Richard E. Goldman writes Luck by Design (Morgan James Publishing, 2009, ISBN: 9781600374333) from a Baby Boomer’s point of view and its intended audience are children of Baby Boomers.
Richard wasn’t a particularly remarkable child, because he was quiet and his siblings would often outshine him. Eventually he discovered his own unique and quiet confidence, which spurred him on to succeed.
Media Influences
People are sometimes misled by the media to such an extent that it becomes hard to decipher outside influences from inner voices. It’s challenging to filter out negative messages, but when people trust their own instincts instead of listening to everyone else, they’re more likely to succeed.
Richard Goldman warns about making the media the prime influence, because it merely leads to shallow thinking obsessed with outside appearances. He also encourages others to take a break from the internet to form more intimate relationships with people.
Dealing With People
Chapter 3 of Luck by Design is called "Everything Counts" and helps deal with tricky situations and challenging people in life. There are suggestions on how to stay in the present, learning to listen and how to use integrity. This simply means to tell the truth whether it’s uncomfortable or not. That’s not to say that it’s a good idea to purposely hurt someone with insults, but to tell the truth about the important things when asked.
Managing Time
Richard discusses how to manage time with suggestions such as doing one thing until it’s complete. It’s sensible and a better idea than simply doing a mediocre job with several things at once. He’s not a fan of multi-tasking for this reason. There are several other interesting observations and ideas about managing time in Luck by Design: Certain Success in an Uncertain World.
Meditation
There are ten easy steps included in Luck by Design on how to meditate. The trickiest step is probably how to stop thinking, but Richard Goldman has included ideas on how to do that. Meditation helps to clarify thinking because its calming.
Work
Parenting is acknowledged as rewarding and important work. This is refreshing since raising children is one of the most valuable jobs in the world. For every job, there are lessons on developing discipline and dealing with struggles that will invariably develop.
Managing Yourself
There are excellent pointers in this chapter about how to become an effective leader. Some of these include learning from others, delegating, letting others take the credit and reaching out when needed. To be willing to learn from others is an important quality, because everyone can learn something and no one knows everything.
Problem solving and overcoming fear are the next issues Richard tackles in Luck by Design. He has helpful ideas for forcing positive changes in life. This helps get people out of their routines so that they can open their minds and deal with things differently.
One of the most useful parts of Luck by Design is the last chapter that wraps things up and teaches how to create a unique life design. For more information see richardegoldman.com.
About Richard E. Goldman
After graduating from Rutgers University with a BA in English, Richard helped create Men’s Wearhouse. There are now 680 stores in the U.S. and Canada with annual sales at over 1.27 billion. He’s an active volunteer and board member of San Francisco Connect, helping to eliminate homelessness. Part of the proceeds from Luck by Design will go to Habitat for Humanity.
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