2019 Lampo Licensing, LLC
Published by Ramsey Press, The Lampo Group, LLC
Brentwood, Tennessee 37027
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Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Book Development: Matt Litton, Preston Cannon, and Cathy Shanks
Editing: Amanda Johnson, Ami McConnell Abston, and Jen Gingerich
Cover Design: Brad Dennison and Chris Carrico
Interior Design: Mandi Cofer
Ebook formatting: Mark DAntoni, eBook DesignWorks
ISBN: 978-0-978562-03-8 PRINT
ISBN: 978-0-971855-43-4 EPUB
Printed in the United States of America
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Dedication
To Stacy, proximity to you has made me a better man and this life an incredible journey.
To our children Ty, Chase, and Josie, you make us so proud. May you practice this on your journey to fulfill your purpose.
To my parents, thank you for your love and the sacrifices you made to get me in proximity to people and places that molded me.
Foreword
Dave Ramsey
W hen I was about twelve, I asked my dad for some money to go with my buddies down to the local convenience store. Ill never forget his response.
You dont need money. You need a job !
Next thing I knew, I was knocking on doors all over Antioch, Tennessee. Whenever someone would answer, Id hand them one of my business cards and request the privilege of serving their lawn care needs.
Pretty soon Daves Lawns had dozens of clients, and I spent a blazin hot summer cutting what seemed like every blade of grass in my entire neighborhood.
Of course, Ive had a few jobs since then. I started selling real estate right out of high school and through college. And if you know my story, you know that I made a lot of money as young man, lost it all, then with Gods help, built Ramsey Solutions from the ashes of my bankruptcy.
Its been a wild ride! And a lot of work. But hard work is something the Ramseys have been known for through the years. In fact, our family crest includes two Latin words. The first is pray . And the other is work .
Plus, as a Christian, I believe that work is a blessing, not a curse. In the earliest chapters of the Bible, Adam and Eve have a job to dotaking care of a garden. God gave those first people a purpose through work before sin entered the world. And He still wants people to find purpose in their work today.
Thats right! God wants you to find something you love and do it for His glorynot just settle for a J-O-B and a paycheck.
If youre reading this book, Im guessing you arent afraid of hard work either. Youre willing to put in the hours to really win at what you doas long as what you do has purpose. Youre looking for work that matters.
And thats where Ken Coleman comes in.
Ken is a man of many talents. For example, hes a world-class interviewer, having gone one-on-one with some of the biggest names you can imagine. Hes talked with business leaders and successful coaches, prominent pastors, and former presidents. And absolutely nobody does it better!
Thats one reason we asked him to join our team!
But Ill let you in on a secret: Kens greatest passion is helping others discover their own passionsespecially when it comes to their careers. Sure, he makes interviewing dignitaries and speaking to crowds and hosting his own radio show look easy. But Ken has worked his way through the ranks, and he knows from personal experience what it takes to turn a dream into reality.
In other words, hes been where you areand he can help you get where youre wanting to go.
Thats really what The Proximity Principle is all about.
Have you ever noticed you become who you hang around with? If you hang with readers, youll read. If you surround yourself with people training physically, you will too. We even talk like the people we hang around. Our accents, dialects, and sentence structure reflect who we spend the most time with. For this reason, we dont let our children run with kids who misbehave because we quickly see that bad behavior in our children. It should come as no shock to you, then, that to get into and excel in a field, you need to be in the proximity of people who are in that same field.
I have used this principle unknowingly to shape my speaking style, learn to write, do a radio show, be a successful husband and parent, and lead our company. The people around me have made deposits into my life over the decades that have paid huge dividends, and I am grateful. Be in proximity to what you want to be. Wow. It sounds so simple, but there is more. You can live the life you want.
And Ken uses the Proximity Principle to show you how to make that happen.
One of my favorite quotes comes from automotive icon Henry Ford: Whether you think you can or think you cant, youre right. Ive shared that with audiences across America because its absolutely true. Change is always possible in your life and in your career, but that change always depends on you.
And I cant think of anyone more qualified to guide you toward that change than Ken Coleman. So dive in and put The Proximity Principle to work. I believe it has the power to transform your career.
And your life.
Acknowledgments
I am living my dream. Countless people have played roles in this book becoming a reality, but none more than Dave Ramsey. Dave, your belief, support, and generosity mean more to me than I can describe. Thank you for the opportunity to work on the Ramsey Solutions team. It is an honor to serve with you on this crusade.
Preston Cannon, your support for this content and leadership of the process has been invaluable. Thank you for the many brief huddles along the way.
Matt Litton, it was a privilege to lock arms with you on this book. Thank you for your work, the constant encouragement, and for your passion for the message.
