Blind Ambition: How to Envision Your Limitless Potential and Achieve the Success You Want

A goal-setting guide to top achievement from an award-winning engineer, champion paratriathlete, and IRONMAN world record holder Diagnosed with a pediatric brain tumor, Patricia Walsh became blind at the age of five. As a teenager, she lost what little vision remained due to surgical complications, and the straight-A student began a downward spiral into depression and hopelessness. But Walsh eventually had an epiphany: if she didn't do something--and fast--she would doom herself to a life devoid of meaning. Today, Walsh is an award-winning computer engineer and champion paratriathlete. She has raced in more than a dozen marathons and ultra-marathons and competed in two IRONMAN triathlons. In 2011, she set the world record for blind triathletes, shattering both male and female records by over 50 minutes. How did she do it? Patricia Walsh refused to be defined by any limits. In Blind Ambition, Walsh both inspires and educates by relating her unforgettable personal story while detailing her proven Fuel / Fire / Blaze approach to achieving any goal: Fuel: Set your base goals--those small, day-to-day tasks designed to collectively build toward your final goal Fire: Map important milestones on your journey to keep yourself on track and motivated Blaze: Your highest goals, your most burning desire made real--this is what happens when you add fuel to fire . . . Drawing on her experience of great adversity--and even greater success--she shows you how to set realistic milestones and describes a simple and effective process for mapping these milestones to daily tasks that will help you achieve what you previously thought unachievable. Every path has obstacles, but you can overcome them. Apply a champion's hard-earned lessons to achieve your goals and live a personally enriching and professionally rewarding life. All it takes is Blind Ambition. Go for the Gold! A Proven Model for Success from a World-Class Athlete "Patricia Walsh lays out an extremely effective framework for achieving your highest goals--in business and in life. I have personally seen Patricia apply this approach to great success at Microsoft. Anyone who reads this book will be that much closer to achieving their goals." -- Steven Sinofsky, former president of the Windows division at Microsoft Corporation "In a book filled with practical, actionable advice for true goal setting, framed by her experience with the toughest of real-world challenges, Patricia Walsh provides a no-nonsense framework for actualizing your goals and becoming resilient. Whether you are looking to excel in business, in sports, or in life, Blind Ambition will serve as your go-to guidebook for achieving breakthroughs, managing challenges, and fulfilling your own marvelous potential." -- Meg Hare, president of the board of Austin Women in Technology "Whether it is running your first 5K, competing in an IRONMAN, or completing an important work project, the steps and lessons shared in this book will help you get there. Patricia Walsh is an expert in overcoming challenges that stand in the way of reaching one's goal. This is an outstanding read!" -- Barry Siff, president of USA Triathlon and 10-time IRONMAN competitor "Patricia Walsh is a beacon, an inspiration, and a reminder of what is achievable. Blind Ambition is a must-read for those who want to maximize their amazing untapped potential by applying the lessons, concepts, and can-do attitude that Patricia embodies and shares so eloquently in this book. Highly recommended." -- Paul M. Craig, cofounder and president of Rudy Project North America and XX2i Optics