The book Uncommon by Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker is all about finding your path to significance. For those readers who don’t know, Tony Dungy was a very successful football coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts. While coaching for the Colts, he lead them to one super bowl victory and countless playoff appearances.
What I most enjoyed about Uncommon was that the author did not focus on just one subject for an excessive amount of time. Instead the author touched on many different subjects over the course of the book such as, his days as a football coach. While talking about his coaching career he discussed many important decisions that made his legacy what it is, such as choosing Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf in the 1999 NFL Draft.
He also spoke about his strong relationship with his children, and how it is important that you should always be there for your family. Unfortunately, he had to cope with the loss of his oldest son, but his relationship with God helped him keep moving forward in his life. He also explains how crucial a strong relationship with his parents was to his success. He discusses how his parents always encouraged him and his strong devotion to God is also important to his successes, and his personal life as well. Dungy explains that he would not be where he is today without his strong relationship with God. All this and more really kept me interested in the book, and I found at times, it was hard to stop reading.
The author also lets the reader in on his keys for loving his family. The first of the seven keys is to be a leader around your home, but lead for the benefit of your wife and children, not for your own benefit. The first is, “Be aware that the world emphasizes style, but substance is what really matters.” The second is, “Make a conscious decision to determine your priorities. If there are others who should be involved in the process, sit down together and put personally those things into writing.” The third is, “ Be prepared to start making your actions complement your list of priorities.” The fourth is “ Never confuse what you do with who you are.” The fifth is “ Follow your dreams. Don’t take them to your grave. Better to have fallen short than never to have tried.” The sixth is “ Learn to discipline yourself so that you can begin to enjoy more of life the way you want to enjoy it.” The final key is to “ Balance the priorities in your life- spend the appropriate amount of time and effort in each area. “I myself, took each piece of advice to heart, and thought about how I was doing this in my own life with the suggestions that were given in the book. For example, I have been trying really hard to respect my parents and be honest with them. I feel that this will lead to a better life overall for myself.
This book brings so much to the table. It offers helpful advice with your family, friends, and most importantly, God. If you are looking for a book that will be hard to put down, and will make you think about your own life and how you live it, Uncommon is definitely the book for you. I know personally that I would recommend this book to my own friends and family, because like I have said before, I feel that this book offers invaluable guidance in both your practical and spiritual life.
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