Business & Tech

Glen Ellyn Author Shares Tips for Success Through the 'Wisdom of Walk-Ons'

Local author Paul L. Corona will be signing his new book Saturday at The Bookstore from 1-3 p.m.

In his day job Paul L. Corona’s goal is to help others improve their performance at work. As a result, those he works with learn how to perform better at work, which tends to overflow into a better home and personal life.

Corona is a full-time director of learning and organizational development at Northwestern University. With all his years of experience and time spent helping others become the best they can be, he began considering pursuing a dream of his own: writing a book.

On Saturday, the Glen Ellyn resident will share the result of his efforts with others. Corona’s book, The Wisdom of Walk-Ons, shares the stories of college football players who were unrecruited walk-ons. It touches on their successes and achievements and uses stories to share how they achieved their goals.

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“These walk-ons are like us,” he said. “They are underdogs, like us. At some point we feel like everything is against us and we keep doing it anyway.”

The Wisdom of Walk-Ons features stories from former walk-ons Gordon Adams, Bob Bleyer, and Alan Pizzitola. The walk-ons played for Alabama under Paul "Bear" Bryant, Notre Dame’s Dan Devine, and USC’s John Robinson during the 1970s and 1980s. The book's foreward was written by Bobby Bowden.

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The book focuses on seven strategies that people can use to achieve success in their lives, he said. The book may use the stories of football walk-ons to relate the strategies, but it offers inspiring, practical stories that anyone can relate to.

The seven strategies outlined in the book include the following:

  • Leverage your strengths
  • Set stretch goals
  • Work hard
  • Stay balanced
  • Be healthy
  • Appreciate your supporters
  • Help others succeed

“In my opinion, and this may sound like a cliché, I think they are all equally important,” Corona said. “And, when we do all seven, success happens, fulfillment happens. If we are missing just one of those things, it just doesn’t work. If you are a workaholic or play too much, you won’t meet your goals. If you don’t help others succeed, you are an empty success.”

Paul L. Corona will be signing his book The Wisdom of Walk-Ons from 1-3 p.m. Dec. 8 at The Bookstore in downtown Glen Ellyn. Learn more about the book at wisdomofwalk-ons.com.

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