Ever since reading Mark Sanborn's book "UPGRADE!: Proven Strategies for Dramatically Increasing Personal and Professional Success," I have been enamored with the word, "upgrade."
UPGRADE! What a positive word! I have used the term weakness, area for improvement, do differently etc., but what a powerful, positive way to look at buffing up your skills, attitude, behaviors and performance.
Mark does a superb job giving lots of tips and techniques to
inspire you to reach new levels of success. In this book, he:
Confirms things you already know
Challenges you to continue doing those things you have done, but for some reason or another, you have stopped doing
Reframes issues so you may see things from a different
perspective
Provides great insight into things you never even dreamed of!
For example, I have always considered writing a journal, logbook, diary or some way of chronicling my adventures. I never like what I write, so I stop writing.
Mark says "Many of the most successful and creative people I know keep a journal. While some may record the events of each day, the majority are jotting down their insights, reflections and information. More powerful than just keeping a journal, I've found, is periodically reviewing one's journal to reinforce the important things one has experienced and learned."
The Upgrade? I now keep a journal of important things that I have experienced and learned. For me, it's very focused. It's full of bullets and pictures rather than stream-of-consciousness. It's meaningful in hindsight as well as in the writing.

This book offers the healthy perspective for the new millenium. Practical to-do's for achieving a more fulfilling life in all arenas - professional, personal and family. Mark challenges us all to denounce apathy and raise our awareness to understand that the possibilities for an enjoyable and fulfilling life are limited only by our attitudes.

Everyone needs to "Upgrade" and Mark Sanborn has given us the time tested ways that the best get even better. Easy to read and inspiring, we read it to the last page.

This is the perfect GIFT BOOK for the road warrior in your life. Tip: Inscribe the first page with your name, a loving message and your telephone number. When the flight is delayed, you will get a call from your traveler.

The hardcover volume has over 100 one-page meditations consisting of a biblical reference, a story and a quotation. Each meditation is a quick read and each stands alone. These quick bites on travel make the book easy to read while traveling. Your road warrior will love you for the gift.

As the author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and a publisher, I must comment that this book is very nicely done. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com.

Don't let the size of this book fool you. This little gem is powerpacked and guaranteed to help you discover the "little extra's" that can make the BIG DIFFERENCE while on the road. Full of stories, principles, biblical insights and great wisdom this a treasure trove of truth. Enjoy it and enjoy your life on the road much more. God bless those who put it together.

I keep this book in my "traveling suitcase" so I always have it with my while on the road. It has been a real encouragement to me each time I read a new meditation. It's wonderful to know that other people share the same frustrations, loneliness, and challenges. An excellent gift for yourself if you travel or for someone you know who needs to be reminded that God is with us where ever we are!

Mark Sanborn's book " The Fred Factor" is a wonderfully written wake up call to stop, smell the roses and share them with others. The book shows us how to make a difference in life not only for others but also for ourselves. He opens the door step by step in well-explained detail. Reminding us that we all can be "Fred's". A must read for exploration into the obtainable process of making life beautiful. Highly Recommend!

Mark Sanborn's book, The Fred Factor, is the simplest, yet most impressive book on helping people turn their lives from ordinary to extraordinary. The transformational power of this book is that it pulls numerous seemingly insignificant examples from everyday life to illustrate how simple it is to actually do this. Inspired by the selfless and inspiring acts of Mark's postman, we are treated to a hundred different ways of how to make our everyday lives extraordinary! So much of our lives we have been raised to find an extraordinary job, marry an extraordinary spouse, become a member of an extraordinary house of worship, write an extraordinary book, when in fact, the focus has been all wrong! External events, people, or circumstances do not dictate living an extraordinary life. It is mastered and executed by YOU! Just this whole shift in focus is enough to motivate most of us out of our futility and into changing ourselves to that different life we are searching for. This book is empowering and will open your eyes to the infinite possibilities and goodness of people and circumstances. And that is something that is sorely missing in the world today. Imagine what the world would be if everyone realized that everything they need to make a difference was right there within themselves! After reading this book, you'll have the tools to change your world into an extraordinary one. Best of all, you'll be able to start this incredible journey the moment you pick up this book.

Napolean is full of bon mots I have often quoted, wondering where to find the source.

This is the source.

Comments about conquering the whole world if only he had enough ribbon and his indictment of commanding generals who blame their superiors for ordering them to lead their armies to disaster. And others.

Perhaps not everyone views the world as a military metaphor but I do and Buonaparte has a lot to say on the subject.

Sanborn's translations make us wonder if he is Napoleon himself

The book is extremely enjoyable to read. I've read this three times and gain some new insight from the insightful proverbs. You can only gain from reading.

The main thesis of Sanborn's book is that violence as seen through the examples of the Tsarist and Soviet armies cemented the Russian nation together. The first part of the book, Sanborn writes about how the Soviet army managed to tighten draft evasions by rewarding those families that had members serving in the military while confiscating the land of draft evaders and their families during the Russian Civil War.Sandborn also deals with the different nationalities in the Russian empire. Belorussians and Ukrainians assimilated into the Russian army but were later segregrated into seperate ethnic units during the Russain Civil War. While Central Asians resisited service in the Russian army and the Jews were regarded by both Tsarist and Communist officers as subversives and dangerous to morale. The middle section Sanborn descibes how gender roles were coonected to the new Russin nationalism. Both Tsarist and Soviet propaganda stated that Russian men must develop their bodies to protect their nation and the family, while Russian women were required to have sons that could drafted into the army. The final section Sanborn writes how the Russian state would redeem criminals and draft evaders if they rejoined the army, but both the Soviet and Tsarist system would harshly punish pacificit sects. Although the state rewarded violent behavior it could not control it as seen through the various atrocities during the Russian Civil War.The main weakness of Sanborn's book is that he does not write about the treatement about the injured soldiers during and after the Russian Civil War and how this influeced their perception of the Soviet state. Overall this an excellent social history of the Russian army and how it contributed the creation of the Soviet Union.

Gamaliel Painter: Biography Of A Town Father is the story of how one adventurous pioneer transformed a cluster of log huts into a thriving village and one of Vermont's most influential towns. Gamaliel Painter, a man of forceful personality that combined daring, shrewdness and caution, arrived in Middlebury from Connecticut in the mid-eighteenth century. He took on many trades and professions including pioneer town founder, college founder, associate of Ethan Allen at the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, Captain of Artificers in the Continental Army, a two-fisted sheriff, judge, singer of Vermont's Declaration of Independence, legislator, surveyor, land speculator, industrialist, and toll-road tycoon. Biographer Storrs Lee has drawn upon a wealth of historical material to produce a vivid, lively, accurate, and impressive account of Gamaliel Patiner, a most remarkable and accomplished man who left a lasting imprint on Vermont's colonial and revolutionary history.

Laila,Badaoui Morocan student in China-Beijing University Of Physical Education, my speciality is Chinese Martial arts (Wushu:self defense ,Chi Na ,Chi Kong ,moderne taolu...)and Aerobics(Aerobic dance,step,samba...)and ARABIC dance (oreintal dance ). If you are interested i'll send my C.V very soon. your sincerly ,Laila Badaoui .

I'm not much of a book reader, so I normally don't get excited over autobiographies. But I must say that I read the book from cover to cover in one sitting and enjoyed it immensely. It's well-written, humorous, and offers insightful information on Hollywood through Campbell's trials and tribulations of making ends meet in the business. He discusses not only the Evil Dead movies, but also touches on the range of his work from Crimewave to the Hercules/Xenia TV shows. Campbell mentions little of his personal life, which is actually refreshing..allowing fans to get a sense of who he is through his writing and his film/TV work. He comes across as a "down to earth" kind of guy, sort of as someone who'd be chronicling his experiences in a diary. Avid Bruce Campbell fans will enjoy this book, as well as mainstream book readers who are looking for something fun and entertaining to read...oh, and two high points of the book: tons of photos and drawings; and short chapters (I don't know how many times I lost interest in a book because the chapters were 20-30 pages long). Highly recommended...

With "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor," Bruce Campbell proves that his standard wit and charm, two of the qualities that make him such a delicious addition to any film or television project, translate just as well onto the printed page. The book gives a thorough look at Campbell's life, where he waxes nostalgic about everything from his early childhood and family life to his recent experience on the sets of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess." The detailed examinations of his work on the film "Evil Dead" will be a great pleasure to read for any Deadite, and the photographs that appear throughout the book offer a candid look at Campbell and friends, a nicely added touch that isn't seen in all autobiographies. Campbell's funny and irreverent look at life could make anyone laugh out loud, even those unfamiliar with his work, but this is certainly a must have for any fan.

Read this and then watch Evil Dead (again). It is unbelievable. I see the movie from a totally new perspective. Oh, that opening scene on the water is Bruce Campbell pushing Sam Raimi on a raft, there's where they rigged that lever to make that deadite look like she was floating in the air, there's where there's two people under the floor to look like scattered body parts wriggling. Behind the scenes stuff like that is amazing to me. Since obviously Evil Dead as Bruce Campbell's first movie gets the blow-by-blow treatment, I got the feeling that no other movie experience has ever been the same for him. The whole thing from financing to final edit was solely left to the filmmakers with total creative control. I wished I could've been a part of that hellish shoot for the craziness they must've experienced! And that's only one portion of the book. I work in a bookstore, and I read almost the entire thing on my shift one day, bought it and finished it the next day. I still re-read my favorite parts, and I usually don't like biographys. Buy it, read it, make Bruce Campbell sign it when he comes to your town, and cherish it.