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Slaying the Dragon: How to Turn Your Small Steps to Great Feats | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Johnson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $23.00
Buy Used: $3.21
You Save: $19.79 (86%)
New (5) Used (37) Collectible (22) from $3.21
Avg. Customer Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 70582
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.8 x 6.5 x 1
ISBN: 0060392185
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.42092
EAN: 9780060392185
ASIN: 0060392185
Publication Date: August 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Lots of shelf wear, may contain some notes or highlighting, corners/edges worn and bent, may not include companion materials like cdroms or access codes.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Book Description
Michael Johnson stunned the world in the 1996 Olympics when he achieved what no other runner has ever accomplished, capturing two gold medals in the 200-meter and the 400-meter races and shattering the previous world record set in the 200 his own record by a staggering margin. Arms pumping, back straight in his unique running style, gold shoes flashing, it looked to the world as if Johnson had reached the pinnacle of his profession, as if he owned those races. Except for the stumble out of the blocks. For while Johnson knew what the world knew that he was the fastest man alive he also knew that there were still mountains to conquer. How much faster could he have gone without the stumble? "After you have stared long enough into the dragon's eyes, there is nothing left to do but slay the dragon. For each of us, that dragon is the thing closest to the center of our lives. It is our core, our ambition and our joy. For me, it is the perfect race." In Slaying the Dragon: How to Turn Your Small Steps to Great Feats, Michael Johnson shares his secrets on how to identify your own dragon, your own fears and goals and how to apply his winning techniques to your personal and professional life.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...
 fourth place... July 13, 2006
Not what I expected at all. Less auto-biographical and more how to set goals and achieve in life.
I was looking for something that got behind the public persona of Michael Johnson ... but this was touched on only a little with no real insight into Michael Johnson the man. I managed to read this book cover-to-cover in about 2 hours.
If you want a good introduction on setting goals and motivation then by all means buy this book.
 AWESOME BOOK June 20, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Michael Johnson is not only an athlete, but an intellectual as well. He spells out how it took him six years to improve his 200 meter race 1.7 seconds. What is 1.7 seconds? It is the difference from being a good athlete and a world class athlete. This book teaches everyone how to improve themselves in order to achieve their dreams, whether it is in athletics, business, or education. I read this book in a matter of hours, it is a quick read and has invaluable insight into how to slay your dragon--a term Michael coins referring to how to reach your goals. If you have a dream and want to reach it, but have fallen short of victory, this is a must read.
I am a high school English teacher and plan to use bits of this book in my classroom to help my students learn to establish goals and achieve them.
I HIGHLY recommend this book.
 not a biography, not very good either September 16, 2004
4 out of 15 found this review helpful
First, this is a self-help book. Why is Michael Johnson writing a self-help book rather than just writing about what he knows and about his life experiences? I don't know. Johnson is not an expert on living life. He is an expert on running fast. The best part of the book is near the end when he talks more about his quest for the 200/400 double gold in Atlanta, rather than pontificating on life in general.
Second, the book is not very well-written. It has lines like, "I don't play much golf, but they tell me as you get better it gets harder to improve your score. All things in life are like that. (That's a paraphrase, not a direct quote.) So...if all things are like that, why pick an example you know nothing about? Most of the book has this contrived feeling to it.
Johnson also repeatedly pounds the same points about how hard you have to work and how you need to set goals etc. He uses the same examples over and over for life goals, including losing weight, getting a A in school, selling a lot of cars or carpets, or "being a successful businessperson". He tends to think pretty small outside of the realm of track. Is he incapable of imagining any nobler goal than these mundane examples? Things along the lines of contributing to our scientific knowledge, creating art, starting a charity, or inventing something useful to mankind never show up in the book. Or how about just mentoring a kid or cleaning up a park? Johnson constantly talks about approaching your personal best, yet he is unable to consider anything as successful unless it is quantified. For him, accomplishment is either winning something or getting money. It has to be measurable. You even see traces of this attitude when he talks about interpersonal relationships.
Johnson states that when he doesn't think he can beat the best in the world any more, he will retire rather than continue to compete, because someone who hangs around past his prime and can't win any more is pathetic. That doesn't sound to me like someone who competes for the love of the sport. I'm no expert myself, but I'm pretty sure there's more to life than winning.
This book is changing my kid's life September 23, 2003
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
When I bought the book at a used book store, I had no idea what it was like. I just wanted a book for my 13 year-old son to read and maybe enjoy. We had been to the '96 Games and had seen the 200M race so I thought he could relate even though my son hates to run. I had him read a few pages out loud each day so I could hear his pronounciation but within a few days I began to realize what this book has to offer. I also noticed a change taking place in my son as he read the words. I really can't do justice to the book but I can tell you the message Michael Johnson has for young people has the power to change lives. I am grateful to Mr Johnson for what he has given my son.
Great piece of work November 17, 2002
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Most athletes dont write their own stuff by themselves. Usually they have a professional writer help them out be cause most athletes, (and im not trying to be judgemental against athletes, im an athletes myself) aren't as good writers as others are. And i'm sure Michael Johnson did have help in rearanging certain grammatical errors and reorganizing the structure of his book, but overall it is a book that Michael Johnson wrote himself. It is one of the very few books that you can say written by a man who is not a writer that you can say "WOW" too. This wonderflly done piece of literature is a great read for student athletes and yound men and women who are aspiring to become something great in whatever profession they are in.I would also like to say something about the author of the very terribly written review about Michael Johson. First of all, do not pay any attention to the review for it almost doesn't represent the book in any way. These reviews are meant to be a review of the book, not anything else. secondly, if any thinks Michael Johnson faked his hamstring pull, you should take a good look at the athletic doctors report on Michaels injury during the 150 meter race between Donovan Bailey. It will say that there was definate "tearing" in the muscle. Don't make pre-conceived ideas about an athlete who injures him/herself.
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