Make the Impossible Possible, Bill Strickland
Make the Impossible Possible, Bill Strickland
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Make the Impossible Possible
One Man's Crusade to Inspire Others to Dream Bigger and Achieve the Extraordinary

Author: Bill Strickland, Vince Rause

Narrator: Bill Strickland

Unabridged: 7 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/31/2007

Synopsis

“Success is the point where your most authentic talents, passion, values, and experiences intersect with the chance to contribute to some greater good.”
--Bill Strickland

According to MacArthur Fellowship “genius” award winner Bill Strickland, a successful life is not something you simply pursue, it is something that you create, moment by moment. It is a realization Strickland first came to when, as a poor kid growing up in a rough neighborhood of Pittsburgh, he encountered a high school ceramics teacher who took him under his wing and went on to transform his life.

Over the past thirty years, Bill Strickland has been transforming the lives of thousands of people through the creation of Manchester Bidwell, a jobs training center and community arts program. Working with corporations, community leaders, and schools, he and his staff strive to give disadvantaged kids and adults the opportunities and tools they need to envision and built a better, brighter future.

Strickland believes that every one of us has the potential for remarkable achievement. Every one of us can accomplish the impossible in our lives if given the right inspiration and motivation to do so. We all make ourselves “poor” in one way or another when we accept that we are not smart enough, experienced enough, or talented enough to accomplish something. Bill Strickland works with the least advantaged among us, and if he can help them achieve the impossible in their lives, think what each of us can do.

Among Bill Strickland’s beliefs:

People are born into this world as assets, not liabilities. It’s all in the way we treat people (and ourselves) that determines a person’s outcome

The sand in the hourglass flows only one way. Stop going through the motions of living--savor each and every day. Life is here and now, not something waiting for you in the future.

You don’t have to travel far to change the life you’re living. Bill grew up in the Pittsburgh ghetto, four blocks from where he came to build one of the foremost job training centers in the world. He now speaks before CEOs and political leaders, church congregations and civic leaders. You only need to change your thinking to remake your world.

Through lessons from his own life experiences, and those of countless others who have overcome their circumstances and turned their lives around, Make the Impossible Possible shows how all of us can build on our passions and strengths, dream bigger and set the bar higher, achieve meaningful success and help mentor and inspire the lives of others.

About The Author

BILL STRICKLAND is CEO of Manchester Bidwell, a jobs training center and community arts program. At Manchester Craftsmen Guild, he offers programs in ceramics, photography, and painting to hundreds of kids a year, ninety percent of whom get high school diplomas and enroll in college. And at the Bidwell Training Center, adults receive training in professional careers such as the culinary arts, pharmacology, and horticultural technology, through partnerships with major corporations in the area. The center includes a 350-seat jazz auditorium, a 40,000-square-foot greenhouse covering half a city block, a state-of-the-art chemistry lab, a full-scale ceramics department, and a culinary institute. As a result of his work, Strickland has received a MacArthur Fellowship “genius” grant, has lectured at Harvard Graduate School of Education, has served on the board of the National Endowment for the Arts, and he and Manchester Bidwell have been the subject of three Harvard Business School case studies. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Pam

This is an incredibly positive book. I recommend you read it in small doses. Bill Strickland has instigated positive change in so many American environments that are seen by many as hopeless societies. He has brought hope to so many people who have undervalued their own belief to be contributing cit......more

Goodreads review by Hadiyah

The book was very thought provoking and inspirational. It seemed repetitive at times, but overall invoked feelings of hope and limitless possibility. It helped me gain a deeper understanding of the importance of building relationships and partnerships to see your dream through. If I am ever in Pitts......more

Goodreads review by Donald

An inspring account of one man's desire to create places of inspiration in inner city Pittsburgh and combining those with arts, music, and job training centers to give people who are "poor" a passion in their lives and to give them skills and a meaning for their lives to get them out of "poverty."......more

Goodreads review by Chris

Interesting read about a guy that finds ways to develop himself and others around him by finding different ways to overcome obstacles. If you are a dreamer or visionary, or think you are, then this is a good book for you. Bill highlights the power of making your visions come true, but also shows som......more

Quotes

Acclaim for Make the Impossible Possible

“Passionate. Inspirational. Hopeful. Optimistic. Powerful. Compelling. And most important— it works . . . Here is the cure to what ails this country. Take it home. Read it. Then live it.” —Alan M. Webber, founding editor, Fast Company magazine

“Bill Strickland is a genius, because he sees the inherent genius in everyone. Bill’s ability to inspire hope is powerful, universal, and world changing. Make the Impossible Possible will show you how you can achieve even your wildest dreams. Bravo!”

—Jeff Skoll, first president of eBay, founder and chairman, Skoll Foundation

“We often hear the word inspire, likely allowing it to pass and not sink in our psyche.
However we often will never forget things that inspire us. A visit to see Bill Strickland's concept in Pittsburgh was one of those events for me. Now you can read about how he was driven to build it.” —Jim Hackett, President and CEO, Steelcase, Inc.

“Are you yearning to pursue what others say is an unrealistic or impractical dream? This is the book for you. By telling his remarkable story, Bill Strickland shows us that an impossible notion is just an idea nobody had the guts to try.  With great flair and amazing range—you'll read about jazz, pottery, airplanes, even orchids!—he reveals how each of us can change our part of the world. Like the man who wrote it, this book is inspired and inspiring.” —Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of A Whole New Mind

“Bill Strickland could sell anything . . . Read this book and you'll understand why he is such an inspiration to practicing and aspiring entrepreneurs.” —James Heskett, Harvard Business School

PRAISE FOR BILL STRICKLAND AND MANCHESTER BIDWELL
“One of the most innovative social enterprise thinkers I have ever met. The ‘Strickland’ thought process is that of a highly trained jazz musician, coupled with a keen business sense . . . He is definitely one of my major heroes.”
 —Quincy Jones

“The Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild is a testament to the power of the arts to transform children’s lives. Its students learn much more than how to shape clay, take pictures, and appreciate jazz. They leave the Guild knowing that they have the potential and tools to become successful and productive citizens.”
—Hillary Rodham Clinton

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