Chapter two, "Taking Action," begins you on your way towards achieving your goals. The key thing here is harnessing the ability to manage change. You have to learn to manage change, or, as an Indonesian ninja master once told me, change will manage you. Hayden will guide you through the "Change Cycle" and show you ways to reduce your resistance to change. He'll also provide you with tactics for implementing change.

In chapter three, "Receiving Feedback," you'll learn whether the action you took actually worked and whether or not you achieved your definition of success. Hayden points out, however, "it is unlikely you will succeed on your first attempt." When you fail to succeed, there are a variety of emotions you might experience, but of all the possibilities, anger, says Hayden, is the worst, as it's self-destructive. When we receive negative feedback, it only spells failure if that's what we're willing to accept. According to Hayden, "Failure is a reaction, not an outcome. It is your reaction to feedback that will determine your success or failure."

Chapter four, "Learning from the Feedback," will show you what to do when things do go wrong. You can learn just as much from your failures as you can from your successes.

Chapter five, "Persistence," provides excellent inspiration for anyone prone to quitting after a failed attempt to achieve success. Here, Hayden once again turns to real life stories of famous folks who persevered in the face of failure. For example, he cites James Dyson, who finally succeeded in inventing the world's first bag-less vacuum cleaner after five years and 5,127 prototypes, a process that nearly bankrupted him. Hayden notes, Dyson is now on his way to becoming Britain's first billionaire inventor.

In chapter six, Hayden provides a "Success Toolkit" that provides a number of techniques to help you move towards your goals and your personal definition of success. Some of the tools include time management, focus, belief systems, and affirmations.

Paul Hayden's The Personal Success Pocketbook is an ideal ebook for anyone attempting to make it in the corporate world. With Hayden's collection of wit and wisdom stored conveniently on your Palm computer, you'll have the motivation you need to journey on your way to success.

Stephen Vance is a Contributing Editor for Computing Unplugged Magazine. His Web site is located at http://www.vance.com. He can be reached at steve@vance.com.