Launch Fever

Tim Taylor is quite a character - author, entrepreneur, NASA rocket man, family man, venture capitalist, inspirational speaker; you name it. I had the good fortune to listen to him speak one time, and he was just as charismatic in person as in his writing. "Launch Fever" is about Tim's life, the journey he took to become the person he is today, and all the ups and downs life had to offer along the way. He has had an interesting life, to say the least. The book is adventurous, exciting, moving, and very educational. You can learn about a number of things, such as what does a NASA engineer do, and how to become a successful entrepreneur.

But beyond all the specifics, Tim makes a real connection with his readers. He speaks honestly and passionately about his life, and sometimes you can really get a sense of what he went through. I read this book six months ago and even today I can vividly remember many things from the book: the sensation he felt when he first walked on a beach; his relationship with his mentor at NASA; the frustration he felt when he decided to leave NASA; the day when his wife told him they were expecting their first baby. When I read these passages, I could almost feel what he was feeling, and it was powerful.

"Launch Fever" also offers some good insights into life in general. There are not many of them in the book, but every one is good. Tim has a way of making the sophisticated sound simple, and what he says never come across as lecturing, but more as sharing among friends. Tim, despite his success, is a very grounded individual with a set of deep-rooted internal principles. To me, he is a good example of someone who has what Covey calls "Private Victory."

What Should I Do with My Life?

Who hasn't asked this question in his or her life? I know I have. All the time. The older I get, the more frequently I ask myself that. What should I Do with My Life? Perhaps this is the single most important question for every human being alive. When I first picked up Po Bronson's book I thought this was just another one of those self-help books. You know, the ones with inspirational quotes, catchy phrases, and mind-numbing platitudes, the ones that look just like every other help book you can get. But I was wrong about that.

This book is simply a collection of real life stories about real people - people with imperfections, quirks, flaws, fears. Just like you and me. It is filled with stories about how these ordinary people deal with extraordinary challenges life has to offer. The problems they face are real, the choices they have to make are often tough, and they don't always succeed. There are no easy answers but their struggle is the good stuff, dripping with the honey of life. You feel connected to them, sometimes cheer for them, or sympathize with their pain. By looking at their lives, you reflect on your own. Reading this book reminds me that, well, I am not so alone in my struggle. My path is the same path shared by many other travelers, and they know how I feel. It connects with me on a personal level.

Unlike most of the self-help gurus, coaches you see today, this book is not trying to offer some clear-cut solutions. It is not trying to say "Just do these five things and your life will be better." It does not try to oversimplify the complexities of our life experiences; it simply let each person tell his/her own story, and let life unfold by itself. Instead of trying to be the teacher, it is letting life be the teacher, and it is asking the readers to just sit quietly, and listen, without judgment and prejudice.