"What would you do if God gave you knowledge for making the world a much better place? Not your everyday, ordinary, run of the mill knowledge, but knowledge that would allow you and your team to create solutions that would otherwise not be available to the people of Earth for another 400 years.
"Though he’s far too humble a servant of God to say so himself, I believe that is exactly what happened to my mentor and friend Don when he was gifted with the inspiration to create the 400 Year Project – a project to create 400 hundred years worth of improvements in merely 20 years. You read that right: four centuries worth of improvements in only two short decades.
"The kinds of global improvement methods he writes about have the potential to provide nutritious food, clean water, excellent healthcare and safety to everyone on the planet. These improvement methods have the potential to bring peace to every region of the globe. On a more personal level, these methods have the potential to dramatically increase longevity, perhaps even to more than double one’s lifespan. Don’s methods offer the potential to improve the quality of life, personal relationships, finances, and education, and to present a myriad of new opportunities for you and everyone around you. If you’re not already familiar with Don’s other works such as The 2,000 Percent Solution, The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage, then this may sound like a fairytale. However if you are already a follower of Don’s work, then you’ll immediately recognize the potential of his 400 Year Project to bring that Divine inspiration into physical reality, ushering in improvements on a global scale, limited only by the imaginations of those who are putting these teachings into practice. In a world where many find themselves lost in the doom and gloom of contemplating a future dominated by disease, disaster, crime, war, and suffering, Don’s optimistic vision is not merely a shining path of hope, but a template for how to recreate our world into something so blessed and wonderful that everyone experiencing it would become optimists.
"In Adventures of an Optimist, Don takes you on a personal journey of how he came to be such a practical optimist and why he has so much faith in all of us. He gives a crash course on his world-renowned 2,000 percent solutions, i.e. any way that you can accomplish 20 times as much with the same time and resources, and gives convincing evidence on how that kind of incredible progress — though seemingly enormous at first blush — is merely a baby step for each of us. Don shows us again and again that we can gain infinitely more by learning how to make breakthroughs in areas with the most potential to benefit ourselves and everyone else.
"One of the great things about Don’s writing is how he demonstrates the ways he and his students have repeatedly succeeded with these improvement methods. He also shares the flops, lest we begin to feel that we are reading the optimistic musings of an intellectual superman!
"Don’s masterful use of metaphors and riveting storytelling ability draw you in to experiencing those moments with Don almost as if you were there in person while it was happening. One of my favorite examples is when he describes becoming one of Amazon.com’s top ten reviewers. Like so many people, I had wondered how in the world he accomplished it, especially in addition to his busy life as CEO of Mitchell and Company, helping world-class business professionals create better and better business solutions; professor at Rushmore University, guiding students to create their own 2,000 percent solutions; and writing numerous finely crafted books. You get to imagine what it was like in Amazon’s earlier days when most people were using dial-up modems, see how Don’s thinking interacted with the growth of the internet and of Amazon, and find out how he realized he could reach more people through Amazon reviews than even the most famous authors of business books do.
"Once the reader is comfortably grounded into imagining the possibilities of 2,000 percent solutions, Don eases you into multiplying those exponential improvements. He expands the vision more and more, and you’ll either come out on the other side with your mind wide open for the very real possibilities that the 400 Year Project offers, or you’ll already be taking action to start making those breakthroughs in those areas with the most potential to benefit yourself and others.
"As you read the book and begin to fully grasp the promise of the 400 Year Project, creating 400 hundred years worth of improvements in only 20 years, you’ll ask yourself, “What role do I want to play?” If you’ve ever wanted to make the world an infinitely better place, if you’ve been looking for an opportunity to make a difference so profound that you joyfully leap out of bed each day to create that difference, then this book may just be the introduction to the means you’ve been seeking. Get ready to open your heart, open your mind, and let the possibility of a future brighter than all your wildest dreams be revealed to you."
Teresa Bolen
Author, Master Plan to Master Exams: How to Discover Your Hidden Abilities to Create the Success You Desire
Kyoto, September 15, 2007
Here is the table of contents so you can get a sense of what the book covers:
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Background Briefing: What Can Four Centuries Worth of Improvements in a Generation Mean for Your Life?
Preface: A Singular Sensation
Introduction: Seeds of an Optimistic Idea, the 400 Year Project
Part One: ORIGINS
Chapter 1: How I Became a Practical, Unlimited Optimist
Chapter 2: A Surprise Announcement
Part Two: LESSONS
Chapter 3: Crawling and Toddling Ahead
Chapter 4: Introducing 2,000 Percent Solutions
Chapter 5: Irresistible Growth Beckons
Chapter 6: Reaching Millions of Readers
Chapter 7: Competitive Advantages
Chapter 8: Tutoring Lessons
Chapter 9: A Complementary Dimension: Getting More Out of Life
Chapter 10: Multiplying Exponential Improvements
Chapter 11: Making 400 Years Worth of Progress Quickly by Further Multiplying Exponential Improvements
Chapter 12: Saving More Souls
Part Three: PRESCRIPTIONS
Chapter 13: A Learning Foundation for Rapid Progress
Chapter 14: Entrepreneurial Models for Rapid Progress
Epilogue: Your Role in the 400 Year Project
Appendix A: Become a Helpful Book Reviewer
Appendix B: Why Are 2,000 Percent Solutions Available for Almost Any Activity?
Appendix C: How to Have Your Own Optimistic Adventures
