Featured Interview With John J. Daly, Jr.
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born into a middle-class family and raised by my mother after she and my dad divorced when I was 18 months old. My mother became the very successful president of a construction company in upstate New York. We lived the high life until I was nine years old, when we lost everything, and I mean everything. In 1957, my mother took my older brother and me to Miami where we settled in a ghetto. My mother found a job on the other side of town, but we were so poor that she had no money for bus fare or other transportation to and from work. My brother managed to get a bike and would take my mom to work on the crossbar of the bike every day and then go on to school, then pick her up and bring her home. My job at age 10 was to keep the house clean and have dinner ready for the family. It was during these times that I decided I would never allow this to happen to any of us again. We slowly managed to find our way out of this mess by working together. We moved to Los Angeles when I was 13 and bought a new home. Today, I live in Santa Barbara, California. My wife and I have five children and five grandchildren, and a female Bull Mastiff named Cooper.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always been a reader. Froom the time I was a teenager I was fascinated with books about manners and protocol. I not only wanted to learn about my own culture but those of the rest of the world and why people do what they do. My work as an international event designer meant that I had to write numerous proposals. This was expanded as I ran six successful businesses. It wasn’t until after 44 years in the event business, and after starting The Key Class to teach students soft skills that I decided to write my first book, The Key Class – The Keys to Job Search Success.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love to read and don’t have a favorite author. I read mostly non-fiction and particularly books about behavior, etiquette and protocol. My experiences during my lifetime and with my students inspire me. I find there is always something about which to write that will help other people succeed, especially young people.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
If someone could give you the keys to success in life and work, would you accept them? Look at life as a game. Every game has skills and rules. When you play the game, you have to possess the skills and know the rules. If you don’t, you’ll lose. So it is with life and work. It affects your relationships, your happiness, your self-awareness, and your ability to perform well. 74 Key Life Skills for a Happy, Successful Life will point the way to living the good life. It provides skills for behavior in life, work, image building and interaction with others. These critical 74 “soft skills” will enhance your life and guide you through both difficult and often uncertain situations that block even the most aware from being successful.
Who says this is important stuff that you should pay attention to? John Daly does. How does he know? He practiced these skills throughout his 44-year career as one of the most successful event designers/producers in the world, gaining the title of “guru of special events.” Then he turned his attention to working with our youth who often lack the social skills to succeed in life. He is teaching these soft skills to them, and guess what? It’s working. It’s working so well that John’s curriculum, called The Key Class, has been adopted by the Unified Santa Barbara School District as well as other schools. “We have found John Daly’s Key Class provides a break-through opportunity for students to learn many life skills that we simply have not had the expertise or curriculum to deliver … and we have had such phenomenal responses.” –Dr. David Cash, Superintendent, Santa Barbara Unified School District
Not just for kids, John has taken his experiences and knowledge and poured them into this book that will help adults and youth alike fill in the missing pieces for a happier, better life. With keys like that, there isn’t any door that won’t be open to you!
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