Diamonds Under Pressure: Five Steps to Turning Adversity Into Success

As a sales and management consultant, Farber (Diamond in the Rough) teaches that ultimate success always requires failures, setbacks and adversity. He contends that ""character, the purest and toughest part of ourselves, is formed deep within us, and often rises to the surface only when the pressure is greatest."" Using numerous quotes from famous successful people (Lao-Tzu, Goethe, Castaneda et al.), Farber offers advice to ""fail wisely,"" to ""take a new view of hardship and adversity,"" to ""learn from examples"" and to take ""practical action-oriented steps to achieve your desired goals and fulfill your dreams."" The acronym ""FOCUS"" forms his basic method for facing challenges: Foresight and Faith, Organization, Concentrated Effort and Courage, Understanding, and Seeding and Service. Farber offers at least one excellent three-step exercise for goal setting, and often reminds readers to break down seemingly insurmountable problems into small, manageable tasks. He delivers a simple, focused message about withstanding difficulties and failures, although he sometimes seems to assume that the only internal obstacle people struggle with is ""fear of failure."" His book provides useful assistance for expecting, accepting and working through the inevitable bumps along the rocky road to success. (Sept.)