Synopsis

Eleven stories of ordinary people choosing extraordinary lives.

We are all born with an extraordinary gift, the gift of choice, but so many of us either don’t see it or use it nearly enough. We choose from what’s in front of us, which is not always the best thing, even if it’s a good thing. We “choose” through life by what’s apparent or by default fall back on patterns we learned that might not be good for us.

In The Choice, we get a rare glimpse into the lives of eleven people who lead extraordinary lives. With varied backgrounds, beliefs, professions, financial success, and family situations, we see how a particular choice each author makes led them to lives of abundance in purpose, finance, freedom, and fulfilment, all while living for others as well as themselves.

Once you’ve read The Choice, you too, should recognize you have choices in places you never suspected, that some are hard and some are easy, but they are in fact choices and we are free to make them, and you are free today to choose what your life will look and feel like tomorrow.

Anyone who has gone down a path of tragedy, societal expectation, convenience, and even great success, has to make choices about the future. We want all who read this engaging book to see a little bit better how they too can lead lives of abundance and fulfilment, and that the secret lies within, in our birthright of the choice.

Outline

·      Prologue ~ Change the World by Brad Hart: A poem by speaker and thought leader Brad Hart, founder of Make More Marbles, that sets the stage for The Choice

·      Introduction: Reflections on what the choice is by writer Rodney Miles

·      [ 1 ] Light Me Up by Brad Hart: Personal story of a financial prodigy choosing relationships over money alone, and how that led to a life of abundant purpose.

·      [ 2 ] Beyond Your Craft by Yuri Cataldo: Personal story of writer, speaker, and entrepreneur who pioneered a course in entrepreneurship for artists in ivy-league settings.

·      [ 3 ] The Underdog by Brenda Fairchild: Personal story of accomplished doctor who ignored the odds and stereotypes to achieve natural healing for her patients, and her own child as well.

·      [ 4 ] Trail of Breadcrumbs by Phill Ash: How a gifted thinker who wins weightlifting and memory competitions made a breakthrough in learning, and another in his own life.

·      [ 5 ] A Shift in Life by Anton Liberopoulis: Personal story of how communication challenges while young led to professional speaking and training today, and to a life of making connections for himself and others that create extraordinary lives and experiences for us all.

·      [ 6 ] Bridging the Gap by Chad Crowell: Personal story of how a third-generation technology buff recognized a pattern of discontent in life he now cures for others, with special attention on the phases a choice can go through, and which lead to fulfilment.

·      [ 7 ] Living in Awe by Marion Ejan: Personal story of breaking through family challenges and cultural expectations to reaching great heights professionally, but perhaps even more importantly, to connecting with the awe in life, seeing through a new lens, and enjoying a full heart.

·      [ 8 ] First Wakeups by Ryan Charaba: Personal story about standing up to a massive institution, its rules and expectations, and coming back from a point of giving up to living a life in paradise and instructing others on creating their own happiness.

·      [ 9 ] Choose Joy! By Gretchen Stewart: Personal story of overcoming a chronic physical challenge and how that led to connecting with living fully and finding one’s potential, and then sharing that joy as a speaker, author, and retreat leader.

·      [ 10 ] Greener Acres by Jason Graciano: Personal story of rising from harsh inner-city conditions to great success and wealth now shared with school children and adults who want more from life, while revamping the former negative branding of a whole profession.

·      [ 11 ] As My Heart Sings by Delina Fajardo: Intimate look at how a single childhood experience exposed a (conceived) frailty that set the direction for a life of respect and success but without fulfilment, how this was repaired, and what factors led to choosing a life of abundant purpose for this best-selling author, transformational coach, and speaker.

·      Conclusion: Reflections on the power of choosing demonstrated in the personal stories and what this means for us today, moving forward.

·      About the Choice: Behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of The Choice.

·      About the Authors: One-page bios of each author and what they do today.

·      About the Writer

Audience

The Choice is for those who either recognize or sense that they are not all they can be today, that there is more in life. They might struggle or excel in their personal, professional, or financial lives, but sense there could be more. The Choice demonstrates to these very people that no matter where you are in life, if you are not completely fulfilled, you have choices probably in places and times you did not think you had them, and the book even suggests by survey of the authors, what kinds of choices lead to abundance and fulfilment. There is more in life, and The Choice demonstrates how they can reach it. The Choice is about being happy. 

According to a Huffington Post poll, “Americans over the age of 50 are more likely to be very happy (36 of those ages 50-64, and 41 percent of adults ages 65+) than young people (31 percent of ages 18-24, 30 percent of ages 25-29, and 28 percent of ages 30-39) 

[Source: www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/01/happiness-index-only-1-in_n_3354524.html],” so those in the ages of 30-39 are the best prospects for the book, especially those seeking or experiencing a relationship or career change, as “There are three main things that make people happy: close relationships, a job or past-time that they love and helping others. [Source: study.com/academy/lesson/research-on-happiness-what-makes-people-happy.html].” The Choice anecdotally demonstrates how to achieve all three

Promotion

With eleven authors, each of whom represent sizable followings, whether it’s a professional client list, social media following, regular podcasts, releasing books, professional speaking, or leading large groups, the authors of The Choice represent tens of thousands of existing fans and followers and have in the main already mastered contemporary methods of mass communication. 

Each author has a contact information provided in the back of the book that lead to respective websites and platforms studded with scheduled speaking and leadership engagements, endorsements and influential connections, and current plans to continue publishing, speaking, and appearing.  The Choice is ripe for success as a published book, even upon it’s announced pre-release. Coordinated promotional plans and efforts are already in the making, and include seeking celebrity involvement by endorsement and Foreword

Competition

The Choice fits neatly into a gap in the self-development niche, providing an easy to understand and very actionable message to readers. That these readers buy books, buy a lot of them, and create viral waves of sales is obvious by comparison with books with similar messages and formats:

1.     Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. By comparison The Choice embarks upon the same personal, anecdotal journey readers love and then enjoy applying to their own lives. We learn by comparison and analogy, and the story-oriented structure of The Choice fits nicely in this same genre.

2.     The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, which “was translated into over fifty languages and remains one of the longest-running bestsellers of this century.” The Choice as a title not only rings harmoniously with a title like The Secret, but upon initial exposure creates a similar sense of mystery and wonder, enticing readers to read. And once a reader begins turning pages they soon discover a similar message, that the conditions of one’s life are under one’s control to a degree perhaps larger than previously thought, but evidenced by each author’s story.

3.     The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. The simplicity and broad appeal of The Choice is akin to the appeal—and instant mystery—of The Secret as well as The Five Love Languages, and like both, lends itself to easy and obvious serialization. A publisher, then, is not investing in solely one title, but potentially creating a relationship with a successful franchise that can be applied to sub-niches (The Choice for Teenagers, The Choice in Love & Relationships, The Choice in Business, and so on). 

Further, the authors include established leaders, speakers, and writers with established lists of followers, readers, and fans. Their entrance into publishing and the public eye is already either begun or well established in many cases. There will be more books!