Adam Braun

Carlye Adler

The author describes how he left a lucrative business consulting job to found the nonprofit Pencils of Promise, an organization responsible for building schools for the poor in developing countries around the world and which recently completed its two hundredth school.

How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change

The Promise of a Pencil

Timeo Williams

Extraordinary book. I found Adam's journey both inspiring and realistic as he's someone that comes from comparable backgrounds and is a fellow millennial. 

I'd like to include a few quotes/stories from the book:

"He began to pursue her, and after their first date he told his friends, " I'm going to marry that girl," He even went so far as to write it on a piece of paper and place the message in as empty bottle on his mantel, where it stayed until he revealed it to her at their wedding."(11)

- Interesting: SAS, or a Semester at Sea allows one to travel to ten different countries and then backpack independently for the first time. I want to be challenged. As strange as it sounds, I wanted to know what it's like to truly be uncomfortable."(19)

- " For years I had struggled with intense feelings of guilt. I was born into the lottery of life with a winning ticket - a loving family, good education, good health. But what had I done to deserve any of it?"(53)

- " After removing my TC and other distractions, I nailed a huge whiteboard to the wall to map out any ideas that came to my mind. "(141) - An ex of goal mapping/visualization.

- Adam shares his advice for future backpackers. (202)

- Critical feedback ex: 
" First, Adam, if you are asking people for large sums of money, you need to dress the part. You can't wear jeans to a meeting at a private members club. You have to get a nice suit. 

Second, is follow-up. The difference between good leaders and great leaders is in the details. At the end of our meeting I asked you to tell me about how the juice fast went. You told me you'd let me know, but you didn't. If you make a commitment to inform me about how your juice fast hoes, you have to let me know how your juice fast goes. You need to find a deliberate system so that you are relentless with your follow up. Nothing should slip through the cracks. This is where I excelled, and it's going to be integral to your ultimate success."(226)

"But while many people perceive youth as a weakness, it's actually an incredible strength. The single most powerful element of youth is that you don't have the life experiences to know what can't be done."(249)

Sonia Grgas

The riveting story of how a young man turned $25 into more than 200 schools around the world and the guiding steps anyone can take to lead a successful and significant life. Adam Braun began working summers at hedge funds when he was just sixteen years old, sprinting down the path to a successful Wall Street career. But while traveling he met a young boy begging on the streets of India, who after being asked what he wanted most in the world, simply answered, “A pencil.” This small request led to a staggering series of events that took Braun backpacking through dozens of countries before eventually leaving one of the world’s most prestigious jobs to found Pencils of Promise, the organization he started with just $25 that has since built more than 200 schools around the world. The Promise of a Pencil chronicles Braun’s journey to find his calling, as each chapter explains one clear step that every person can take to turn your biggest ambitions into reality, even if you start with as little as $25. His story takes readers behind the scenes with business moguls and village chiefs, world-famous celebrities and hometown heroes. Driven by compelling stories and shareable insights, this is a vivid and inspiring book that will give you the tools to make your own life a story worth telling. *All proceeds from this book will support Pencils of Promise.

The Promise of a Pencil How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change

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