a review by Dr. Benjamin Ola. Akande, dean
Walker School of Business & Technology

We all do it.  Every New Year men and women, young and old make pledges to change their ways.  We resolve to spend more time with our family, to be more patient with our coworkers, to save more money or break bad habits.  By far the most popular and possibly most feared is the resolution to lose weight and improve our health.  No one wants to start a program only to falter a few days or weeks later.  But what if this year your resolution is to be successful at improving your health?  And what if at the same time, the path you take helps you in other areas of your life like your business or your management style?  Then you must be reading the same book I am this New Year, Think and Grow Thin by Charles D’Angelo.

D’Angelo’s name is quickly becoming synonymous with success. When we see a public figure who has become fit, this young author’s name automatically comes to mind. He succeeded nearly a decade ago by losing 160 pounds, paired that feat with a degree in psychology and has since create a system that changes the mindset of the person following his program. D’Angelo has some pretty high-powered success stories, including Missouri’s own Senator Claire McCaskill.  His book even bears an endorsement from President Bill Clinton.
Just like business books, there is no shortage of publications on health or diet.  The difference with Think and Grow Thin, and why we in the business world can draw from it, is what D’Angelo calls his core message; Mastering your own mindset.  Think and Grow Thin focuses on helping others become healthier and physically better.  But it is also about embracing a “successful” attitude. I’m struck with how so much of what D’Angelo teaches can be used by anyone, especially business leaders, who want to be successful each day.  Mastering a mindset toward success, D’Angelo says, means staying consistent whether it is in business, in health or in relationships.  Consistency builds trust and trust leads to belief.  It is that belief which then influences behavior. 

For D’Angelo, the first step toward taking control of yourself and mastering your mindset is to make goals singed with a burning desire as strong as the basic need of shelter and water.  Success means outlining then achieving your three R’s:  your road map, your results and your reasons.  Your road map is your plan (business or diet) which outlines how you will go about achieving your goals. Results are those goals and for companies or entrepreneurs, they too are usually outlined in those all-essential business plans. But whether your target is weight loss or monetary gain, D’Angelo writes, your reasons behind wanting success maybe the most important part of this three-part equation and must be as strong as the goals themselves.  “One of my all time great influences is Walt Disney,” D’Angelo says, “whose business is still an empire.  Is that just because he set good goals?  That might be a piece of it but the bigger driving force was, and still is, Disney’s vision or reasons.” Goal setting has to be predicated on a deep reason to have that goal come to pass. But more importantly it must be sustainable and that’s what Disney has done in its universal quest to make people happy.

In full disclosure I must state for the record that I have followed Charles blue print for healthy living and seen remarkable difference in the way I feel and look. And I must underscore that it’s not an easy recipe to follow but one thing is clear; his formula to achieve best results is remarkably correct and true. This is a local shining light that is certainly on his way to national stardom because his message is simple, easy to follow and result driven.   

By quoting entrepreneur and author Jim Rohn, D’Angelo hits the nail on its head:  Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.  In 2012, we can resolve to do everything from dropping several pants’ sizes to jump-starting a recession-riddled business plan.  But, unless we change our mindset toward success by establishing a vision big enough for all to see then making it as essential as air, neither goal can be achieved.  Charles D’Angelo’s personal story and insight in Think and Grow Thin may be geared toward healthful living but look at it also for its business prowess and you too might be using it in 2012 to breathe new, successful life into your own business and management skills. This is a book for all seasons yet it offers a way to start the year on the right foot. I recommend it to all