Brief Overview

As a follow-up to my recent review of my friend Dan Blanchard’s awesome book The Storm: How Young Men Become Good Men, I’m writing a review and summary of his follow-up sequel, A Sprint to the Top: How to Win The Game of Life.

A Sprint to the Top is fantastic, filled with gems of insight similar to The Storm. Dan’s writing style is smooth and easy to follow, and I had a hard time putting the book down. I’m a quote lover, so I enjoy how Dan integrates various quotes and epic truths – and then shows us how to integrate them in our lives in a practical way.

A Sprint to the Top follows Dakota in his journeys a year after having a deep and life-changing heart-to-heart conversation with his Grandaddy. Dakota faces ongoing intense struggles, to say the least: the death of his brother, a struggling relationship with his abusive and alcoholic father, and many other issues teens are faced with. Despite all of these challenges, he manages to stay focused on school, become successful in football and wrestling, and maintain a wonderful relationship with his girlfriend Jenn. I especially loved the detailed and exciting descriptions of Dakota’s wrestling matches as he attempts to become an All-American.

A big congratulations to award-winning author Dan Blanchard for continuing his writing journey and making a big difference in this world.

Quotes, Insights, and Lessons Learned

Here are some of the quotes, insights, and lessons learned from this sequel book. I emphasize this is only the beginning of what A Sprint to the Top has to offer you, teens, adults, school teachers and administrators, and anyone looking to grow:

• Be true to your word.
• It’s impossible to think two thoughts at at the same time. If you’re thinking a negative thought, replace it with it something better.
• Don’t live a life by default. Instead, live a life you choose.
• Your circumstances may not immediately change, but you can change the way you think about and approach those circumstances.
• “I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.” – Booker T. Washington
• Quote from Dakota: “I knew plenty of kids in my class who had credit cards though. Most of them had already maxed out their cards, and now they had to take whatever job they could find to make their monthly payments. It seemed to me that if they continued that pattern, they’d end up with a life full of the kinds of stressors that put people into early graves.”
• Your past does not equal your future.
• Blindly accepting what you see and hear as truth can be dangerous.
• “Life is like art. You have to work hard to keep it simple and still have meaning.” – Charles de Lint
• Make small, incremental changes.
• Don’t blame others.
• You only control yourself.
• Pass your knowledge and wisdom forward. Help others.
• Making mistakes doesn’t make you a failure. The only real mistake is not getting up and trying to do better the next time.
• “While you feel compelled to charge forward it’s often a gentle step back that will reveal to you where you are and what you truly seek.” – Rasheed Ogunlaru
• When you get the little plans right, the big plans seem to fall into place.
• Don’t make excuses.
• Confidence is not based on winning – it’s about your preparation, knowledge, and ability to execute.
• Competition isn’t about the other person you’re competing against. It’s about what happens between your own ears.
• The surest way to be nothing is to do nothing. The surest way to be something is to do something. Taking action is often better than continuing to analyze the situation to death looking for the perfect answer – which might not even exist!
• It’s better to be proactive than reactive.
• “There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits.” – Michael Phelps
• Sometimes things are just going to happen in spite of all your good intentions and hard work. But you’re still the one who gets to decide what happens next.
• There isn’t a man or woman on the planet who hasn’t screwed something important and meaningful up. It’s what we do. We try, we screw up, we learn, and if we have a good head on our shoulders, we figure out how to do better the next time around. We accept that we don’t know everything, and that we can’t plan for everything. Even if we could, could you imagine how boring your life would be without challenges? It’s the hurdles and challenges we clear that make us feel like we’re on the right track and that we’re capable of reaching even greater heights. It’s overcoming those same challenges and hurdles that put you in the position to become a leader.
• Every person has to find their own way.
• There’s always something you can do. If the first option doesn’t work, you have other options.
• Help others to accomplish their dreams and goals.

Some of these quotes, insights, and lessons literally send chills up my spine. If you’ll let them sink in and then apply them in your life, they will change your life. Read Dan Blanchard’s books!

Dan Blanchard is an Award-Winning Author, Speaker, Educator, Life Coach, two-time Junior Olympian Wrestler, and two-time Junior Olympian Wrestling Coach. Learn more about him today and sign-up for his newsletter!