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July 2006
Interview with David Fischman
By Alan La Rue
David Fischman, a best-selling author here in Peru, has always felt a special connection with the United States. He
attended Georgia Tech University for his undergraduate degree and received his Masters from Boston University. One of
his dreams has been to publish a book in the country that gave him his education, and this year, he finally has had his
chance. His book "El secreto de las siete semillas" has recently been translated into English and has been accepted for
publication and distribution in the US.
David Fischman is one of the founders of "La Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas" and "Cibertec". He is a successful
lecturer and has sold more than 260,000 books in Latin America. He spoke to the ACAP Newsletter shortly before leaving
to the United States to promote his book.
The English version of the book is titled The Secret of the Seven Seeds. Using a Peruvian business person as the
protagonist, the book shows the reader seven simple steps that he or she can take to grow as a person and find lasting
happiness.
ACAP: David, you are best known as an author and speaker on topics of leadership. Isnt a book on selfimprovement and happiness a little off-track for you?
No, not at all, because deep down, this book is about leadership, since you cannot lead others unless you learn first how to
lead yourself. This book shows the reader how to develop the strength of inner leadership that will allow them to lead a
more gratifying and happy life and will help them develop the presence of mind to influence others in the workplace.
http://www.acap-peru.org/newsletter/july_2006/interview-with-david-fischman.htm
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http://www.acap-peru.org/newsletter/july_2006/interview-with-david-fischman.htm
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react with negative emotions towards work problems. They learn to react by becoming responsible for the problem but without the weight of negative
emotions. They live more peacefully.
Besides that, there is a range of other studies that have shown that people who meditate feel younger, healthier, and happier and a study at Harvard
showed that high blood pressure patients return to normal pressure levels after only five years of daily meditation. It is not an exaggeration to say that
meditation can save your life, and at the very least, has the power to improve your life.
ACAP: David, if you had read your own book 20 years ago, how would your own business life have been different?
I would probably have more money than I do now. There were many business decisions that I took just to boost my ego that in hindsight were awful
decisions! Back when I was starting out, I wanted to be the most important business entrepreneur in Peru! As a result, I created many companies just for
sake of feeling important, not necessarily because I had competitive advantage. If I had read my book 20 years ago, and had taken the message to heart,
I would have put my ego under control, and as consequence, I would still have some of the money I lost.
ACAP: If you had to summarize the central message of this book in one paragraph, what would it state?
There is an old saying that goes: "life is something that happens while we are out making other plans." The idea behind this book is to prevent our lives
from passing before us. We must take advantage of our life and realize our mission. The book serves as the necessary pause in our work day to help us
realign our goals and reset our priorities about what's really important. Moreover, the book provides us with seven concrete tools, which I call seeds,
which anybody can use to achieve personal mastery and obtain the necessary balance between life and work. Only an individual who has balance and
strength can confront and tackle the pressures that the corporate world places upon us, in Peru, in the United States, wherever.
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http://www.acap-peru.org/newsletter/july_2006/interview-with-david-fischman.htm
26-07-2006