I have read this book several times and it just gets better. If you like the mystical, the spiritual, or just need to be uplifted this is the book for you. As you follow the adventures in the life of Hafid, you too will learn the art of self acceptance and living life to it's fullest. You will lean, as he did, that life is what you make of it. You will find yourself taking the lessons of the 10 scrolls and joyfully incorporating them into your life. I just can't express how beautiful and motivating this little book is. When you add to it the fact that it is also a wonderful story, well what more could you want in any book?

It's 6:15 am. The phone rings as I am reviewing the ten scrolls of a great little book by OG MANDINO. It's called THE GREATEST SALESMAN IN THE WORLD. The author is a recovering drunk who started getting off track as a WW2 aviator. For those of us who are self educated it is a must read. It might even help those who are university limited. The cumulation of the book is ten powerful Scrolls.

The first Scroll is:

1. Today I begin a new life.

The phone call tells me that I have a new great-grandson, born five minutes ago. The second scroll is:

2. I will greet this day with love in my heart.

In my sixty-nine years I have seen many changes. On many fronts our fellow humans have made progress, My great-grandson could easily live into the next century. Or he could be destroyed by a society that is out of control. One thing that could improve his chances is for you and me to continue our mission of merging the good education forces. So I ask you to ask yourself what more can YOU DO to help those of us who want to see a universal change in the way we develop human thinking.

The third Scroll is:

3. I will persist until I succeed.

Few who know this "aging," "recovering lawyer"will doubt that this scroll describes Burl Waits. I have lived a great life because I was given the gift of persistence. Survival in war, learning to learn after dropping out of school, recovering from my dedication to stopping progress through "unionism," getting involved with community service, and finally focusing on a "life mission" to bring those of you dedicated to better education processes into a "Chaordic" type International public service organization.

Scroll IV-speaks for all of us who have the unique capacity to developing our thinking and feeling "intelligence."

4. I am nature's greatest miracle.

And V tells us how to put our egotistic nature in proper prospective.

5. I will live this day as if it is my last.

The last sentence of this section reads:

And, if it is not, I shall fall to my knees and give thanks. And, for the 69 year old Burl Waits, I will add and I hope some of you will keep merging resources and showing business and education that "our kids are our most important products," so that twenty years from now my new grandson will live in a gentler, kinder world.

The Scroll Marked VI

6. Today I will be master of my emotions.

In the first decade of this new millennium those of us who survive will see many changes. As we break the genetic code, and develop cell like computers that will fit in the human blood stream, we will see a merger of science and technology, we will begin to understand that our greatest gift as humans is the potential to merge thought and feeling. Before the decade is out we will see that even the "old line agrarian trained educators" will understand that "survival requires change" not in the kids, but in the ones standing in front of the room.

And now for my favorite Scroll the one Marked VII

7. I will laugh at the world.

Allow me to quote Og Mandino's first paragraph in this section:

"No living creature can laugh except man. Trees may bleed when they are wounded, and beasts in the field will cry in pain and hunger, yet only I have the gift of laughter and it is mine to use whenever I choose, Henceforth, I will cultivate the habit of laughter."

From Dale Carniege and others we learn that laughter starts with a smile and that a mind either laughing or smiling cannot harbor negative thoughts.

And now Og and Burl challenge you with Scroll VIII

8. Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.

As YOU help me bring together the education "energy fields" we will be able to rise the hundred to at least a thousandfold.

I have obtained a tax ID number for a new nonprofit corporation for your use. As you might suspect the name is PROCESS LEARNING CENTERS. It will be a "Chaordic" organization where there will be no traditional power structure, and you that choose to utilize our mission will steer the organization, very much like the VISA organization set up by DEE HOCK. For those who think they might want to stay involved please review the concepts at the Chaordic Alliance. We hope to convince the new management that we have a process they should support.

Click here: Welcome to The Chaordic Alliance

And now for the test of you human capacity to grow

The Scroll Marked IX

9. I will act now. My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust, my goals are impossible. All are of no value unless they are followed by action.

I WILL ACT NOW.

As I review my twelve years of struggle to make a difference in education process reform I find that: I have attended many seminars and training session.( Maybe one hundred) I have attended many meeting called by myself and others (Maybe more than a thousand) I have had many great ideas for what someone else should do (Maybe a million)

So I guess it is time to act-WHAT DO YOU THINK? What else are you willing to do. I want to raise a million dollars and let you direct where it is spent as long as NINETY PERCENT (90%) goes directly to "Support systems for learners"

And now for the most important Scroll of all THE SCROLL MARKED X.

10. From Burl: No, I changed my mind, I'm not going to tell you this greatest of all secrets. If you are interested, buy the book, or go to the library or ask any good salesperson.

And again the Book: THE GREATEST SALESMAN IN THE WORLD

The author: OG MANDINO

Click here: Amazon.com: buying info: The Greatest Salesman in the World

And a HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Note from Burl- This message goes to 200 friends across the nation- burlw@aol.com

The summer after my freshman year in high school, a ton of years ago, I was miserable. I didn't have any new friends at school, I was having a hard time at home, and I was trying to get through everyday with a smile on my face.

I took a trip with a bunch of people I didn't know, a 10 day backpacking trip to an island in lake superior. Our guide was a 75 year-old man named Dave. Everyday, Dave read us a chapter from this book, and everyday my respect for him grew.

The day I got off the island I bought the book and began my ten month journey through the scrolls it contained. I've followed the instructions, reading each chapter for one month, several times. I've worn out several copies and given away several others.

This book profoundly changed my life. Not only am I extraordinarily successful in terms of "material" success, but I am happier than I ever imagined it was possible to be several years ago before I went on that island. Buy this book, follow it's instructions, and even if you are never the richest woman or man on earth, you will be among the happiest.