Book Review: TRUMP NEVER GIVE UP

TRUMP NEVER GIVE UP – How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success

Author:  Donald Trump & Meredith McIver
ISBN-13:  9780470190845

Topic:  Business Motivation

Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2008

REVIEW:

A motivational book that consists of 41 examples and lessons from Donald Trump’s life, each vignette illustrates how persistence leads to success.

Trump's gives no nonsense advice and Meredith McIver helps weave the 41 chapters into a fast reading information packed motivational book.

Trump’s philosophy is fairly well balanced, his stories of persistence and never giving up combined with his “will to win” attitude, provide a boost to the struggling entrepreneur.  The section on wholeness is something to consider, as a well balanced approach to business.  Keeping your health and relationships while pushing your business with every ounce of strength, is a lifetime task.

Readers should be realistic, as there is no easy path to success.  The point of the book is you need to give all of your energy over a long period of time to achieve success.  Trump has worked his entire life to become successful and the advice in the book reflects that.  Because Trump failed a number of times, this advice has meaning.  Failure, is a part of life. You cannot  succeed without failing along the way.

LESSON LEARNED:

"Losers give up." This summary paragraph has a lot of meaning for me and I strive to heed the advice and live it, " Strive for wholeness, believe in yourself, keep your momentum at full throttle, and be strong and tough in your resilience. Don't expect anything less than that from yourself, and I can assure you that success will become a permanent situation for you, even when your external circumstances may not show it. Never Give Up!"

Some of the 41 vignettes include: Failure Is Not Permanent: Wholeness and the Art of the Comeback; Is This a Blip or a Catastrophe? Be Prepared for Things That Happen Outside Your Game Plan; Expect Problems and You'll Be Ready When They Come: Getting Trump Tower Off the Ground; Separate Yourself from the Complaining Crowd: You Can Create Your Own Luck; Courage Isn't the Absence of Fear, It's the Conquering of Fear; If You See Big Problems, Look for Big Opportunities: Transforming a Dilapidated neighborhood into a World-Class Hot Spot; Know When to Cut Your Losses; Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously; Don't Get Complacent - Thinking You're Foolproof Is a Good Way to Set Yourself Up for a Big Mistake: How New Trump Projects Happen; Fred Trump's Four-Step Formula for Getting Things Done; Get the Most From Every Day; Think Internationally; and others.

The book contains Trump's Top 10 List for Success in Appendix A, and Trump's Rules for Negotiating in Appendix B. They are simple but solid advice.

TRUMP’S TOP 10 LIST FOR SUCCESS:

·         Never Give Up! Do not settle for remaining in your comfort zone.  Remaining complacent is a good way to get nowhere.

·         Be Passionate!  If you love what you are doing, it will never seem like work.

·         Be Focused! Shut out interference. 

·         Keep your Momentum!  Do not procrastinate.

·         See Yourself as Victorious!  That will focus you in the right direction.

·         Be Tenacious!  Being stubborn can work wonders.

·         Be Lucky!  The harder I work, the luckier I get.

·         Believe in yourself! If you don’t know one else will. Think of yourself as a one-person army.

·         Ask Yourself, What am I Pretending not to see?  There may be great opportunities around you even if things are not looking so great.

·         Look at the Solution and not the Problem!  And Never Give Up.