Extraordinary Lessons from an Ordinary Life: My Journal Edition

"The power of simple truths is simply overwhelming."

--Sue Viders

If only I had known some of these “tell-it-like-it -is” truths when I graduated college my career path would have been so much clearer and so much easier.

Life is full of crises, some big, some little — some from the outside big world, and some from within one’s self. Knowing ahead of time the various options of how to deal and cope with these problems and situations is a big help.

The real world, I found out, is a bit different from the academic life…did I say a bit different, my mistake — it’s a whole different ball game, a whole different cup of tea and one needs a whole different way to handle it.

This journal is a great way to begin the handling process. I only wish I had had something like this where I could have kept a RECORD of my dealings with this challenging world I was suddenly thrust into.

As a fellow author and teacher I truly appreciate how Mike has made his life-learning lessons available to one and all.

The Greatest Discovery Of Any Generation Is That A Human Being Can Alter His Life By Altering His Attitude.

- William James

"At this time of year with so many graduating, what an awesome gift for all graduates to read and understand facing life out there for them. This book has so many helpful understandable thoughts everyone could use."

By Mary D--"For Graduating Students"

When an email from Amazon alerted to me to a new review of my book last June, I immediately looked it up. I've been fortunate to receive many positive and thoughtful reviews since the book first came to be. However, it was this review by Mary D. that had such a profound impact on me. It truly was the catalyst that made me realize that I needed to do something more, write something more, and possibly have a positive impact, most especially, on the lives of young people as they begin their journey down life's path.

How to explain someone's ability, from an early age, to pull the most meaningful lessons and truths about our lives from the ordinary occurrences of day-to-day life? Maybe as the third oldest of thirteen children the self-reliance required to move ahead and achieve caused such intense observation of events and interactions. In any case, Mike Jaroch, now at the age of 72, has documented all the key lessons and insights he has learned along the way. His two children, Julie and Michael, have blessed him and his wife, Marsha, with five grandsons. The guidance for those five boys was a primary motivation for Mike to capture these truths and the stories behind them. He hopes that they will serve many as they take on the challenges within their own lives. Mike grew up in the small northern Illinois town of Mundelein. With a business degree from Northern Illinois University and a MBA from the Lake Forest School of Management, he has enjoyed a very successful career with both large Fortune 50 companies and technology start-up ventures. For the past 17 years, he has been an independent management consultant working with a multitude of companies across a wide range of industries. He and his wife now reside in Lone Tree, Colorado.