Toolbox Treasures
Good Reads
This year our students have been tasked to read two practical books for their growth and development. Since they are such good reads, we wanted to recommend them to you.
The author of six books, Joshua Medcalf, is the founder of T2BC, a boutique consulting firm whose focus is leadership, life-skills and mental training.
Chop Wood Carry Water is a parable about a boy named John training to be a samurai archer, teaching lessons on discipline, mindset, and finding greatness in the daily process, not just the outcome. Through his wise sensei, Akira, John learns to focus on the simple, consistent actions ("chop wood, carry water") rather than getting distracted by ego or comparison, ultimately realizing that the journey of hard work builds character and success. The book emphasizes that true growth comes from embracing the mundane, building a strong foundation, and surrendering the result to focus on the present task.
Pound the Stone is a motivational fable about a young man named Jason who learns principles of mastery, grit, and perseverance through a summer of door-to-door book sales after being kicked off his basketball team. Told in a similar style to his book Chop Wood Carry Water, it uses a story to teach lessons on overcoming failure, the value of struggle, and the importance of courage and vulnerability to achieve greatness.
These books are applicable to the life lessons embedded in our NCBA program. Our students are gaining practical insights that they can apply to their lives for building grit and practicing gratitude.
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