Review of Rick Rigsby’s Book “Lessons From a Third Grade Dropout”
An interesting quote from the book, Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout is “kind deeds are never lost”. Rick Rigsby, the author of the book, “Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout” has enlightened many people around the world. The title of this book catches the reader’s eye, what could a third grade drop out possibly teach you? Surprisingly, the book is not a mere list of lessons, but a collection of personal stories along with teachable moments. The noble is a nonfiction book consisting of Rick Rigsby’s father's life, and the lessons he preached and demonstrated.
This book was written to encourage people to think and interact with others in a more positive manner. There are different segments of the book with each segment including a lesson. After Rick Rigsby’s wife had passed away, he was inspired to write a book about his father. A man who has been by his son’s side of the most unfavorable and outstanding moments of his life. The first lesson of the book is kind deeds are never lost, simple kind gestures go a long way and are memorable. Kindness is a step towards increasing self esteem, it will force you to see yourself as a wonderful person. An hour early, is the second lesson. It is better to be an hour early, than one minute late. From incorporating this into his life, he has gained discipline and self control. When you tell someone you will get a task completed, they take your word for it. This lesson is applied as well, “Action speaks louder than words”.
Talk is cheap and unreliable; however, action is how to get things done. Helping others in any way possible releases positive energy, a chain reaction starts with only one person willing to offer a helping hand. A considerable amount of joy comes from helping others, “always put yourself in a position to help somebody else”.
Life is full of experiences, fun memories, and the satisfaction of helping others. If you are going to do a job, do it right the first time. After teaching as a Professor at Texas A&M for 20 years, He has learned that success is using your god given ability to give your maximum effort. He explained that “I would rather my student get a C level grade with 100 percent effort than receive an A marks without the struggle necessary in the process of improvement”. Do everything with your maximum effort it will result with success and a job well done. Character is what you do in the dark. Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody's watching, taking responsibility for your actions.
The last lesson of the book is STAND! Keep standing with your head up regardless the situation.
In conclusion, Rick Rigsby, the author of the book, “Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout” has opened the eyes of many people around the world, including my own. I personally enjoyed reading the book, learning about the lessons he was taught as a child and realizing the true meaning to them after becoming an adult. I recommend reading “Lessons from a Third Dropout”, to anyone who is looking for a different perspective in life or wants to change their way of living and interacting with others. After reading the book try to incorporating the lessons into your life and work environment.
