by Rick Pitino
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Product Description
When Rick Pitino became the coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, he took them from NCAA probation to four spectacular Final Four appearances, including the championship in 1996 and an incredible return to the NCAA Finals in 1997. Under Pitino's leadership, the Wildcats garnered a 70 percent winning record. Now the head coach of the Boston Celtics, Pitino has clearly become a master at molding great players and great teams. What's his secret to success?Pitino's method--and the reason he's both a peerless basketball coach and one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the country--is built on a strategy of overachievement. He simply doesn't believe in shortcuts. Success Is a Choice draws on Pitino's 17 years as a college and professional coach. In a friendly, one-on-one style, using anecdotes from his superstar career to drive home his message, Pitino presents a concrete, 10-point program for achieving success in every aspect of life, including: Pitino's winning techniques appeal to everyone from corporate managers to educators to parents. Based on the same proven methods that have earned him and his teams legendary status, Pitino's plan of attack will help anyone become a winner.
Amazon.com Review
Wildly successful hoops coach Rick Pitino takes a time-out from the rigors of the NBA to outline his approach and techniques for motivating individuals. The paperback edition contains an all-new foreword written since Pitino's departure from the Kentucky Wildcats and the 1997 national championship season. His plan for excellence in all aspects of life, including sports and business, is more than goal achievement; this is the guidebook for goal overachievement! Pitino presents 10 crucial steps for success, drawing examples from his 20-plus years in the basketball trenches to inspire readers.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Success is my Choice, 2008-08-13
When looking for books to assist my role as a Learning & Development consultant Rick Pitino's book wouldn't have caught my attention. However, my child had studied at UofL and recommended him. I am so pleased I did. This motivational book on the 10 steps to overachieving discusses strategies for use in careers and life. It is an easy read with many relevent examples. The book sits on my self with many a highlighted and tagged page. Page 172... Don't let people tell you what you can't do. I advise you to read ths self improvement book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Reading this book is a choice, 2008-03-16
What does this book have what Phil Jackson's and Pat Riley's don't have? Talent, just unspoiled talent. This book deals with the basics, the players who are not stars yet but have the potential to emerge to one. Besides that, it deals with business and not only sports. Especially useful as many of the readers earn their money in business, not in sports.
Pitino's gameplan is simple and pure. When you read about it you can instantly apply it to a situation near your work or at home. It also drives you in a motivational way and sucks you into a story teaching about succes, not bragging about it.
Definitly the best book written by a coach when you're still in the minor leagues yourself.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
I LOVE IT!!!!, 2007-06-30
I have read this book over and over at tough times. So simple, logical, basic and easy to read. It's very good.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
 Pitino is a nutcase, but a successful one. , 2007-05-10
Did you know Rick Pitino beat up the starting point guard while he was at UMass in practice? A few weeks later, he got into a fight with the backup point guard and thought, "Now that these two guys are out of the way, I'll be a starter."
His coach suspended him a few moments later.
Such is an example from Pitino's guide to success. He's honest and shows us a glimpse of what exactly goes on in that tenacious mind of his. His methods are similar to most, but his examples and life lessons are quite intriguing, including how he was forced to take a step back after the death of one of his children while he was coaching Providence. Pitino is selling no gimmicks. He's offering a taste of what it was that made him successful, and upon reading this book, you'll see how he scarcely took no for an answer and outworked everyone else while you ask yourself, "Success might be a choice, but it will cost me greatly." Once at the top, he stresses a changing in methodology in an effort to keep ahead of those who would otherwise mimic your success. He also hones in on the importance of communication and the ability to admit failure and move on.
Perhaps more than any other point was the idea of not embracing success. Pitino says this happens to far too many individuals upon realization of their goals, and they then tend to loaf and take it easy.
I enjoyed Pitino's book and have employed a few steps of what he has to say. His views on time management, organization, communication, and decisiveness make for worthwhile reading.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Taking Steps Toward High Achievement, 2006-05-25
Rick Pitino is a coaching legend in basketball. He led the University of Kentucky Wildcats to an NCAA championship in 1996 and he has the distinction of being the only coach in college history to take three different schools to the Final Four in playoff competition: Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville. He has also served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics in the NBA where he helped to rebuild the programs at these two professional basketball franchises.
Pitino wrote this book in 1997, following the national championship season with the University of Kentucky Wildcats. He wrote this as a self- help guide intended to help individuals overachieve and reach levels of success they never thought imaginable. He lays out his plan in a ten step process, emphasizing the fundamentals that must be in place if one has any hope of achieving lofty goals.
Most of what Pitino talks about in this guide is common sense and it's the type of motivational material we have all heard countless times before. We all know, for instance, that a positive attitude and sound communication skills are critical on the path to success. We also know that persistence and learning from mistakes are important components of success and that anyone who fails in these two endeavors isn't likely to make it very far.
Self- help and motivational guides are usually very dry and ordinary, but while some of Pitino's words certainly fall under this designation, other things he advises are more unique and offer a fresh perspective. I haven't read a large number of self- help guides, but certain parts of Pitino's advice do manage to step outside the box. One thing that stands out the more than any others is Pitino's advice (warning is more like it) not to readily embrace success. When I first read this, I wasn't sure what he was talking about and it seemed very nonsensical. But after reading more, I can understand where Pitino is coming from. What he is talking about is the tendency of successful people to become very lax once they reach a goal. We have seen it happen many times before- both in business and in sports competition- where someone reaches the goal he/she set for himself/herself and then decides to step back, take it easy, and bask in the limelight. Pitino feels that "embracing success" is the greatest poison of all because if one does this, he/she will eventually be trampled over by others who have decided to continuously learn and who are striving to overtake those who are currently on top. This is good advice and it makes sense when you read it. But it is surprising how many people adopt this contented attitude and end up flat on their faces a short time after their goal has been achieved.
Another piece of advice I like in this guide is the importance of continuous improvement. This stems from the advice about embracing success and it takes it a step further by recommending that we constantly strive to better ourselves regardless of what we have currently achieved. Pitino feels that change is inevitable and it must be embraced if one expects to continue to improve and achieve goals. What worked last year likely will not work anymore because the methods that led to previous success are already known and are likely to be emulated by aggressive individuals who want the same taste of victory. Pitino parallels this with his coaching career, showing how other coaches quickly discover what makes another coach successful and proceed to imitate the winning coach's strategy. Thus, to continue to succeed, new methods must be constantly sought after and embraced.
Another thing I like about this book is the way Pitino stresses hard work as the main foundation of success. Like Pitino says, too many people nowadays are looking for that "quick fix" in life. They want to reach the goals they set overnight, without working for them and without any plan of action in place. Rarely does this type of achievement become reality, and Pitino is correct when he emphasizes how critical it is to work hard toward a goal. The one in a million chance of becoming successful in a couple of days or weeks is too rare to worry about. Just work hard, as persistently as possible, and the rewards will follow over time. Pitino's own success in coaching came about this way, and it can work for anyone, regardless of profession.
Speaking of coaching, Pitino makes mention of his coaching success throughout this book, and this is to be expected. Basketball coaching is, after all, where Pitino has achieved his greatest deal of personal success. But Pitino is quick to point out that what works for him on the basketball court can also apply to business and other professions. These steps toward success- sound communication, positive attitude, persistence, adapting to change, etc.- are universal and following them can help lead any person toward greater personal achievement.
Each chapter in this book is easy to read in follow. And each one ends with a quick summary of the key points discussed for easy reference. At the beginning of each chapter is a short piece written by someone who has been influenced by Rick Pitino in one way or another- either through working with him as an assistant coach or by playing under him as a member of one of his teams. Some of the contributors to these intros include Jim O'Brien, Glenn Consor, Bernadette Locke- Mattox, Donnie Brown, and others.
I have read several self- help type books in the past and have found most of them to be rather monotonous and common- sense oriented. Is Pitino's book any different? In many ways, it does contain common sense advice but in other ways, it sheds some new light on the attitudes and practices necessary to reach the highest levels of one's profession. It doesn't get unrealistic like other self- help guides. It maintains an element of practicality and realism as it discusses ways to reach for the stars. And it does this while continuing to emphasize the importance of hard work and taking incremental steps toward the highest goals.
Reaching important goals and overachieving in life are two areas where basketball coach Rick Pitino has excelled beyond the level of most of the competitors in his field. Even if you don't have an interest in coaching sports, the advice given in this guide can come in handy. It can apply to anyone in any profession and while the book may be several years old now, the advice it gives is timeless. It shows how you, the average Joe or Jane, can reach your personal and professional goals and outperform the competition. All it takes is discipline and determination to set you on the path toward greater success.
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