I haven’t actually read this book entirely but I am in the process of doing so. I think this book is great especially as we approach the holiday season because it teaches you to be thankful and how you can make your situation better regardless of where you are right now.

Every chapter is really is an exercise and I have been using it as a book to refer back to as I go about my life. The thing about Tony Dungy that attracted me in the first place was because he was a standout quarterback from 1973-76 at the University of Minnesota in addition to being the first black American head coach to win the Super Bowl when his Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

Denzel Washington’s foreword to this book which includes the sentence “For him to have been rejected, ignored, praised, and denied—yet still maintain dignity, strength, and hope—is a testament to his unwavering faith” pretty much summarizes Dungy’s legendary life.

Tony Dungy has been involved in hiring two other famous black coaches during his time as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 1996, Lovie Smith got his start in the NFL as a linebacker coach for the Buccaneers and under the direction of Dungy, he brought about the famous Tampa 2 defense that Mike Tomlin would later learn when he was hired by the Bucs in 2001 as a defensive backs coach.

Reading the book even though I am far from finishing it makes you appreciate life and realize that mistakes happen, plans do get frustrated and it’s all about weathering the storm. My favorite chapters so far were “Growing Up A Dungy”, “A Black Quarterback” and “Leading To Lauren”. I guess it was because I am always interested in finding about the childhoods of famous people and also about unusual things like a black quarterback in the late 1970s.