Road Rules by Andrew J. Sherman

Be The Truck. Not The Squirrel.

Feb 25, 2009 Sandra Williams

Andrew J. Sherman explains his 12 essential rules of the road to help others navigate through personal problems in their life.

In its most simplistic terms, be the truck and not the squirrel means not to freeze up and become road kill. In order to be the truck instead of the squirrel Andrew J. Sherman encourages others to:

• Stay focused.
• Communicate effectively.
• Seek alternative paths.
• Be aware of how mistakes can affect others.

Andrew J. Sherman then goes on to describe various driving styles in Road Rules and how they reflect personalities. They include hyper-aggressive, man on a mission, the safari adventurer, the plodder, slow boat to China and too distracted to focus. People can probably recognize themselves in these styles at one point or another. Going too fast or slow can be dangerous in driving and life.

Happiness is a Clear Windshield is another road rule to remind others of how their clouded vision can harm others. It’s also encouraging because regardless of what challenges or disabilities people face, many have become stronger in spite or even because of them. Andrew J. Sherman uses himself as an example since he was born without vision in one eye but he also uses others such as Terry Fox and Helen Keller.

Be an All Weather Driver compares adjusting to changes in weather to being adaptable and decisive when facing challenges in life. It is when circumstances are challenging that people build stronger character.

• This is a unique self-help book that must have been challenging to write. Andrew J. Sherman is quite witty on his own but he also sprinkled quotes from famous people liberally throughout Road Rules.The parallels between how to drive and how to live life were well thought out, thought provoking and sometimes humorous. It is important to know when to yield, change lanes or refuel in order to drive through life smoothly. There are 12 road rules in total and there’s a lesson in each of them with ideas on how to improve.

There is a slight difference in his philosophy compared to other self-help books but the end goal remains the same. He seems to be stressing that people must always be striving and reaching for some future goal and never be satisfied in order to improve and reach their potential. While that sounds good and goals are important, in order to move forward it also helps to love yourself the way that you are.

About Andrew J. Sherman

Andrew J. Sherman has been a lawyer for 25 years and is the author of 17 business strategy books. Fortune magazine named him one of the Top Ten Minds in the nation in 2002. He wrote Road Rules (publisher Elevate, 2008, ISBN: 9781601940216) to help others solve their problems and achieve their goals.

The copyright of the article Road Rules by Andrew J. Sherman in Self-Help Books is owned by Sandra Williams. Permission to republish Road Rules by Andrew J. Sherman in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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