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Book Review

No Excuse!

Key Principles for Balancing Life and Achieving Success

Possibility Press - 2004 (136 pages in paperback)

Author Jay Rifenbary

ISBN 0-938716-22-0

Author Jay Rifenbary is a former West Point cadet, sales professional and corporate manager. As a professional speaker, consultant and president of a training and development center, he has a powerful message for readers of this book. Stop making excuses and begin to accept responsibility for everything you do. No Excuse! is enjoyable to read because of the raw energy and enthusiasm that it imparts. Rifenbary writes well and provides his personal philosophies to help the reader discover their ability to achieve success and fulfillment. His philosophy is a variant of servant leadership principles including the deep desire to serve others, accountability and valuing people more than wealth or power.

No Excuse! begins with one of the most dramatic prologues I have ever read. It not only introduces the book extremely well, but the author returns to his "special experience" in the epilogue also. The underpinning of his philosophy is borrowed from his days at West Point when "No Excuse, Sir" was one of the few answers a plebe was allowed to utter as a response to an upperclassman. Rifenbary exclaims, "We may get down on ourselves and use certain excuses to relinquish responsibility. That's exactly what excuses are used for; to avoid doing something or to "pass-the-buck". I dare you to make a list. Then when you hear yourself or others making an excuse, simply say, "No Excuse!''"

The book is divided into 2 parts comprised of 14 chapters. Part 1 lays the foundation of the author's no excuse philosophy with a discussion of the principles of self-responsibility, purpose and integrity. He considers this an important preparation for what he coins the Staircase-of-Success or THESAURUS factor presented in Part 2 of the book. Rifenbary takes each letter in the word THESAURUS and uses it as a step to teach an important point or principle. A total of 9 steps take the reader up the Staircase-of-Success. For example, the first step is "Totally Forgive" (Chapter 5) and it ponders the liberating influence that complete forgiveness allows when we forgive others and ourselves of faults and transgressions. When someone embraces total forgiveness there is no longer room for complaining or blaming because the person takes charge, and gains greater control over their life. No Excuse! is not simply a book to read, but it employs many tools to stimulate thought and action from the reader. Rifenbary uses many parables or stories to highlight his points. He also provides an Action Plan at the end of most chapters along with some charts and his own personality indicator.

No Excuse! is an enjoyable book to read. It may not break new ground or provide a radical new leadership philosophy, but it is certainly encouraging to read. As a result of Rifenbary's gift of clarity and printed energy, you will believe and know that change is possible in your life. If you are interested in discovering servant leadership principles presented in a dynamic and motivational book, you have no excuse… you will want to read this book.

weLEAD rating – highly recommended

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