Pediatric physician pens book, shares principles for success
When Dr. Gary Josephson agreed to speak at his undergraduate alma mater’s commencement ceremony, he never imagined writing his speech would lead to writing a book.
Humbled but surprised by the invite, Josephson recalled asking why he’d been selected.
Among other things, the university cited his “caring for children regardless of their financial capabilities, regardless of any background they may come from…They said, ‘We decided we would like to have you. We think you can motivate and inspire the graduating class.’”
As he brainstormed speech topics, his wife suggested he discuss his seven principles — foundational principles he’d identified over the years and by which he led his life and pursued his career. So he did.
“After my address, a number of people came up to me — students and parents — and said they wanted to know more; they wanted to understand more about my principles. So when I returned home, I looked at my wife and I said, ‘I think I gotta write a book so I can share with more people.’”
For the next six years, in his free time, Josephson began committing these seven principles to paper and expanding them into a full-length book.
The result was “Ordinary to Extraordinary: Seven Principles for Life Success” — a self-help book “for newly launched boomerang and early career seekers (and their parents) who intend to transform their ordinary livelihood into extraordinary lifelong success.”
The e-book is now available for purchase. The paperback is set to release on Aug. 9. Josephson recently received advance copies of his book and was able to actually hold it in his hands for the first time.
“It was pretty incredible and it’s really amazing to actually see the finished product,” he said.
Josephson believes these seven principles — attitude, knowledge and wisdom, relationships and community, sustainable wealth, spiritual core, healthy living and the art of giving — are “evergreen principles” that, when laid as a foundation for a person’s life, will lead “to success no matter which career or what aspirations you have.”
While Josephson does include some stories from his own life and upbringing, he envisioned and created this as a self-help book rather than an autobiography. As such, it features short essays about each principle, followed by “Matters of Fact” backed by research (with sources are cited at the end of the book) and tips on how to master each one.
Along with the book, Josephson has also launched the “O2E (Ordinary to Extraordinary) 4 Life Success” website, which will feature supplemental information pertaining to his principles. The most recent blog post discussing the first principle — attitude — underscored the importance of a positive attitude and different ways to alleviate stress.
“With the COVID pandemic increasing the rates of anxiety and depression globally, finding a simple way to alleviate stress and worry is essential,” the blog post read. “Using positive mental imagery techniques has shown to improve anxiety.”
Josephson is the chief medical officer for Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville. “Ordinary to Extraordinary: Seven Principles for Life Success” is available for pre-order at O2E4life.com and most major online retailers.
By Michele Leivas
Resident Community News
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