St. Rose of Lima fourth grade teacher and local author Scott Jablonski’s second book is hitting the shelves shortly after his first one did.

“Stand Out! Stand Out!” consists of 365 quotes, one for each day of the year. Jablonski said that the idea of writing a book of inspirational quotations came to him from his love for reading them.

“I love quotations,” Jablonski said. “I feel like there are quotations that are relevant to any situation we have, whether it be a success, a celebration, or a problem we’re having. Humans being humans, as long as we’ve been around, someone has probably faced the same situation that we’re facing now- someone has found a way to conquer it.”

Jablonski said that he conducted research at the beginning and end of his daily routine, looking for as diverse a collection of voices across cultures and centuries as he could find.

“It’s crazy, the number of quotes, the diversity of thought, the minds,” Jablonski said. “It goes to show us that humans are humans, regardless of when in history we exist.”

The process of researching the quotes and writing the book took long enough- eight months, to be specific- that Jablonski finished his first book, entitled “How Do You Stand Out?” first. Just like “How Do You Stand Out?” Jablonski’s book of quotations follows his “STAND OUT” acronym, which include messages aimed at improving habits and teaching concepts such as self-esteem and respect for others, with each quote cycling through those messages.

Despite there not being much time in between releasing the two books, Jablonski said that he’s already seen an impact from “How Do You Stand Out?’s” release.

“We’re using these every day in my school right now,” Jablonski said. “And we look to talk about it to my students each day in the morning, we can look for it.”

Jablonski also wanted this book to be out before New Year’s Day, so readers picking it up now could start at the beginning and read it in order throughout 2024.

With the book’s release, Jablonski said that he wanted to place an emphasis on striving for excellence- not perfection.

“There’s a difference, isn’t there?” Jablonski said. “Perfection is unattainable- it’s that horizon line you’ll never get to. Whereas doing your best with what you have available to you- you can do that. You can take pride in that. But a perfectionist can never be satisfied, because they never get to that point.”

While the book is primarily for children, Jablonski said that he expects that people of all ages will be able to get some use out of the quotes, and said that the book is best used in a group setting.

Dec. 28’s quotation, from former Tennessee Volunteers women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt, reads “Discipline helps you finish a job, and finishing is what separates excellent work from average work.”

Jablonski said that one stood out to him due to the importance of teaching children about finishing their work and maintaining a good work ethic.

“We try to emphasize with children today- follow through, always do what you’ll say you do,” Jablonski said. “And that’s a huge, huge thing that kids need to understand- it’s not just showing up, but it’s doing the best you can and completing that job at a very high standard.”

As for what’s next for Jablonski, he’s planning on writing more books, with one upcoming including affirmations and positive declarations. Jablonski’s also planning on creating more songs, which he said will be about gratitude and finding balance.