Keep it simple.

Sounds easy enough, right? Just do what’s in front of you while keeping an eye on the big picture seems like a fairly straightforward proposition, but we all know it’s not, especially when you’re aiming high and aspiring for greatness.

Author John C. Maxwell knows this, and that’s why 3 Things Successful People Do: The Road Map That Will Change Your Life is a valuable addition to any library.

Maxwell is a bestselling author and extremely prolific. When I went to find a book to review, he seemed to take up half of the business section at my local store, so he clearly knows how to get published and published frequently. His writing style is easy, breezy, straightforward and very readable, and that comes through clearly in this book.

As the title indicates, this book is broken down into three parts, parts that are also the three things:
•    Knowing Your Purpose
•    Growing to Your Maximum Potential
•    Sowing Seeds That Benefit Others

To me, all of the three things made sense. It’s incredibly important to know your purpose, even though people can lose track of that. They get caught up in minor things that distract them and can cause detours. Sometimes, you know where you want to go, but it’s hard to figure out how to get there.

It’s also crucial to benefit others when you’ve been successful. After all, what’s the point of “making it” if you haven’t helped others get closer to reaching their own goals?

The most important of the three things was the middle and meatiest section, about reaching potential. This is the chapter where Maxwell really flexes his muscle, albeit in his laid-back and easy-going writing style. The advice that hit me the hardest is how Maxwell wrote that growth is a choice. In that section, he quotes famed author Leo Tolstoy’s quip,  “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

For whatever reason, this has stuck with me after reading the book. And, speaking to the power and ability of Maxwell to convey his message, he finishes the same paragraph with “You can choose to grow or fight it. But know this: people unwilling to grow will never reach their potential.”

That’s a pretty powerful paragraph and just one of many that makes this book an important one. It’s important for anybody trying to better themselves but unsure of how to do it.

In fact, I wish I had read a book like this when I was younger. It’s that valuable a roadmap to success, and one anybody can understand.   

Click here to see this story as it appears in Modern Casting.