The Carpenter: A Story About the Greatest Success Strategies of All (Jon Gordon)

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The book opens with Michael in the hospital. He had been running through the city streets, thinking about ways to build his company, when he collapsed as a result of the stress he was under. A carpenter happened to be close by and saved his life. The carpenter had left his simple business card, so after Michael got out of the hospital, he decided to reach out to him to thank him. Gordon is a bestselling author, and he writes stories that inspire us, drawing from his experience of helping Fortune 500 companies, school districts, hospitals, sports teams, and nonprofits. This premise of this book is a paradox. On the one hand, I felt like the carpenter and gardener comparison was well summarized in a few paragraphs in a WSJ article by Gopnik. On the other hand, I greatly admire Gopnik’s research in academia and trust her judgment in composing a book.

Michael had to be away from both work and coaching his daughter’s basketball team as he recovers. During that time, Social Connect loses their largest client. They have just two months to find new clients to replace the revenue loss, or they will need to shut the business down. J shares three main points of “The Way”, his Heart of Success Model – Love, Serve and Care. He tells Michael that you love, you serve, and you show people you care. It’s the simplest, most powerful and greatest success model of all time. Drawing upon his work with countless leaders, sales people, professional and college sports teams, non-profit organizations and schools, Jon Gordon shares anentertaining and enlighteningstory that will inspire you to build a better life, career, and team with the greatest success strategies of all. The key to becoming a powerful success builder is to make a difference to one person, one moment at a time. You do it each day, with each person, in each moment, as part of each interaction, and over time you powerfully impact a lot of people. With a trademark sound highlighted by brother Richard’s multi-layered production and sister Karen’s timeless voice, the Carpenters set a new standard for melodic pop.My biggest take away from The Carpenter was the concept of beginning with the end in mind. So often we get caught up in the busyness of our jobs, our families, and everything else that is going on in our lives that we end up going along for the ride instead of being intentional about how we’re living. Ideally, your carpenter should have both liability insurance—which will protect your home against work-related damages–and worker’s compensation insurance—which will make sure you’re not held liable if the carpenter undergoes work-related injuries. Additionally, your carpenter should have a bond so that you’re protected, should he or she not meet the terms of your contract. Warranty In the mid-1980s, John Carpenter stumbled upon a comic book story set in a world where aliens were secretly controlling the entire human race. A lifelong fan of science fiction, Carpenter saw a metaphor lurking there that tied the aliens to Reagan-era Republican politicians, and a story began brewing in his mind. That story became They Live, Carpenter’s cult masterpiece about an American everyman who sees the world for what it really is with the help of a very special pair of sunglasses. A consistent message throughout The Carpenter is what you believe to be true will become what is true. Truly, our minds are the most powerful and intricate “computers” on the planet and we must constantly program our mind and thoughts through talking to ourselves in a positive, encouraging manner. Some 50 years ago, Richard and his sister Karen, better known as the Carpenters, were on top of the world ­– tirelessly touring, recording and promoting a blast of pop classics including “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” “We’ve Only Just Begun,” and “Superstar.”

You need to dig down and love deeper, server greater, and care more. The love of what you are building has to be greater than the challenges you face. Serve greater! Become a mighty servant who serves in small ways, big ways, and sideways. Serve everyone as if they are the only person on the planet. And care more. Care so much that you care enough for everyone.” Are there proven practices and timeless truths that help you lead a better life, enjoy more fulfilling work, and make more moments that matter? It provides a narrative filled with sound advice on leadership, business and living one's purpose. Uplifting and positive - a terrific read for those in any service ministry or industry. In some ways, this is a book that is best summarized by its title. When we act as parents, Dr. Gopnik is telling us, we should think of ourselves more as gardeners than as carpenters. The relevant difference is that the gardener is focused on growth, but doesn't usually try to insure details such as exactly how many leaves grow on the plant or where, just that there be about the right amount of leaves growing. A carpenter, on the other hand, usually does a lot of rather precise measuring and cutting, insuring a certain final outcome where all the pieces fit together. Gopnik appears to be concerned that modern "parenting" (she dislikes the verb, by the way, preferring the noun "parent") is becoming too similar to carpentry in its aspirations, and not enough like gardening.A half-century later, Richard’s work ethic clearly hasn’t changed. From January to May of this year, Carpenter spent countless hours editing and rewriting the just-published biography Carpenters: The Musical Legacy (Princeton Architectural Press) with his co-authors, Associated Press reporter Mike Cidoni Lennox, and musicologist and Carpenters expert Chris May. Carpenter has described They Live as a “primal scream against Reaganomics,” a story that uses a science fiction concept to pour on social commentary about the way he saw what was happening to the American middle class in the 1980s. In a 1988 interview with Starlog promoting the film’s release, Carpenter noted that he’d begun watching television more frequently while developing the story, and realized “it’s all about wanting us to buy something,” which further influenced his take on the material. A barrage of media interviews plugging the book and album began in late August and will continue through the year, but on October 27, Richard got a night off to attend a private gala at The Wallis Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, where he was named a “Steinway Artist,” celebrating his career-long association with the 160-year-old instrument maker Steinway & Sons.

Even years later, Carpenter continues to believe in the relevance of the rich-get-richer conspiracy at the heart of the film. "They’re still here, making more money than ever, and they’re still among us,” he said. 3. John Carpenter wrote They Live under an alias. It’s not just people who make the world go round. It’s people who care. And caring is the difference that makes the difference.Awesome book. I am a big fan of Jon Gordon. Yes, the are short stories and they can be repetitive but the message and the quotes are great! highly recommend. Some of my favorite quotes are: There have been several books exploring the life and music of this beloved duo, but none of been officially authorized or were provided the kind of access that Lennox and May had for Carpenters: The Musical Legacy. When you care, you will inspire others to care. It’s also important to make sure you surround yourself with people who care. Find ways to extend yourself to others and serve them. Write a note. Make a call. Go out of your way to serve someone. Go beyond the expected. People know you care when you go out of your way to show them they matter. A smile, an encouraging word, an extra five minutes of time, solving a customer’s problem, listening to an employee, sacrificing for a friend, and helping a team member through a challenging time can make all the difference. Never underestimate the importance of making time to make someone feel special.” 8. Our Purpose is Greater than Our Challenges If you’re new to the world of carpentry, you might not realize that there are a few different types of carpentry on the scene.