill wrote a second book that may (or may not) fill in some of the gaps, but I haven't read it yet so I have to go with what I have.
- From a technical standpoint, some of the sentence structure was confusing. For example, on page 23 he says, "I needed to learn that one step at a time added to the faith that your work is making a difference is the key." Yeah, I'm not sure what he meant either.
- I know I belabor this point, but I wish publishers would stop using what I call the "aside." It's a box or a piece of enlarged bold type that repeats what the author has already said. First, it breaks the flow and continuity of a piece. Second, it emphasizes something that the reader may not feel is that relevant. In other words, other parts of the book may speak to me more than what is emphasized; publishers shouldn't try to force relevance. Yes, I know a lot of books use this, so it's going to be a constant complaint. From now on, I'll just type the phrase "aside box" in my reviews and leave it at that. You'll understand why.
- Some of the pictures covered up the text.
No comments:
Post a Comment