Author

Celebrate Life:  An Overview

Chapter 1- Take Care of Yourself: Marcello stresses why physical health and fitness are at the top of the seven-tier pillar: If you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of your loved ones or your clients! He credits a vast amount of his success at work and at home to his firm belief in this simple philosophy. He shares his tricks to eating your favorite foods without putting on the pounds, he lists some of his go-to healthy on-the-road snacks (not your run of the mill Cliff and Luna bars!), and he highlights the importance of understanding the dangers of emotional eating. He also shares sample menus from his food journals and strength and conditioning workout plans.

Chapter 2- Keep Good Company: This chapter breaks down the reasons why you MUST distinguish between VIPs (Very Inspiring People) and VDPs (Very Draining People) in order to be successful.  Our fulfillment in life can easily be affected by those with whom we surround ourselves, and Marcello encourages us to think about creating a circle of influence by identifying people who are driven, gracious, and worldly. He then advises us to remove ourselves, gracefully and respectfully when possible, from the company of negative influencers and detrimental situations (and most importantly to NEVER look back).

Chapter 3- Do What You Love: In this chapter, Marcello dives deep into his past and reveals how it allowed him to develop a personal philosophy of what it means to “Go All In." He challenges us to ask ourselves if we've ever wanted something so badly that we were willing to put our creature comforts on the line for it. He discusses the trap too many of us easily fall into--- a mindset of mediocrity, settling for less than what we deserve, and ultimately making the huge mistake of believing “it is what it is.” Finally, he provides concrete steps on how to approach people who do what they love, how to live with less, and how to minimize the things that steal joy from our lives.  He closes by encouraging us to develop an explorer’s mindset and go about learning what actually brings a person fulfillment.

Chapter 4- Travel:  A trip around the world might not be in the budget and you may not have the nerve to lace up your Nikes and go run across the country like Forrest Gump-- but fear not! Just start by getting as far away from your zip code as possible.  Marcello offers several examples on how to select the perfect destination, keep costs down, and stay healthy while on the road.

Chapter 5- Make a Difference:  This chapter delves into the critical reasons why paying it forward is essential to living a fulfilled life. He encourages readers to immediately start doing even the smallest acts, since sometimes doing whatever you can within your means and ability is much better than doing nothing at all.  In a nutshell, if you want to feel good about yourself, be good to other people. 

Chapter 6- Let it Go:  Marcello serves up a huge dose of reality in this chapter as he reminds us that everyone at one point or another in their journey gets burned, screwed over, knocked down, disrespected, kicked below the belt, stepped on, or treated like a second class citizen. As a result, it's tempting to hold a grudge bigger than Mount Everest! This chapter is a gentle reminder that the ability to forgive, but not necessarily forget, is truly vital.  Marcello advises against dwelling on the part that hurts so much and instead promotes harnessing the energy attained from surviving such an ordeal to rise like the phoenix from the ashes.

Chapter 7- Evolve: This affirming chapter is perhaps the most important message that sums it all up and asks the question: What’s getting in the way of your personal evolution? Marcello provides his philosophy on conquering life’s adversities and rebuilding, refining, and reigniting your desire to move onwards and upwards. Marcello's words drive home the message of what makes a life well-lived.   His book is the doorway to an eye-opening discussion that is bound to awaken your inner giant and rescue you from what could be a life-draining rat race.   Marcello preaches that time is life's most precious commodity and that we need to savor every second.  He wakes us up to the reality that we can't wait until retirement to start enjoying every minute of our existence and that the time to Celebrate Life is now.