Book - Harness Your PromisePower: Change Your Life, Transform the World

Matthew Cossolotto made a promise to his dying mother. That unbreakable commitment propelled him down a life-changing path as an author and speaker and ultimately inspired Harness Your PromisePower, a new book that explores why heartfelt promises can drive transformation when goals and resolutions often fall short.

"I think of promise-making as the new frontier in personal change and achievement," Cossolotto said. "You can change a goal or abandon a New Year's resolution, but you can only break a promise. And most people are loath to break their promises."

In Harness Your PromisePower, Cossolotto recounts in heartwarming detail the life-changing promise he made to his mother and the profound impact it had on both his life and career. That deeply personal story sets the stage for a broader exploration of promise-making as a powerful, and often overlooked, tool for personal change.

Chicken Soup for the Soul co-creator Jack Canfield contributes the book's foreword, in which he reflects on a defining promise he made at age 27 - one he credits with helping shape his sense of purpose and long-term success.

"Perhaps after reading this book and learning more about the power of making a promise," Canfield writes, "more people will take advantage of this amazing, irresistible force for positive change -- a resource that should be regarded as one of our greatest treasures in life."

Harness Your PromisePower features scores of inspiring stories from and about real people - including some familiar names - who made life-altering promises and kept their word. The book also provides practical advice and step-by-step pointers to help readers tap into their innate power of making a promise.

Readers of Harness Your PromisePower will discover:

• Uplifting promises made by luminaries such as Jack Canfield, Oprah Winfrey, Brendon Burchard, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Lisa Nichols, John Assaraf, Tony Robbins and basketball legend LeBron James
• The promises behind iconic organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Alcoholics Anonymous
• Why a promise is like a goal on steroids
• The G.P.S. Success Formula: From Goals to Promises = Success
• 7 tips for making and keeping promises
• A Promise a Day: 30 Days to a Promising Future, including The Top 10 Promises for a SUCCESSFUL Life
• A proposal for an annual "Make a Promise Day" on May 4 - the only "holiday" dedicated to personal empowerment, goal achievement and integrity enhancement

"Saying those two magic words - 'I Promise' - is an empowering way to achieve important goals," Cossolotto added. "We all have access to this amazing, make-or-break power. Promises come from the heart and carry emotional weight, and as a result, you're much more likely to follow through."

Best-selling author John Assaraf comments: "There is something uniquely powerful about making a promise ..."