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The Shortcut: The Fastest Way to Achieve Your Goals Kindle Edition

by Ruben Gonzalez (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 63 ratings
See all formats and editions
Every once in a while a book comes along with a message so simple―yet so profound―it literally changes people's lives.

Fun and easy-to-read, this parable is written for readers of all ages so everyone can benefit from its powerful message.

This captivating story will inspire and equip you to:
  • achieve your goals faster,
  • become a better leader,
  • and create a better life.

Johnny Valentine, a headstrong young executive, has three months to reach his work goals or else. His boss sends him to Cafe Olympia to see if he can find an answer.

Cafe Olympia is a place where high achievers gather to share their wisdom with their mentees. Johnny meets a series of mentors who teach him the shortcut to success―something every successful person does.

His mentors teach him leadership, teamwork and success principles that help Johnny grow up, become a better leader, and achieve his goals.

If you want to be your best - The Shortcut is a roadmap that will show you how to live with purpose and happiness as you achieve your goals.
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  1. Print length
    194 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    October 14, 2022
  5. File size
    814 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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From the Publisher

Jack Canfield and Dave Ramsey testimonials

Editorial Reviews

Review

"You'll want to share The Shortcut with your friends, family and co-workers. This instant classic is truly a gift for anyone who wants to succeed in life."
Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles

"Captivating from start to finish, you don't read this book, you live it. Anyone who's in sales needs to read The Shortcut immediately. You'll find yourself immersed in not just the story, but in the application."
Mark Hunter, author of A Mind for Sales

"Magnificent story filled with wisdom. If you lead a company, be sure everyone on your team has a copy to read and study. If you're a parent be sure your children do the same."
Bob Burg, coauthor of The Go-Giver and Go-Giver Series

"The Shortcut is filled with dozens of life-changing insights. Don't buy just one copy of this book - buy it for your children, your friends, and your co-workers. Thank you Ruben, for showing us how to make our dreams a reality!"
Mark Miller, VP Leadership, Chick-fil-A, author of The Heart of Leadership

"This powerful story is packed with insights that will help you create a better future. Everyone from CEOs to high school students will gain from reading this gem."
Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art and Gates of Fire

"A captivating business parable about accomplishing goals. Read The Shortcut and let Ruben's story inspire you to become the leader you want to be!"
Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The New One Minute Manager

"The Shortcut is an engaging story filled with timeless principles that will help you reach your full potential."
Dave Ramsey, bestselling author and radio host

"The Shortcut is a heartfelt parable about achieving your goals by surrounding yourself with an invincible team to unlock your potential, awaken your spirit, and challenge you. It's a must read that will impact your life forever! It's the right book at the right time!"
Vince Papale, inspiration for the movie, Invincible

"The Shortcut will keep you turning pages and learning critical business principles along the way! This fascinating story is poignant and relevant to the challenges so many leaders face in their lives and careers today. You won't want to put it down!"
Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, author of What Got You Here Won't Get You There

"You won't be able to put down The Shortcut. It will speak to your heart, enlighten your thinking and inspire you to be the best you can be. You'll want to get a copy for your family, friends and co-workers."
Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of BNI, NY Times Bestselling Author

From the Author

How this Book Came to Be

After 20 years of speaking professionally all over the world, I did my first TED talk, The Power of Following the Leader. In it, I shared how I always resisted following my coaches' advice and how I paid the price - in luge injuries. After being a hardhead for three Olympics, I finally decided to trust my coach, let go, and follow the leader. As soon as I did, I started improving faster than I ever had in my whole career. Incredibly, I was sliding better at the age of 55 than I had ever before.

The TED talk struck a chord with a lot of people. After receiving positive comments, emails and letters from corporate leaders, life coaches, athletic coaches, pastors, teachers, principals and parents, all telling me how they were impacted by the talk, I decided to write this book.

The Shortcut is a parable about a young executive who needs to grow up and start following the leader, and how by following the leader he's able to achieve his goals faster and in turn he is able to become a better leader.

I hope The Shortcut helps you achieve your goals faster as well.

Ruben Gonzalez
4X Olympian, Author, Speaker
Colorado Springs, CO

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BJ9M7B1P
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Olympia Press (October 14, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 14, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 814 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 194 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 63 ratings

About the author

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Ruben Gonzalez

Ruben Gonzalez

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Olympian Ruben Gonzalez is a common man who achieved extraordinary things. He wasn’t a gifted athlete. In school he was always the last kid picked to play sports. He didn’t take up the sport of luge until he was 21. Four years and a few broken bones later, he was competing in the Calgary Winter Olympics. When he competed at the Vancouver Olympics at the age of 47, Ruben became the first person to ever compete in four Winter Olympics each in a different decade.

“If you listen to Ruben speak, your life will change.”

- Lou Holtz, Legendary Football Coach

Since 2002 Ruben has spoken for over 100 of the Fortune 500 companies. His bestselling books have sold over 300,000 copies and have been translated to over 10 languages.

Ruben’s incredible story takes people’s excuses away and fills them with the belief and inspiration to face their challenges and fight for their goals and dreams.

“Ruben Gonzalez’ exciting story of hard work, dedication and commitment – leading to success and achievement

in the greatest competition in the world – is inspiring and uplifting in a wonderful way!”

- Brian Tracy

Author of "Goals" and "Eat that Frog"

“Practical advice that will energize and empower you to succeed. Ruben hits you with the absolute truth about what it takes to succeed in the real world.”

- Jim Rohn

America’s Business Philosopher

“Inspirational! Ruben has a unique ability to motivate and challenge his audiences. His compelling story about triumph over adversity on the road to the Olympics provokes us all to set and reach lofty goals.”

- Jack Canfield

Author of "The Success Principles"

“Ruben Gonzalez achieved what few people ever do: mastery of his will. Motivating and inspiring!”

- Stephen Covey

Author of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

“Ruben speaks from both his head and his heart, and inspires ordinary people, convincing them they can do extraordinary things. He’s persuasive, enthusiastic and very real. Invite him to present his ideas to your group

and you’ll glad you did.”

Zig Ziglar

Author of See You at the Top

“Use Ruben’s knowledge and apply it to your own life.”

- Don Green

Director of the Napoleon Hill Foundation

“Ruben is a great speaker. He’s real, he’s authentic and he lived what he teaches. If you get a chance to have Ruben speak at your event, don’t miss it.”

- Dave Ramsey

Nationally Syndicated Radio Talk Show Host

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
63 global ratings
If you have to cross a minefield, it makes sense to follow someone who’s already crossed it
5 Stars
If you have to cross a minefield, it makes sense to follow someone who’s already crossed it
From the very beginning, The Shortcut draws you in. It's a phenomenal story that draws you in, gets you interested in the journey of the characters, and teaches you many lessons along the way. By the end of the book, you're all in! Never give up hope, be open to solutions, and apply those solutions.I found myself gritting my teeth, thinking how I've made some of the same mistakes as the main character, but, like that character, I'm a work in progress, and I realized that my story isn't over, as long as I have hope and I am willing to learn and apply.Well done, Mr. Gonzalez! Spellbinding book with many, many practical applications!
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Top reviews from the United States

HungreeeMind
5.0 out of 5 stars Read it!! It is a great book.
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
It takes an special kind of person to train and compete in 4 Olympic games. No wonder this book is so easy to read and at the same time, so valuable. Loved the story, all the teachings and tips Ruben provided. Thank you.
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DANG NHAT LE
5.0 out of 5 stars Great wisdom
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2024
Verified Purchase
This book is straight to the point and full of timeless wisdom. Wish I had read it decades ago!
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Javier Ramos
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book.
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
Every dreamer should read it to get a blueprint of how to make dreams come true. I will recommend it to my students and partners.
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Raindrop
5.0 out of 5 stars INCREDIBLE
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
LIFE CHANGING
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Ian Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Advice and Very Entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
I love when personal growth books give their message through a story. What's fun about this book is that advice is communicated through a story. Also, Ruben's biography is integrated into the story. Great story and the incredible life Ruben has had so far.
One person found this helpful
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Jennifer
4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring success principles, lessons and stories to make your dream come true
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2023
Find your dream (not someone else’s dream, this is key) and do whatever it takes to give your gifts to the world. Use the success principles, lessons, and relevant stories to understand how and why these methods work and inspire you to take the next right step.

Key Takeaways

--Success principles:
--------Find the right leader
--------Follow the leader right away
--------Get started
--------Don’t quit
--Knowledge is not power; applied knowledge is power.
--Don’t fall into the trap of using your health as an excuse for not pursuing your dream
--“You can’t make your dream come true if you don’t even know what it is. If you can’t see it, you can’t get it. Once you see it, and you dedicate your life to making it a reality, your life will become more meaningful because life changes with the knowledge that you are going somewhere.”

Conclusion

I can’t summarize it better than using this line from the book, “If you don’t dedicate your life to the pursuit of your dream, you’ll be cheating yourself – and the world – of your gifts.”

Recommendation

There’s nothing new, ground-breaking, or revolutionary here. What you will find is a portal to Cafe Olympia where you can connect with the mentor you’ve always longed for. You can step inside, take a seat and listen to the wisdom and council that it’s so tough to make time for or even to just find when you’re rushing from commitment to commitment. We all want our very own Mr. Miyagi or Yoda to show us the way, and that’s what RG does, and he does it like he’s talking to your very soul. When you need a pep talk, read this. If you don’t have your own dream team board of directors yet, read this. If you need to remember your why, and reignite the fire, read this.
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Alejandro
5.0 out of 5 stars Not Your Average Person
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024
I got to meet Ruben Gonzalez after reading his book. This is not your average person, not because he's some great athlete, which makes it more amazing that he has competed in 4 Olympic games.

Ruben has a special, "no quit" attitude, which is infectious. I loved his book and meeting him.

Big takeaways for me on this one!
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Mark Wingfield
5.0 out of 5 stars Hard won wisdom that benefits all ages.
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
I read this in one sitting. It's an inspiring parable about the importance of confronting our own hubris. I benefitted from it and eagerly gave it to my son.
A great gift to many in your orbit.
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Top reviews from other countries

g clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Great advice.
Reviewed in Canada on October 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
Already started following the leader and reading biographies of people with my personality types and I've been learning and growing faster than I ever had before. This system works.
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