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What: “Believe to Achieve”

Author: Howard “H” White.

Publisher: Beyond Words Publishing.

Price: 17.95.

Howard “H” White is a former college basketball star at Maryland who was deprived of an NBA career because of several knee injuries. Undeterred, he became a top executive for Nike. White, who has been with Nike for 25 years, is the vice president in charge of the Jordan brand.

White also started the company’s “Believe to Achieve” program and is a much-in-demand motivational speaker.

White began writing this book -- first as a letter, then as a guide -- to his daughter to help her along life’s journey. The end result was a 141-page book filled with lessons that can be helpful to young and old alike.

White writes about the lessons he learned from mentors, and puts his mother at the top of the list. He learned little things from her, such as making his bed every day and always greeting someone when he passed them. “Even a dog can wag its tail when it passes you in the street,” Lillian White told her son.

He also learned big lessons from his mother, who used to say, “Any road will get you there if you don’t know where you’re going.” In other words, it’s important to know where you’re going in life. Have a plan, and, as White advises, write it down.

White, as with anyone, has experienced bumps in the road, or what he calls “thorns in the brier patch.” He writes about once being accused of giving company secrets to a competitor. The lessons he learned helped him deal with the accusations and survive unscathed.

-- Larry Stewart