Former UNI student publishes motivational book

For a man who ran for mayor at age 18 and became a published author less than five years after college graduation, it seems anything is possible.

Richard Dedor graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in December 2005 with a degree in public relations, and recently published his first book, "Anything is Possible." It is a motivational book about pursuing dreams.

Dedor said the idea for the book came from playing tennis in high school. He and his best friend told each other "anything is possible" to motivate themselves on and off the court. That phrase later became the basis for a motivational program, which then became a book.    

The "anything is possible" mentality also inspired Dedor to run for mayor of Mason City at age 18.  Dedor was actively involved in local politics during high school and said, "I had things I was passionate about, and I wanted to change things."

Although Dedor finished third in the election, he said his campaign was a valuable learning experience.

"I don't think you can be successful without having failed," he said. "I will always have those 612 votes. They continue to inspire me."

Dedor said his time at UNI has also influenced him and changed his life.

"The amount of cultural experiences available to me was incredible," he said.

While at UNI, Dedor wrote sports stories for the Northern Iowan, which he said helped him grow as a writer and a person. Dedor covered wrestling. When he received the assignment, Dedor said he knew very little about the sport and "had this really negative vision of wrestling in (his) mind."

But he changed his view as he continued to write. 

"They became the nicest people that I knew," he said.

He added that he is still in touch with some of the wrestlers he wrote about today.

Those who knew Dedor in college remember him as a hard-working and dedicated student.

"It doesn't surprise me that Richard has a motivational book published," said Neal Heston, a UNI graduate and Dedor's former sports editor. "From working with him and taking a few of the same classes, that would be the first word I'd use to describe him. He kept busy with work, projects, class, etc., but he always seemed to have more energy and drive than a lot of people."

Gayle Pohl, a communication studies professor, taught Dedor and remembered him as a "motivational person in and of himself."

"He believes in people and effectively establishes professional relationships that help all parties achieve their goals in an ethical fashion," she added.

Dedor said that doing what he loves has been essential to his successes, and the importance of pursuing dreams became the main message of his book. He advised UNI students to pursue something they're passionate about.

"You have to find that passion. If you're not passionate about (what you're doing), it won't matter, and at the end of the day, life is too short to do things you're not passionate about."

For more information about "Anything is Possible" visit www.anythingispossible.com.