What He Wrote Made Me Cry

When The Way of the Three-Year-Old Why comes out in a little over a month, you can thank Jeff West in a lot of ways.

Jeff is the co-author of Said the Lady with the Blue Hair: 7 Rules for Success in Direct Sales Wrapped in a Wonderful Lesson for Life and The Unexpected Tour Guide: A Salesman, A Homeless Man And An Incredible Adventure. We had a conversation in April about the ideas underlying 3yo, and he encouraged me to write the book. He gave me feedback on the early outline, and kindly read the rough draft, the one I wouldn’t even show to my wife, along with his notes.

This week, though, Jeff ventured into the realm of the exceptional. He wrote the foreword, then rewrote it at his own behest, and wound up with something that made me cry as I read it.

My wife actually made me let her read it first, because she wanted to watch me while I read it. When she saw me in tears, she said, “I know which paragraph you’re reading.”

I will save the whole thing for the book’s publication, but I’ll share with you the paragraph(s) that touched me so deeply.

When my teachers were great spinners of classroom tales, I listened, I learned, and I loved the lessons. Their impact was so powerful, and their methods so endearing, I actually lost track of the fact I was learning things; it just happened.

I love superb storytellers–and Donn King is one of the very best. For me, he’s a bit of Mark Twain, with a pinch of Lewis Grizzard, mixed in with a heaping helping of my favorite teachers.

To be compared to those two… it’s a mix of joy and honor and terror. I can’t think of a better compliment than to be likened to those two. I’m also terrified to measure up to that.

But the tears? They’re happy tears. As we get closer to the release (and readers of this newsletter will get first crack at it), we continue to polish the story, hoping it will, indeed, help you to live your values so you value your life.

Thanks, Jeff.

Dear Reader, remember to bookmark https://donnking.com/3yo since that will change to point to a website including the book itself, this newsletter, and related goodies. Right now, it takes you to this newsletter, so you won’t have to learn a new link once the book is published.

When The Way of the Three-Year-Old Why is ready for publication, I will release it first via an email to subscribers. For the first month or so, it will remain exclusively available in my own online store. You are free to share that link with anyone you would like—you will be the ambassadors! Once it becomes available on the standard retailer sites, you will have the authority to post reviews so that you can help others find it. I suppose there’s hardly any book that is right for everyone, and so your recommendation will be extremely useful to the people for whom it is a good fit. There will be some additional perks included for folks who get the book during that initial month.

So, don't wait. Subscribe now.

The Way of the Three-year-old Why is a business fable in the tradition of The Go-Giver, Said the Lady with the Blue Hair, Go for No, The Energy Bus, etc. Dan Roberts has been striving for years to create a prosperous speaking business, hampered by his daughter's disability. A mysterious mentor shows up as a coffee barista, and somebody keeps leaving him guidance notes. Those notes show an uncomfortable level of knowledge about him, all focused on finding his "why" the way a three-year-old does.

Everybody in business knows about Simon Sinek's concept of finding your why before getting tied up in your what and how. A lot of folks know the Five Whys technique of going beyond the first answer. But that can still leave you with surface-level answers. Dan learns five guidelines for asking "why" the way a three-year-old does. When you keep digging like a three-year-old, you are likely to find the actual answer—and it's not "because I said so" or "go ask your mother!"

Donn King is The Confidence Cultivator. He is a professor of communication studies (which means “a professor of standing up in front of people and saying stuff”). He’s also a pastor, a speaker, a writer, and a communication coach. Reach out to donn at donnking dot com to see how he could help you increase your impact, gain influence, and build your career.