Getting There: A Book of Mentors - Inspirational Career Advice & Success Stories for Entrepreneurs, Professionals & Students | Perfect for Self-Improvement, Business Growth & Personal Development

I liked the wide variety of careers and different timelines shared by the interviewees. Success was definitely not limited to a narrow scope of traditional career tracts. This was an inspirational read.Such a great read! Well, actually listened to it. Always nice to learn from others. The author packed this book with lessons from many successful people. Superb mentors help to inspire. This book did just that! Home run!!This is a compilation of first person success stories from various fields of business, tech, finance, entertainment, public health, etc. It is a lightweight and easy to digest read and good inspirational material for kindling your entrepreneurial flame.My main criticism is that much of it is very surface level (find something you’re passionate about and work hard; no one is a true overnight success) but I did wish it would have gone a little deeper in some areas. Perhaps curating the information in a different way (e.g. a separate section that slices the “pearls of wisdom” across general entrepreneurial topics and challenges) could help offer more concrete takeaways and reveal some common themes.I would have also appreciated a quick mini-bio of each “mentor” before their respective content as I didn’t know who all of them were and as such found it tougher to feel engaged in all sections (especially towards the middle and end).Overall I enjoyed the book and despite my thoughts above I understand it’s purpose as more of a “survey course” rather than a deep dive. I think there’s immense value in hearing stories from industries and areas which I don’t normally think about and seeing both the commonalities as well as differences that led to the various successes and failures. So while it’s very lightweight, I feel like this book does accomplish that.A book that Diageo Taiwan management team bought for everyone at the end of 2016. And I really like it that I finished it in one week. It's a page-turner - 30 short stories of how successful people get to where they are today - by believing in what they do and keep coming back from hardship, failures, and detours. I first got hooked by the book because I saw one of my favourite CNN journalist - Anderson Cooper - who I used to think comes from very good background (I don't know why. Maybe just because he is successful and looks smart :P) but turns out completely not the case.To sum up, what I take away from the book are:1. Know your self (strengths & weaknesses);2. Do what you find meaningful and do it better than others;3. Keep trying and not just follow the beaten path;4. Put yourself in the right environment and with the right people (mentor and with those who are better than you are);5. Have perspective on what real risks are in life (failure v.s. not trying).My top three quotes from the book are:"..outwork everyone around you..But you're only going to be able to outwork others if you're genuinely passionate about what you are doing.." - Anderson Cooper, journalist"If you observe something that bothers you, make your own action to fix it. There are many things that have been designed in the wrong way. Don't take existing theories for granted. Don't think that other people know more than you or that everything has been done. Your theory may be right and you can become the new expert." - Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize recipient"It seemed like a risky thing to do because it looked very likely to fail, but the real risk was not doing it. The objective risk was wasting years of my life stuck in something that appeared attractive but that I really didn't enjoy… A lot of entrepreneurship and innovation seems perilous, but it's not. And a lot of things that seem safe and comfortable are, in fact, profoundly risky." - Jim Koch, brewer and founder of the Boston Beer CompanyGetting There, by Gillian Zoe Segal, is a fantastic book that everyone should read. The author brilliantly engages well-known “celebrities” to tell their own stories of how they overcame obstacles in order to reach high levels of success.The subjects of Segal’s books are experts in a vast array of fields ranging from art, finance, politics, to inventors of consumer products. Each mentor candidly leads us through his or her journey, emphasizing the difficulties and failures they encountered along the way, and the epiphanies that ultimately enabled them to transcend these challenges.The book is meaningful and powerful because you feel as if you’re having an intimate conversation with Anderson Cooper or Warren Buffet as they reveal personal, illuminating (and sometimes quite unflattering!) details about themselves and their eventual journeys to the top.You’ve probably heard of all of the subjects in “Getting There”, but you probably haven't heard the details of their initial set-backs or the traits that enabled them to persevere and triumph. What better way to learn how to get ahead in your own life and reach high levels of excellence than from people who have done just that.“Getting There” doesn’t hit you over the head with research or psychological studies. Instead, it offers captivating personal narratives that illuminate the key roles of resilience, hard work and determination as ingredients to success.I loved “Getting There” and didn’t want to put it down. I would highly recommend it to all of my patients in my NYC-based psychotherapy practice as a useful tool to help them channel their disappointments, losses and challenges in ways that will propel them closer to their goals.I also believe the stories and lessons in this book would be relevant to a very wide audience-- educators, mental health professionals, students, or anyone starting out on a new career, venture, or path in life. “Getting There” is an entertaining and engaging non-fiction book filled with pearls of wisdom and inspiration for just about anyone!Very interesting, inspiring read. Contrary to what I expected, the "success stories" are not necessarily all from super famous people, like Warren Buffett, but also from people who are simply happy and fulfilled in their respective fields, people that you probably never heard of but have very interesting stories nevertheless. Also, the author managed to access people across multiple different fields (not just business but also arts for example) which makes a nice change to what you normally see out there in terms of motivational books.There are a few themes appearing in a number of them (like the importance of pursuing whatever is your genuine passion as you'll need it to go through the rough times that inevitably come), and a few that resonated very much with me (like the fact that successful women can have it all, BUT not all at the same time).Overall, a very pleasant read, with a few thoughts to take away - and definitely one I'll reread again at some point as I feel that different parts of the book will speak to me more at different stages of life.This book is a great read for anyone who feels things aren't going their way. It shows how patience and wisdom help you get through hard times as well as makes you think about the role a challenge plays in life.Many quotes are what has already been said. Learnt nothing newReally good read.Love this book. really wish i had this when i was 20. SO MANY GEMS OF WISDOM AND ADVICE