I have great news for the readerTommy Newberry has written an incredible book! And he is absolutely right: What you think about yourself determines who you are; therefore, think strategically. Success Is Not an Accident helps us understand why success can be achieved by any person, in any situation, under any circumstance, but never by accident! You should read this book if you are setting big goals for enhancing your life and intentionally charting the path to make those big goals a reality. Lets impact our world!
Dan T. Cathy , president and COO, Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Tommy Newberry provides a powerful approach for attaining personal success in all of lifes arenas. The philosophy and methods outlined in Success Is Not an Accident focus on the direct ways individuals can achieve their God-given potential. Tommy represents the very best in the crowded field of life coaching, and I have benefited tremendously from his work.
J. Rex Fuqua , president and CEO, Fuqua Capital Corporation
This enjoyable, fast-moving book is full of great ideas and insights anyone can use to enjoy a better life.
Brian Tracy , author of The Way to Wealth
If you are tired of responding to life and ready to start creating it, then I encourage you to read this book. Success doesnt happen by accident. It happens by making the decision to be the driver of your bus and charting your course to a destination called Success. Thankfully, Tommy Newberry provides us with a map that will take us where we want to go.
Jon Gordon , author of The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy
Success Is Not an Accident overflows with life-changing, practical wisdom. I really like the stories, the succinct lists of action steps, and the powerful principles that translate purpose into practical reality. Read this book and youll have crystal-clear strategies and tools for unlocking your God-given potential.
Dr. Tim Irwin , corporate psychologist and author of Run with the Bulls without Getting Trampled
Authentic success happens only through focus and intentionality. I learned this truth from Tommy Newberry. We all have a responsibility to push beyond our comfort zones and maximize our positive influence at home, at work, and in the community. This book is easy to read and clearly shows you how to get from where you are today to where God wants you to be. Ive benefited directly from working with Tommy, and you will too when you read and apply the lessons in Success Is Not an Accident.
Dr. Vic Pentz , senior pastor, Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia
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The 1% Club, Success Is Not an Accident, and Americas Success Coach are registered trademarks of The 1% Club, Inc. All rights reserved.
Success Is Not an Accident: Change Your Choices, Change Your Life
Copyright 1999, 2007 by Tommy Newberry. All rights reserved.
Cover photo copyright by Matthias Kulka/Corbis. All rights reserved.
Author photo copyright 2006 by Ted Domohowski. All rights reserved.
Designed by Jennifer Ghionzoli
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE , NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NKJ V is a trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Published in association with the literary agency of The Knight Agency, 557 S. Main St., Madison, GA 30650
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Newberry, Tommy.
Success is not an accident / Tommy Newberry.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-1311-5 (sc : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-4143-1311-X (sc : alk. paper)
1. Success. 2. SuccessReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.
BF637.S8N435 2007
158.1dc22 2006103497
This book is lovingly dedicated to
Mom and Dad and
my sisters, Cindy, Suzanne, Jenny, and Beth
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Writing a book is a monumental project. Although the authors name appears on the cover, it requires a team of dedicated people behind the scenes to make the undertaking a success. As Ive learned over the years, few significant accomplishments can ever be completed alone, and this book is no exception. Though it would be virtually impossible to list all the people who have influenced me and contributed to Success Is Not an Accident, I want to recognize a special few who helped make this book possible.
First, I must thank the members of The 1% Club for their many suggestions, observations, and insights over the past fifteen years. I may hold the title of coach, but in reality I am still very much a student.
Thank you to Dick Parker, who helped me develop the original version of this book. Special thanks to my agent, Pamela Harty, who believed in me and in this project and helped make it all happen. Thanks to Carol Traver and Dave Lindstedt, from Tyndale, who caught the vision for this project and patiently provided productive feedback and sound advice. Thank you to my business partner, Steve Cesari, whose perspective and life experience added a new dimension to this updated version of Success Is Not an Accident.
Thanks to my parents, whose unconditional love, encouragement, and affirmation freed me to chart my own course and follow my dream. As the years go by, my appreciation grows for the example they set and the wisdom they passed down.
Boundless thanks to my wife, Kristin, who never let me forget how much she believed in me as I worked through the original manuscript, and more recently, as I completed the updates for this book and at the same time finished my next book, The 4:8 Principle.
Foremost, I want to thank God for my special combination of talents, gifts, and life experiences, as well as for the inspiration and creativity that allowed this book to become a reality.
Introduction
If you want to take your business, your marriage, or your entire life from good to great, Success Is Not an Accident will help you get there, perhaps faster than you ever dreamed possible. This book provides the launching pad youve been looking for. Whether you are seeking to grow your net worth or rebuild your self-worth, these principles and strategies will help you do just that. How can I be so sure?
The seven lessons in this book represent the foundation curriculum that I have been using in my coaching practice at The 1% Club since 1991. Together, the seven lessons represent a complete system for managing your life more effectively. In this updated and expanded version of Success Is Not an Accident, I have distilled and incorporated the most valuable insights from my clients, as well as the lessons I have learned in the process of coaching them. If you like, think of these lessons as the secrets of the top 1% of successful people. Theyre not really secrets, though. They just appear to be secrets because so few people pay attention to these principles or seriously set out to practice them. While the principles are quite simple, the results you can expect to achieve are quite remarkable!