Find Your Whistle: Simple Gifts Touch Hearts and Change Lives by Chris Ullman
The Sub-title of this book explains the theme: “SIMPLE GIFTS TOUCH HEARTS AND CHANGE LIVE.” In other words, this is not a book about whistling—it’s a lot more than that.
FIND YOUR WHISTLE is about using your personal ability and gifts to touch others.
“Everyone has a whistle, large or small, fancy or plain. There's something simple in each of us that can make the world a better place.”
For the author, he happens to be blessed with an unusual musical gift. Chris discovered that music has a special power—like a powerful, but gentle language:
“Like love, music is a universal language. And whistling, perhaps second only to the human voice, is the oldest natural instrument.”
Each chapter in the book is an anecdote about the author and one of his many whistling performances.
The book starts off in the OVAL OFFICE! There, Chris is whistling for the president and vice-president. He performs Beethoven, as well as the theme from “Lone Ranger.” Other performances include corporate meetings, weddings, and even a funeral. (Where Chris’ wife discreetly gives him the “cut” signal to shorten his performance.)
My favorite part of the book is actually what comes BETWEEN the chapters. Between the chapters are little cameo descriptions of other people who have found their whistle. These one-page cameos are called "A Whistle That Touches My Heart."
For example, one man is a CEO of a ranch. His whistle is his hiring philosophy, which is emphasizing character over skill. Another person is a cyber security consultant. The author explains how this person's enthusiastic creativity influences others.
Do not miss chapter 25, Life Lessons Lip Learned. Here, Chris shares his experience using his gift, and what he has learned. The lessons are
1) Be humble,
2) Be grateful,
3) Be open-minded,
4) Be disciplined.
So all in all, I found FIND YOUR WHISTLE to be an encouraging book, with a great message. The book is easy to read, and I enjoyed reading the anecdotes of the author’s appearances. I love the encouraging tone of the book, and especially the admonition to use our own gifts.
Okay, I guess few of us will ever be invited to the Oval Office to whistle the “Lone Ranger” for the President, but we all have something to offer. I appreciate the encouragement.
I thought this one paragraph summed up the book:
“Each one of us is a unique gift from God, with unique skills, desires, opportunities, and challenges. It's up to each of us to make the most of our simple gift, to find, develop, and share our whistles, not keep them undiscovered or bottle up.”
Advance Review Copy courtesy of the publisher.
Author photos courtesy of Richard A. Bloom.
