Be Where Your Feet Are: Seven Principles to Keep You Present, Grounded, and Thriving
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- Create Date：2021-06-12 06:52:06
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Scott M. O'Neil
- ISBN：1250769876
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Summary
From Scott O'Neil， one of America's most admired sports executives， how to find regular， meaningful moments in an irregular life。
When we're moving at 115 MPH， we rarely see the wall coming。 But it comes for all of us。 The sudden loss of a much beloved friend， the excruciatingly long departure of a parent with Alzheimer's。 We grasp for lessons， for meaning， for learnings。 Even when an extrovert is faced with the four walls of their own home for months upon months--they're determined to find peace and appreciation in the pause。 They try to reenergize without the energy from the bright lights of the court， the hush of the ice， the roar of the crowd; the adrenaline-laced metronome of 20，000 hearts beating together。
The human spirit craves connection。 Authenticity。 Belonging。 Touch。 Gratitude。 Purpose。 We need to make our interactions count。 If we are truly present， the world shares its hardest， most beautiful lessons with us。
In Be Where Your Feet Are， CEO of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils Scott O'Neil offers his own story of grief and healing， and shares his most valuable lessons in what keeps him grounded and able to thrive as a father， husband， coach， mentor， and leader。 O'Neil also interviews some of sports and entertainment's most renowned athletes and performers and the world's most dynamic business leaders， conversations in which they reveal their most impactful moments of learning。 Each story provides us with an opportunity to learn， and--if we choose--to change our lives， and the world， for the better。
When we're moving at 115 MPH， we rarely see the wall coming。 But it comes for all of us。 The sudden loss of a much beloved friend， the excruciatingly long departure of a parent with Alzheimer's。 We grasp for lessons， for meaning， for learnings。 Even when an extrovert is faced with the four walls of their own home for months upon months--they're determined to find peace and appreciation in the pause。 They try to reenergize without the energy from the bright lights of the court， the hush of the ice， the roar of the crowd; the adrenaline-laced metronome of 20，000 hearts beating together。
The human spirit craves connection。 Authenticity。 Belonging。 Touch。 Gratitude。 Purpose。 We need to make our interactions count。 If we are truly present， the world shares its hardest， most beautiful lessons with us。
In Be Where Your Feet Are， CEO of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils Scott O'Neil offers his own story of grief and healing， and shares his most valuable lessons in what keeps him grounded and able to thrive as a father， husband， coach， mentor， and leader。 O'Neil also interviews some of sports and entertainment's most renowned athletes and performers and the world's most dynamic business leaders， conversations in which they reveal their most impactful moments of learning。 Each story provides us with an opportunity to learn， and--if we choose--to change our lives， and the world， for the better。
Reviews
Christopher Greeley
，
Inspiring readScott O’Neil does a wonderful job of weaving entertaining stories with a timely message of being present in your everyday。
Shannon
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Had an audible credit and landed on this。 What a treat！ Talks though simple actions to take to slow down and take notice of where you are and how to enjo that moment。 He works in the sports industry doing some business plus sports things。 Personally， no idea who the vast majority of the names he mentions are， but that matters zero in hearing the heart of the book and connecting to the opportunities to take time to focus on what is important and connect with yourself and others。 One of those book Had an audible credit and landed on this。 What a treat！ Talks though simple actions to take to slow down and take notice of where you are and how to enjo that moment。 He works in the sports industry doing some business plus sports things。 Personally， no idea who the vast majority of the names he mentions are， but that matters zero in hearing the heart of the book and connecting to the opportunities to take time to focus on what is important and connect with yourself and others。 One of those books I think will come around a few times in my life and I will re-read it with the same enjoyment。 。。。more
Josh Reynolds
，
I don't typically love self-help books， but this book hit a little differently。 The stories that the author tells are so great， so inspiring， so motivating。 The author tells them in a way that makes it so easy to continue to read， always wanting to hear more。 The book is an incredible reminder of the simple concepts of being present， living in the moment and giving your full-self， full attention to wherever you are， whatever you're doing。 It's also an incredible reminder that you're never alone。 I don't typically love self-help books， but this book hit a little differently。 The stories that the author tells are so great， so inspiring， so motivating。 The author tells them in a way that makes it so easy to continue to read， always wanting to hear more。 The book is an incredible reminder of the simple concepts of being present， living in the moment and giving your full-self， full attention to wherever you are， whatever you're doing。 It's also an incredible reminder that you're never alone。 No matter what you're going through， everyone else is going through something just as impactful。 Hearing each of these stories and the struggles so many have gone through， it's another friendly reminder that everything is going to be ok and that you're not alone。 I highly recommend this book and can't wait to get it in front of others around me！ 。。。more
Nancy
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The Importance of Being in the MomentWhen so much is happening and we’re all busy， we often spend so much time thinking about what’s next that we don’t appreciate where we are at the moment。 Learning to be where you are and give whoever you’re with your full attention is the secret in this book。 This book is very family centered in the prologue the author tells his daughter that the most important thing is family and being able to count on your family no matter what happens。 Things will go wrong The Importance of Being in the MomentWhen so much is happening and we’re all busy， we often spend so much time thinking about what’s next that we don’t appreciate where we are at the moment。 Learning to be where you are and give whoever you’re with your full attention is the secret in this book。 This book is very family centered in the prologue the author tells his daughter that the most important thing is family and being able to count on your family no matter what happens。 Things will go wrong。 That’s a given in life， but the important thing is to accept that it happened and move forward。 Giving in to despair is not an option。 I enjoyed this book。 This principles are very solid。 If you can follow them at least most of the time you can have a successful life。 I enjoyed the many stories told by people both famous and not， and I particularly liked the focus on family and the Christian background。 This book is well worth reading， as we emerge for a year of enforced quiet and being at home。 Our busy lives will take us over again， but if you can remember some of these principles life may feel a little easier。I received this book from St Martin’s Press for this review。 。。。more
AnnMarie
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All I got out of this book is that the author has a lot of successful friends。 If you’re a CEO， you might like this book。 If you’re a regular person， just skip it。
Kathy
，
Be Where Your Feet Are is a book that invoked mixed and strong feelings as I read it。 Let me start by saying that it offers reminders of several things:- to be fully present and engaged where you are at the time - no thinking of other things， checking your phone， tuning out。- determine what principles and characteristics you value and live accordingly。- go out of your way to meet， know， and help those around you。 Be a team player。 Serve others。 - work for the fair treatment， advancement and reco Be Where Your Feet Are is a book that invoked mixed and strong feelings as I read it。 Let me start by saying that it offers reminders of several things:- to be fully present and engaged where you are at the time - no thinking of other things， checking your phone， tuning out。- determine what principles and characteristics you value and live accordingly。- go out of your way to meet， know， and help those around you。 Be a team player。 Serve others。 - work for the fair treatment， advancement and recognition of all people。 You get the gist。 These are all common sense things that we know， though we sometimes lose our focus and perspective。 There are no new ideas presented in the book， though they may be presented in a different way。I have no doubt that the author has the credentials to write a self-help/business book。 He is an obviously very successful and powerful business man， and one who is used to working， moving， and living among the elite and privileged。 He is， and has every right to be， proud of his career， and of his personal life。 I am happy for him， and truly wish him continued growth and contentment。There are two things that I found troublesome about this book。 The author must be writing this book for the elite business executive， because he is obviously very out of touch with the average worker or management level employee。 How many workers/managers have the ability （even if it is their greatest desire and priority） to tell their bosses （no personal assistants here for the clearance of schedules） that they will be leaving work at a certain time each day to meet their child's school bus， or that they can't work that required overtime because their child has an important event， or they have a date with their spouse because that is a WMI "what's most important" to them？ Answer: none， should they wish to remain employed at their current place of employment。 "Well then， find a better job that will give you the ability to make that happen" the author might respond。 How？ Where？ To read examples like this "You would be more successful if only you would （insert lesson of your choice here）" only serves to make the average worker/manager/reader feel more powerless and frustrated than they already do。 Everyone has principles and character， they just don't have the same means or choices available to them that the author does。 I wish this book had been written so that its lessons could apply to all levels of workers， or at least to all levels of management。That leads right into the second thing that troubled me about this book， which， in fairness to the author， he may not be aware of （which is a problem in itself）。 The author repeatedly tells us how successful and great he is （don't break your arm patting yourself on the back there fella！）。 It's one thing to state your credentials， it's quite another to subject your readers/listeners to tenuously related anecdotes about your friends so that you can name-drop， and to continually boast about your power， abilities， privileged and elite life through "lesson affirming" anecdotal stories from your life。 ENOUGH ALREADY - we get it。 We really do。Sadly， this is one of the most self-aggrandizing books I've ever read。My thanks to NetGalley and to St。 Martin's Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book， scheduled for publication 6/1/2021。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given。 。。。more
Samantha
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I had the opportunity to read this book thanks to a Goodreads Giveaway。This book would be great for sports fans， those whose faith is an important part of their life， and for those who are looking for inspiration of finding focus in their lives。I am not a fan of self help books， let alone a book with such a heavy focus on sports， so this was a little out of my comfort zone for books。 That’s being said， I did find that the book was effortless to read。 I did enjoy the focus on family and self resp I had the opportunity to read this book thanks to a Goodreads Giveaway。This book would be great for sports fans， those whose faith is an important part of their life， and for those who are looking for inspiration of finding focus in their lives。I am not a fan of self help books， let alone a book with such a heavy focus on sports， so this was a little out of my comfort zone for books。 That’s being said， I did find that the book was effortless to read。 I did enjoy the focus on family and self responsibility。 I did at times struggle to connect with some of the stories from the author and his friends at the beginning of the book as they did tend to be about men and with an often privileged background。 That being said I did find the authors voice authentic and allowed me to be drawn in at the end。 。。。more
Jennifer Hole
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A great read for those who are always on the go and have no time to take that extra time for self care。
Liz
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A great inspiration to especially parents。 The personal stories the author includes wee a great read。
Julie White
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This one is not going on my fav reads shelf， unfortunately。 I found it a bit preachy and boastful。 It could be helpful to those already on the track to be a CEO or something， but for the average person who's looking to be "grounded" this isn't the right read。 This one is seemingly more directed to the ones who want to "thrive"， which is fine if that's what you're looking for。 Honestly， this should have been an autobiography。 It would have read better。 This one is not going on my fav reads shelf， unfortunately。 I found it a bit preachy and boastful。 It could be helpful to those already on the track to be a CEO or something， but for the average person who's looking to be "grounded" this isn't the right read。 This one is seemingly more directed to the ones who want to "thrive"， which is fine if that's what you're looking for。 Honestly， this should have been an autobiography。 It would have read better。 。。。more
L E
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Thank you Goodreads， author and publisher for the free advance reader copy。 I enjoyed this book。 Great， easy to digest lessons。 Being present is something that is all the rage right now， but this book brought some unique stories to illustrate。
Christopher Madsen
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Somehow Goodreads is fine with the Author writing a 5 star review of his own book。 Given the small sample of reviews， it's clearly artificially inflating the rating of the book and is an obvious conflict of interest。 It's particularly egregious because despite the negative/neutral reviews specifically citing it as boastful and self-congratulatory， the author goes on to uncritically describe the book as perfect for the current day and age。 Ironically he even says that the book isn't a victory lap Somehow Goodreads is fine with the Author writing a 5 star review of his own book。 Given the small sample of reviews， it's clearly artificially inflating the rating of the book and is an obvious conflict of interest。 It's particularly egregious because despite the negative/neutral reviews specifically citing it as boastful and self-congratulatory， the author goes on to uncritically describe the book as perfect for the current day and age。 Ironically he even says that the book isn't a victory lap， directly refuting what a number of readers described。 For someone who seems to touch on his religiousness repeatedly in the book， somehow the value of modesty seems to escape him。 This offers no novel insight to the already centimeter deep field of pop-leadership， and given the scarcity of time we have on this earth I can't imagine recommending this in anything resembling good faith。 。。。more
Andrée Charron-Martin
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Thank you St。 Martin's Press for the free Advance Reader Copy of Be Where Your Feet Are: Seven Principles to Keep You Present， Grounded， and Thriving。 The author， successful sports executive Scott M。 O'Neil， enumerates 7 principles to help you to "Be Where Your Feet Are" while listing examples from his own life experiences along with testimonies from various sports stars/executives and friends。I did enjoy several aspects of this book。 All of it was common sense but sadly today's population needs Thank you St。 Martin's Press for the free Advance Reader Copy of Be Where Your Feet Are: Seven Principles to Keep You Present， Grounded， and Thriving。 The author， successful sports executive Scott M。 O'Neil， enumerates 7 principles to help you to "Be Where Your Feet Are" while listing examples from his own life experiences along with testimonies from various sports stars/executives and friends。I did enjoy several aspects of this book。 All of it was common sense but sadly today's population needs to be reminded that family is important， to unplug from technology （to be present）， to take care of your body by exercising， to take care of your mind by meditating and to Assume Positive Intent in every exchange。 Some of the heart-breaking testimonies really put things in perspective。。。 especially during a global pandemic！ It was also refreshing to read the fact that big-time CEOs and world-renowned sports stars also feel the pressure and struggle from time to time。 It's nice to know that the people we see as "indestructible" or "perfect" are also human。 Struggle shouldn't be taboo and this book illustrates this perfectly。 That being said， a lot of things in this book rubbed me the wrong way:- I found it too boastful。 Don't get me wrong， the man has the right to show-off since he has accomplished so much in his lifetime but I don't want to read SO MUCH of it in a self-help book。 I understand he was simply listing examples but I found that some of them had nothing to do with the specific principle he was trying to support。 For example: in his "Assume Positing Intent" section he explains that when a young marketing director made a mistake that "put the organization in harm's way" he took the high road and setup new protocols to avoids such things in the future instead of calling her an idiot and "disenfranchising" her。 Not only was the mistake insignificant but he just outed her in a book for the whole world to see。 Made it seem like he had a chip on his shoulder about that specific mistake and turned it into an example for his book。 Also had nothing to do with Assuming Positive Intent。 - I get the impression that he wanted to write a list of his accomplishments and tie it in the seven principles haphazardly。 - The incessant "my good friend （insert CEO of something here）" got a little absurd。 I realize that is his entourage but there was a lot of name-dropping。 Now that I think of it， this book would've been better received as a memoir。 - There was a lot of religious undertone。 There is absolutely nothing wrong with faith but I found the theme very present and not everyone adheres to a religion。 - I also found that most of the examples were geared toward "thriving" where as I was excited to learn more about being "be present" and "grounded"。 Not everyone thrives to become a CEO。- Some of the homework at the end of each chapter was a little excessive， or geared to the "thriving" group only。In conclusion， I must admit that I have actively been working towards being more present since reading this book。。。 and it's nice！ I just needed the reminder really！ However， I did not actually enjoy reading it。 I found myself rolling my eyes a lot， wondering what the author was trying to prove， finding that his life seems exhausting more than enjoyable， irked that a sports executive was writing a self-help book when I would personally rather read one from mental health professional （personal preference） and I even caught a lie。。。 on something trivial but it seeds doubt。 Maybe I simply wasn't the target audience for this book as organized sports doesn't occupy much of my world but I will not be recommending this one to friends。 I think I would've rated this book very differently if it was in a memoir format。 。。。more
Linda
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A good reminder to stay in the present moment and the benefits that come with doing so。
Esther
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This is an outstanding book。 I was not familiar with Mr。 O'Neil or his career prior to reading this book， but one need not be a sports enthusiast to gain from his experience。 His seven principles are applicable to so many areas of life。 I found his comments about parenting and community particularly engaging。 The book is highly readable and provides practical advice and honest anecdotes from Mr。 O'Neil's personal and professional life as well as insights gleaned from the lives of his friends and This is an outstanding book。 I was not familiar with Mr。 O'Neil or his career prior to reading this book， but one need not be a sports enthusiast to gain from his experience。 His seven principles are applicable to so many areas of life。 I found his comments about parenting and community particularly engaging。 The book is highly readable and provides practical advice and honest anecdotes from Mr。 O'Neil's personal and professional life as well as insights gleaned from the lives of his friends and colleagues。 Worthwhile reading。 Thank you to Goodreads Giveaway for the complimentary copy。 。。。more
Gloria
，
Thank you to St Martin's Press for this free copy of this book。 I have mixed feelings about the book。 I appreciated the inspiring stories and life lessons from many sources， family， friends， work related sources。。。 When I thought about them， I felt that some were part of my life， some more so than others， but never labelled。 Some principles/strategies for me to work on。Definitely had problems with some things - in my job， I couldn't possibly have a time frame that I could block out every day Thank you to St Martin's Press for this free copy of this book。 I have mixed feelings about the book。 I appreciated the inspiring stories and life lessons from many sources， family， friends， work related sources。。。 When I thought about them， I felt that some were part of my life， some more so than others， but never labelled。 Some principles/strategies for me to work on。Definitely had problems with some things - in my job， I couldn't possibly have a time frame that I could block out every day so that I could pick up my kids from school。 As much as I know it was an example that was feasible in his life style， it made me say 'aw， come on， really' sighAs I read along， I found myself getting annoyed but it took me a while to figure out why。 The author provides thoughts/comments from many people - he identifies them by name as well as their job position and company/organization - the majority by far I had never heard of and added no value to the story; it felt like "name dropping" of people in high positions with alphabet titles working for organizations with alphabet names， which started for me， to make it harder to want to relate to them。 Overall， I feel the positives outweighed the negative aspects of the book。 。。。more
Catherine Young
，
I was fortunate enough to win a review copy of this book from St。 Martin’s Press and I am grateful for that。 However， I’m of mixed minds about it。 I don’t normally read leadership and/or management books so I’m not the target audience for this。 Also， it doesn’t seem to say anything that’s not common sense。 Additionally， the author subtly but repeatedly underscores the fact that he’s a religious family man。 Fine。。。 but how do his principles apply to the irreligious， non-family oriented person？ Pl I was fortunate enough to win a review copy of this book from St。 Martin’s Press and I am grateful for that。 However， I’m of mixed minds about it。 I don’t normally read leadership and/or management books so I’m not the target audience for this。 Also， it doesn’t seem to say anything that’s not common sense。 Additionally， the author subtly but repeatedly underscores the fact that he’s a religious family man。 Fine。。。 but how do his principles apply to the irreligious， non-family oriented person？ Plus， he’s been a hard charging head of many high profile sports organizations so how could he be as much of a Boy Scout as he seems to be？ But on the other hand， he makes an excellent case for managers to be more mindful of racial prejudice in the US so that’s extremely valuable。 In short， there are some useful lessons for readers but they are sometimes undercut by the author’s occasionally treacly and cloying tone。 And some of the exercises at the end of each chapter are annoying。 For instance， you are asked to write a Leadership Constitution at the end of Chapter One。 A Leadership Constitution is incredibly similar to a mission statement。 I don’t know about you but as a longtime former government and business employee， I’d rather drink poison than write a mission statement because too often， they are empty and trite exercises in verbal dexterity。 I would have liked Mr。 O’Neil to PROVE that the Leadership Constitution works！ I guess one has to accept on faith that whatever this successful sports manager says is true。 In short， I was not entirely swayed by his seven principles to keep you “present， grounded and thriving” but I hope to reread the book later to see if I missed anything the first time。 PS This book has a 4。47 rating out of 5。 How is that possible？ It is not earth-shaking。 Perhaps most management books are really， really bad。 。。。more
Scott O'Neil
，
What can say about your own book？ Well， I give it a 5 star rating for sure， maybe even 6 :） The truth is that it is the right book at the right time as we begin to come out of the isolation of our cocoons， we need a framework， practical exercises and memorable stories from incredible people as we define the new normal。 This is a mind， body， soul meets purposeful living book。。。there are seven principles assume positive intent， trust the process， WMI， failing forward， purple water buffalo， change What can say about your own book？ Well， I give it a 5 star rating for sure， maybe even 6 :） The truth is that it is the right book at the right time as we begin to come out of the isolation of our cocoons， we need a framework， practical exercises and memorable stories from incredible people as we define the new normal。 This is a mind， body， soul meets purposeful living book。。。there are seven principles assume positive intent， trust the process， WMI， failing forward， purple water buffalo， change the race and， of course， be where your feet are。 Each one will push you to explore， imagine and prepare to take a step froward。 I have had a fun career in sports （ceo philadelphia 76ers， prez madison square garden） and have access to incredible people， but this is not a victory lap type book - this is a raw， vulnerable peal behind the curtain revealing the struggles and how we learn from them。 Read it and you will like it enough to pick one up for a friend。 。。。more
Michele Levy
，
This book explains seven important principles in a way that made me feel like I can actually apply them to my life。 I loved the mix of stories from women and men of all ages from all walks of life in addition to the author’s own smart and sometimes self-deprecating stories。 This made the lessons super relatable。 The exercises at the end chapters also helped me see how I can apply what I just read to my own life。 Sometimes I feel like self-help books lecture me。 Not this one。 The tone was great- This book explains seven important principles in a way that made me feel like I can actually apply them to my life。 I loved the mix of stories from women and men of all ages from all walks of life in addition to the author’s own smart and sometimes self-deprecating stories。 This made the lessons super relatable。 The exercises at the end chapters also helped me see how I can apply what I just read to my own life。 Sometimes I feel like self-help books lecture me。 Not this one。 The tone was great- honest and warm like sitting with a good friend over coffee。 。。。more
Elizabeth Forster
，
A must-read！！ The stories and lessons in this book are so relevant in today's chaotic world and serve as great reminders for people from all backgrounds & ages -- whether you are an executive， a stay-at-home mom/dad， a young professional， student， etc。 It is amazing to get an inside-peek into the path of a successful CEO and see both the failures and successes that he （and many others） had along the way。 Highly recommend！ A must-read！！ The stories and lessons in this book are so relevant in today's chaotic world and serve as great reminders for people from all backgrounds & ages -- whether you are an executive， a stay-at-home mom/dad， a young professional， student， etc。 It is amazing to get an inside-peek into the path of a successful CEO and see both the failures and successes that he （and many others） had along the way。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Meg
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This book is a must-read for anyone who feels like they're caught in an endless juggling act of competing priorities。 After reading it， I literally catch myself saying "Be Where Your Feet Are" as a mantra while moving from mom to wife to daughter to sister to friend to employee throughout the day。 It's of course not as simple as that one little phrase， but Scott's stories will empower readers in big and small ways to be more present in their relationships and redefine what success means on a per This book is a must-read for anyone who feels like they're caught in an endless juggling act of competing priorities。 After reading it， I literally catch myself saying "Be Where Your Feet Are" as a mantra while moving from mom to wife to daughter to sister to friend to employee throughout the day。 It's of course not as simple as that one little phrase， but Scott's stories will empower readers in big and small ways to be more present in their relationships and redefine what success means on a personal level。I would also recommend this book for anyone looking for a great Father's Day gift this year--it's so refreshing to hear such a successful CEO talk about prioritizing family， being able to express vulnerability in that role， and to see how much dedication he puts into it。 I'm sure any parent will reap many rewards from reading it this summer。 。。。more
Stuart Jennings
，
This is a book that everyone who has ever had heartbreak。。。and thatincludes everyone。。。should read。。。In the path of adversity。。。there is always a way to overcome and succeed。。。In this day and age， everyone can learn from the lessons taught in thisremarkable book。。。Scott O'neil has done a superb job of helping anyone who has the wisdomto read and study this book。。。Very well done。。。 This is a book that everyone who has ever had heartbreak。。。and thatincludes everyone。。。should read。。。In the path of adversity。。。there is always a way to overcome and succeed。。。In this day and age， everyone can learn from the lessons taught in thisremarkable book。。。Scott O'neil has done a superb job of helping anyone who has the wisdomto read and study this book。。。Very well done。。。 。。。more
Kathy Cowie
，