I have a friend who made a commitment some time ago to himself and to the people around him.

He committed to writing a book. A real book. With paper and ink and hardcovers and a dust jacket.

A book full of his stories from running point in the jungles of Vietnam, or from his life as a father, a husband, a pipefitter, a CEO, a failure, and a success.

His name is Mike Monahan. His book is called From the Jungle to the Boardroom. You can get it a lot of places, but this is a good place, and so is this.

I’ve gotten to know Mike over the last two months, after hearing about his legend for several years. I told him after I met him that he had been built up to be in the ranks with William Wallace, Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and every other larger-than-life figure you can think of.

He lived up to the reputation.

Mike has an easy, comfortable, accessible way about him. He’s comfortable in his own skin. He laughs easily and tells good stories and asks great questions. But be warned – He will cut you to the core in 6 words or less. His precise incisiveness is staggering. You’ll say you want to do things, or that you’re upset about this, or feeling held back by that…

And then he’ll ask one or two questions that change your world.

What Mike has is a gift that many of us are born with, and just as many choose to ignore or bury or forget – the gift of a specific brand of curiosity that sees through the fog to the clear, burning light inside. It asks questions of your light that allow it to cut the haze and shine brighter than you ever imagined.

So if you’ve never asked the questions: Am I prepared? Am I safe? Am I alone?

Or if you have asked those questions, and you wonder why you’re not doing pursuing the greatness within, do me a favor:

Click one of the links above. Take a look at the book. Then look again. That’s where your favor to me ends.

The favor to yourself begins when you buy it, read it once or twice, then give it to a friend or family member so you can discuss it with them. Give it to someone you care about, someone whose success means as much to you as it does to them.

Then email me and let me know what you thought of the book. Tell me what your friends and family thought of the book.

We’ll get a cup of coffee and a doughnut at Silverton Donut Shop and talk about it.