The goal of this book is to present experiences we have in common, to create parables for our age, to share opportunities, successes, and failures. Burns hacks through the thickets of clichés and catch phrases, through the jungle of jumbled and jaded jargon. He brings these stories and experiences to you straight from the heart and the mind, sometimes with a feathery touch and sometimes with a punch in the gut. They get your attention. Many of the stories have simple Take Aways which invite you to consider, then perhaps use your own conclusions in life and work. Using anecdotes and lessons from a variety of tough jobs and life experiences, Burns leads you down a path which can add to your strengths and help overcome your weaknesses... He uses humor to make many of his most important points. In a chapter entitled, "A Naked Fat Man" he tells how a master salesman gets his inspiration from making important sales calls on the telephone while he has nothing on but his watch. Other stories remind you of the importance of family and friends. Still others demonstrate the need to give something back. Excerpts from the introduction by Marion A. Ellis, Pulitzer Prize Winner and author