"Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not." (Thomas Huxley)

Simple. Not easy. We try and fail to lose weight, be better partners, get fit, get organized, or fix our finances. We know what to do, but we can't make ourselves do it.

But help has arrived, just in time to rescue your New Year's resolutions. Gumptionade is a booster for self-improvement plans, like Oxyclean is a booster for laundry detergent.

Gumptionade will show you how to stay strong when your beautiful plan comes in contact with reality. The reality of just how difficult it is to make real and lasting change.

Consultant and philosopher, Robert O'Connor, begins by putting a name on the elusive power to do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done. It's gumption: courage, resourcefulness, and common sense in harness together.

O'Connor then shows how you can build your gumption in this inspirational, handy collection of practical life instruction sprinkled with maxims such as "Don't confuse Easy and Magic with the work of real change"; "Put excellence before success"; and "Don't lead with your wallet".

His advice is firmly supported by true-life examples of gumption-driven problem-solving success stories (e.g., NASA's Apollo 13 rescue, Billy Beane's accomplishments with the Oakland A's, and Texas governor Ann Richards' victory over political foes and alcohol). O'Connor draws lightly on his own failures and recoveries, then gives concrete ways to rewire destructive thought patterns.