The Traveler's Gift - Andy Andrews

Have often wondered, how some books just reach us - always wanted something special as my 50th book, lo and behold, as we shifted the house, this book sat in my book shelf, asking me to pick her up. 

At a time when we are confined at home with virtual, a perfect Traveler's gift; making me ponder what came first the similar thoughts as part of inner engineering or this book?

A combination of fiction and self - help; as the cover page say, the books unveils Seven decisions that determine personal success, through forty-six-year-old David Ponder. He feels like a total failure. Once a high-flying executive in a Fortune 500 company, he now works a part-time, minimum wage job and struggles to support his family. Then, an even greater crisis hits: his daughter becomes ill, and he can’t afford to get her the medical help she needs. When his car skids on an icy road, he wonders if he even cares to survive the crash, he begins to think that maybe him not surviving the crash isn’t a bad thing…. The first 2 chapters in this book are setting the stage of watching a man’s life fall apart, to the point he is asking “Why me”.  Haven’t we all been there before at some stage in our life?

The last thing David remembers is the icy crash and he wakes up to a unique experience that will change his life. But an extraordinary experience awaits David Ponder. He finds himself traveling back in time, meeting leaders and heroes at crucial moments in their lives—from Abraham Lincoln to Anne Frank. By the time his journey is over, he has received seven secrets for success—and a second chance. The Traveler's Gift offers a modern day parable of one man's choices—and the attitudes that make the difference between failure and success.  

The actual principles/decisions are:

1. The buck stops here. I am responsible for my past and my future.
2. I will seek wisdom. I will be a servant to others.
3. I am a person of action. I seize this moment. I choose now.
4. I have a decided heart. My destiny is assured.
5. Today I will choose to be happy. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit.
6. I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. I will forgive myself.
7. I will persist without exception. I am a person of great faith.

The buck stops here. I control my thoughts. I control my emotions. In the future when I am tempted to ask the question “Why me?” I will immediately counter with the answer: “Why not me?” Challenges are gifts, opportunities to learn. Problems are the common thread running through the lives of great men and women. In times of adversity, I will not have a problem to deal with; I will have a choice to make. My thoughts will be clear. I will make the right choice. Adversity is preparation for greatness. I will accept this preparation. Why me? Why not me? I will be prepared for something great!