Now in paperback, the national bestselling riches-to-rags true story of an advertising executive who had it all, then lost it all--and was finally redeemed by his new job, and his twenty-eight-year-old boss, at Starbucks.
In his fifties, Michael Gates Gill had it all: a mansion in the suburbs, a wife and loving children, a six-figure salary, and an Ivy League education. But in a few short years, he lost his job, got divorced, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. With no money or health insurance, he was forced to get a job at Starbucks. Having gone from power lunches to scrubbing toilets, from being served to serving, Michael was a true fish out of water.
But fate brings an unexpected teacher into his life who opens his eyes to what living well really looks like. The two seem to have nothing in common: She is a young African American, the daughter of a drug addict; he is used to being the boss but reports to "her" now. For the first time in his life he experiences being a member of a minority trying hard to survive in a challenging new job. He learns the value of hard work and humility, as well as what it truly means to respect another person.
Behind the scenes at one of America's most intriguing businesses, an inspiring friendship is born, a family begins to heal, and, thanks to his unlikely mentor, Michael Gill at last experiences a sense of self-worth and happiness he has never known before.
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The author of the "New York Times" bestseller "How Starbucks Saved My Life" perks up America with inspiring lessons on finding true happiness at any age and any stage of life.
Michael Gill's lemons-to-lemonade memoir chronicled his transformative year working at Starbucks after losing his high-powered job, his marriage, and his health (he developed a brain tumor). In response to overwhelming requests from readers who wanted to know how they, too, could weather downturns, he has distilled his wisdom into fifteen meaningful lessons, including:
? Leap...With faith: Sometimes it pays to leap without looking and say "yes" without thinking (Gill accepted the Starbucks job immediately, on a whim).
? Let . . .Yourself be Helped: pride is even more paralyzing than fear.
? Lose . . .Your Watch (and Cell phone and PDA ): Our obsession with productivity produces madness, not gladness.
Offering living proof that extraordinary happiness is found in ordinary moments, "How to Save Your Own Life" provides empowering words and hope for anyone facing a reversal of fortune. True fortune, Gill discovered, lies not in fate but in discovering the innate capacity we all possess to rescue ourselves.