Swim Lessons: Ten Secrets for Making Any Dream Come True By Nick Irons
Clydesdale Press, LLC 2003; 187 Pages, $16.95 at Amazon

Reviewed by LizOP
MSWorld Book Reviewer





Author, Nick Irons had a dream to swim the 1,550 miles of the muddy Mississippi River to raise money and awareness for MS research. Like so many dreams or inspirations, it came to Irons unexpectedly. He repeatedly flew over the river on his travels and as the idea formulated in his mind, he found he could no ignore his thoughts.

His father, a physician in Maryland, has MS and Nick was motivated to do something to help find a cure. Irons named the swim MS4MS (Mississippi Swim For Multiple Sclerosis.) Irons achieved his dream, which took four months to fulfill.

His book documents the swim but more than that, it documents how his family worked as a close unit and people across America cheered Irons on with each stroke on his long swim. That was in 1999.

The next year, he and his family planned a 10,000-mile, five-month bike tour calling it Going The Distance: The Nationwide MS Bike Tour, which was successfully completed by Irons.

He rode around the perimeter of the United States peddling from Washington D.C. to Florida to San Diego, to Seattle, to New York City, and back to Washington D.C.
Irons writes guidelines for anyone wishing to find their own dream and he shares ten secrets to fulfilling their quest. He uses simple logic and tells how he lived out his dream by first discovering a compelling idea to making it happen by using creativity.

I like to think this inventive, young man has more dreams in his future. His ideas can easily be applied to our everyday goals or to our loftiest dreams.
In particular, I relate to Iron's secret No. 7, Finding Your Motivation:

"There will be times in the pursuit of your dream when you want to quit. There may be times every day when you want to quit. Without something powerful to keep you going, in good times and bad, you'll find an excuse to say 'enough.' You may have to remind yourself, from time to time, why you're working so hard to make your dream come true."

This book is a pleasant read and a tribute to family members who dare to dream to find a cure for MS.
Irons is now a motivational speaker. His book won ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award for the Best Self-Help book and the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best New Voice (Non-Fiction) - an award which recognizes excellence in independent publishing.

More information and contact information can be found on http://www.tenlessons.com.

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