“
Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing.” – Benjamin Franklin
Books take us across time and space. They bring forward eclectic ideas of authors and the subjects they write about. Books offer knowledge that we otherwise won’t gather from our own experiences—and knowledge stands as one of the most precious gifts that we can bestow upon our loved ones.
This holiday season, treat you and your friends and family to a dose of
The Greater Good: Life Lessons From Hawaii’s Leaders, a community-oriented, inspirational book for students, entrepreneurs, business and community leaders.
But
The Greater Good is not just an average, emotionally uplifting title—it is also about elevating the aloha spirit to new heights. The book aims to motivate and influence Hawaiians to do well in life and career by doing good in the community.
The Greater Good gathers the life stories of many of today’s successful businessmen and women, and community guardians that small business entrepreneurs and future leaders may learn from. The book features several stories from some of Hawaii’s most successful entrepreneurs, community advocates, politicians, and other individuals from diverse backgrounds, which make the readers laugh and cry, but ultimately, teach them the various ways to achieve personal and career success whilst adopting a socially-conscious mindset.
The names highlighted in
The Greater Good have been involved, one way or another, in uplifting the community and engaging in a cause greater than their own. Some of them have crossed personal barriers to become successful in their fields, while others have changed the course of their lives and altered their destiny towards achieving positive goals.
One such story that truly makes an impact is Joe Rice’s escape from a seemingly traumatic childhood to become a salient figure in Hawaiian education as president and chief executive officer of Mid Pacific Institute.
In his youth, Rice has been battered and bruised—bearing the brunt of his stepfather to protect his mother and siblings from violence. One day, he runs away to escape the turbulence in his life and ends up being separated from his loved ones for half a decade. Rice goes to school, manages to finish college, and establishes a life far from a chaotic puerility.
In
The Greater Good, Joe Rice chokes up as he shares how he escapes an abusive childhood and vows to lead a life based on love, care, and understanding.
“My adulthood began with the decision that I would not be a victim anymore, physically and mentally,” he says. “I made sure to relate well with others, to care and nurture those around me and help those in need.”
One of the very first who have read the book, Consumer and Mortgage Loan Supervisor for Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, Richard Cambe attests to
The Greater Good’s life-changing value to the reader.
“It is a very, very inspirational book,” he says. “I have read several books in the past five years from leadership, management, and just learning to be a better person, and The Greater Good is by far one of my favorite books.”
Cambe, who also owns two small businesses, vouches for the credulous capacity of
The Greater Good to move its readers and propel them to be more involved in helping and giving back to the community. He has read the book more than once and still finds the stories in the 200-page title moving.
“I am reading it on my 2nd pass and I have been reading it each morning for the past two weeks. I do have my favorite stories. The best thing that I learned is that it has inspired me to give back to the community and to be more involved. I do have a regular job and run a couple of small businesses myself, but it has inspired me to be proactive in helping the people of Hawaii and giving back.”
Cambe encourages people to read the book especially the youth who stand as tomorrow’s leaders.
“Personally, this is one book that I would recommend people to read, especially the next generation because there are many life lessons that we can learn and we can pass on for generations to come.”
Cambe believes that the next generation is on a perpetual search for leaders “to give them hope and be inspired so they know that they also can do anything if they put their mind to it.“
According to publisher of MidWeek, Ron Nagasawa, the book is one of those rare collections that focuses the knowledge and experience of Hawaii’s most successful and compassionate islanders in to a single riveting source.
“It’s an intimate sharing of personal philosophies that I liken to unique wisdom being passed down from grandparent to parent and from parent to child.”
One the other hand, co-founder of MySpace.com and Intermix, Inc., Brett Brewer says that
The Greater Good is a unique way in which high achievers can increase the speed in their journey towards self-actualization.
“I wish I had read this book when I started my business career,” Brewer adds. “This is a must read.”
The gamut of individuals featured in the pages of
The Greater Good not only impart personal messages, they also bestow upon the reader a wide of array of values essential to fulfilling humanity’s obligations to society, and act as a beacon of hope.
The Greater Good is a book worth reading, and its pages filled with people worth writing about.
The Greater Good: Life Lessons From Hawaii’s Leaders is available at all major bookstores statewide. For more information please visit
www.greatergoodbooks.com.
Watch Greater Good TV on KGMB9, Saturdays and Sundays at 4:30pm. Greater Good Radio airs every Saturday morning on 1420 AM and online at www.greatergoodradio.com.
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