Jim Donovan likes to say he's
living proof that you can change your life.
The Staten Island native and
Tottenville High School graduate has gone from being a step away from
homelessness to leading a comfortable life as an international best-selling
author and motivational speaker and a favorite of Fortune 500 executives.
His transformation from a former
alcoholic and drug addict was accomplished largely by following his own
advice. That is, to start slowly, take one small step each day, and take
life one day at a time.
"I'm living proof you can reach
your goals and turn your life around, a little at a time," said Donovan,
56, who is working on his fourth and fifth books simultaneously from his
home in Bucks County, Pa., where he lives with his wife, Georgia, and
three cats.
On Wednesday, Donovan will be
giving a brief talk titled "Take Charge of Your Destiny" at the Barnes
& Noble Bookstore in New Springville. The talk, which begins at 7:30
p.m., will be followed by a book-signing of his newest tome "Handbook
to a Happier Life: A Simple Guide to Creating the Life You've Always Wanted"
(New World Library, $12.95, paperback).
"Handbook," he said, was written
while he was still living on Staten Island, in Eltingville, where he owned
his own small business, Bovan Publishing, and put out a newsletter, "Small
Business Gazette."
"And my roots have been here
for three generations, so I'm really excited about being back," Donovan
said.
Indeed, Donovan was born in St.
George, where his late grandfather, James Austen, was a police captain
who worked in all three precincts. His family moved to the South Shore
and he grew up in Prince's Bay.
He said his experiences as a
student at Tottenville High School -- the original school building on
Yetman Avenue, he's quick to point out -- helped shape his life.
"I had to be one of the worst
students the school had back then. I was almost expelled in my senior
year, a few weeks before graduation," recalled Donovan, who did manage
to graduate with his class of '64.
One of his Tottenville teachers
who kept him on track was Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Zindel,
who died last month. Zindel was then teaching chemistry. "I knew right
away he wasn't cut out to be a chem teacher, and I watched him and cheered
him on as he pursued his goal of becoming a playwright and author," Donovan
recalled.
Zindel would offer him encouragement
to stay in school and pursue his dreams.
"He would tell me 'Beware of
the white stallion.' It referred to an old tavern, the White Horse Tavern
in downtown Manhattan, that at the time would serve anyone tall enough
to reach the bar, no questions," Donovan related.
Once Zindel spotted his teen-age
student in the ferry terminal at 2 a.m., coming home from the tavern,
but he was discreet about the encounter, Donovan recalled.
For almost 20 years after graduating
from Tottenville, Donovan struggled to make a go of a series of several
small businesses, while he struggled himself with the personal demons
of alcohol and drugs. After waking up miserable one-too-many-times, he
decided to take charge of his life. He entered a rehab program in 1986.
"I hated what I had become," he said. "But I knew that if you could take
responsibility for your life, then you could have the power to change
your life."
He immersed himself in books
and tapes of other highly-respected self-help experts such as Dr. Wayne
Dyer, and the granddaddy of self-help, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. Eventually,
he distilled a philosophy that worked well for him and he began to write
and speak of his own life experiences.
The goal of "Handbook to a Happier
Life," he said, is to help readers rewrite their own life story by making
small changes each day that make them happier, more content, and help
them achieve their life's dreams. Don't make big changes, he suggests,
just start slowly and move bit-by-bit toward your goal and you'll reach
it.
If you want to lose weight, for
example, he suggests that you get up in the morning and decide to eliminate
one high-calorie food from your meals that day. It could be something
as simple and painless as a carbonated beverage, or sugar in your coffee.
The next day eliminate some other small item.
Likewise, if you want the retirement
home on the Jersey Shore or the Catskills some day, get up in the morning
and put aside a dollar, five dollars, or even $10 every day toward your
"dream house" fund.
"Set your goals and take action.
Decide what it is you want or where you want to be," Donovan said.
"And when you get up every morning,
say: 'What am I going to do today that will move me in that direction?'
You'll be surprised at how these tiny steps, these incremental actions,
will add up." tail
Learn more about Jim Donovan,
his books and self-help philosophy on the Web at www.jimdonovan.com. tailDiane
Lore is a features writer and columnist in the Lifestyle department of
the Staten Island Advance. She may be reached at lore@siadvance.com
