52+ Mistakes People Made Before They Got… – Steven Harris

Steven Harris
52+ Mistakes People Made Before They Got…
Bro. Steve Press 2010
156 pp., Illustrations

If you don’t know who Steven Harris is, you haven’t been that involved in gospel music lately, have you?

Harris, known in the industry as “Bro. Steve,” is a Los Angeles-based radio host, producer, consultant, president of the Southern California chapter of the Gospel Announcers Guild and quintessential entrepreneur. He is a smiling, familiar sight at the Gospel Music Worship of America, selling DVDs on the music business, church management and the like.  His gospel video productions are top-notch.

Bro. Steve is also an author. His newly-released book, 52+ Mistakes People Made Before They Got…, is success literature meets reverse psychology. In other words, this practical and easy read is a compendium of what not to do to realize your goals. The pages are packed with “shoulda’s” – some serious, others just plain funny – but all will resonate with readers young and old, because every one of us has erected one or a dozen of these self-imposed stumbling-blocks to our own success at one time or another.

The 52+ stories are not necessarily Bro. Steve’s confessions, but are contributed by people he’s interviewed and callers to his radio program. Topics range from business to family to relationships to life choices. Some are common sense and others are tough lessons learned. Each kernel of truth is accompanied by a worksheet so readers can jot down their own experiences with each misstep.  The bottom line: learn from your (and others’) mistakes and know that failure is not final but brings you one step closer to your goal.

Throughout, Bro. Steve peppers inspirational messages from former presidents, inventors, business leaders and thought-influencers such as Napoleon Hill (“Think and Grow Rich”). It’s the kind of book you can pick up and flip through at random whenever you need a shot in the arm or a gentle kick in the trousers.

Ultimately, what you find reading through the many mistakes Bro. Steve chronicles is that the most important thing to be is a good steward of your God-given resources, whether they be money, time, skills, talents, friendships, health, wisdom or love. Good stewardship of resources is the path to success.