BOOK SUMMARY -  LIFE'S GREATEST LESSONS: 20 THINGS THAT MATTER by Hal Urban


This book by Mr Hal Urban was first published in 1992 with the title "20 Things I Want My Kids to Know". Having been a father and a high school teacher and also a teacher at the University of San Francisco for many years, he wanted to put into writing what he wanted to teach people all those years.  When it became apparent that the book had a timeless message for people of all ages, he republished the book in 1997 with a new title "Life's Greatest Lessons".

The main message of the book is that good character is the bedrock of a good society. 

He had 4 aims in writing the book:

1. To state that we are never too young or too old to learn life's greatest lessons.
2. He wanted to teach "how life works" and "what is essential in life".
3. He wanted to bring out the positives in a world that seems to dwell on negatives.
4. He wanted to share the enduring universal values of kindness, honesty, appreciation, desire, hard work, commitment, and just being a good person.

The 20 essential lessons are as follows:

1. Success Is More Than Making Money
2. Life Is Hard...and Not Always Fair
3. Life Is Also Fun...and Incredibly Funny
4. We Live by Choice, Not by Chance
5. Attitude Is a Choice -- the Most Important One You'll Ever Make
6. Habits Are the Key to All Success
7. Being Thankful Is a Habit -- the Best One You'll Ever Have
8. Good People Build Their Lives on a Foundation of Respect
9. Honesty Is Still the Best Policy
10. Kind Words Cost Little but Accomplish Much
11. Real Motivation Comes from Within
12. Goals Are Dreams with Deadlines
13. There's No Substitute for Hard Work
14. You Have to Give Up Something to Get Something
15. Successful People Don't Find Time -- They Make Time
16. No One Else Can Raise Your Self-esteem
17. The Body Needs Nutrition and Exercise -- So Do the Mind and Spirit
18. It's OK to Fail -- Everyone Else Has
19. Life Is Simpler When We Know What's Essential
20. Essential #1 Is Being a Good Person

If you learn these lessons and apply them, Mr Urban would have achieved his aims and you will become a better person.