“No matter what journey you’re on, I wish you the best reward of all: that you discover the Heart of a Champion that beats within you.” Donene Taylor, from Heart of a Champion.
Sometimes a self-help book proves to be a game changer, a life changer. That’s exactly how I feel about Heart of a Champion. The book’s subtitle says it all: Proven Strategies to Help you Discover the Heart of a Champion that Beats Within You. Fueled by grit, goals, and a galloping desire to grow and change, Donene shows readers how they can do the same—make their dreams, however wild and improbable, come true.
Donene Taylor is an elite athlete. For 38 years—almost four decades!—she chased down her dream of becoming a world champion calf roper in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. Once she finally achieved her lifelong dream, she chased down two more: writing books to share what she’d learned on her journey and becoming a mental performance coach (https://donenetaylor.com)
Donene had a slew of strikes against her: low self-esteem, eating disorders, depression, fear of failure, and negative self-talk. But somehow, none of these obstacles proved bigger than her dream.
This book is about far more than pursuing an elite athletic goal—it’s a roadmap, a step-by-step guide—to changing yourself from who you are to who you want to become. Among the many strategies it shares:
Commit to your dream: Whatever your dream is—don’t fight it, fuel it! Devotion to your dream attracts whatever you need to fulfill it. Even when she retreated from it, a spark of Donene’s dream survived. Find the courage—and strategies—to fan your spark into a fire.
Find mentors to guide you: No one achieves a dream alone. We all need help to make it happen. Donene was timid, but determined. When she reached out for help, her life changed: her mindset and skills improved. Seek out positive role models and embrace their techniques.
Cultivate a positive mindset: Negative self-talk saps your energy and weakens your resilience muscle—your ability to bounce back from obstacles. With proven strategies, you can find ways rein in negativity and foster an energizing can-do, find-a-way mindset.
Make improving a priority: Focusing on results can be damaging. When you crave a certain outcome and fall short, it can drain you. Instead, focus on improving—on slowly and steadily honing your craft. Set goals and stick to them. When you do, then every failure is feedback and propels you forward.
Have fun: When you’re doing what you love be sure to enjoy it!
What an uplifting, inspiring book—full of strategies and support we can all use to chase down our dreams. And Donene has also written Master the Art of Winning, which I’m looking forward to reading and applying. Bravo, Donene, write on!
