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30/01/2024
" I was very fortunate. I learned about the power of good thinking early in life. My father required all three of his children to read for thirty minutes every day. Sometimes we choose what we read but often, he selected the reading materials for us
Two of the books he asked me to read made a profound impression on me. The first was "The Power of Positive Thinking " by Norman Vincent Peale which I read in the seventh grade. That year, my father also took me to Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio, to hear and meet Dr. Peale. It shaped my life.
Even more impacting than meeting Dr. Peale was reading "As a man Thinketh" by James Allen. I read the book in 1961 when I was 14 years old and it made such an impression on me that I was prompted to make one of my Daily Dozen decisions. I still have the book. On page 49, Allen wrote, "All that a man achieves or fail to achieve is the direct result of his thought." The entire book made an impression on me, but that statement made me realize that my thinking will make or break me. So I decided that I will think on things that will add value to myself and others."
John Maxwell