Friedman's Flat Earth!
Some personal observations and reviews of uplifting interesting books that relate to the theme of this website; Inspiration and motivation in the face of adversity.
The most interesting and thought provoking book I've recently read is THE WORLD IS FLAT by Thomas L. Friedman.
The book title and subject matter; the globalized world in the twenty-first century, would not normally have drawn my attention, and truth be told, seemed a little too dry and academic for my tastes.
However I kept coming across references to this absolute gem from other authors, whose books i had enjoyed, such as Tim Ferriss author of New York Times bestseller THE 4 HOUR WORK WEEK. To be reviewed soon. Hint, dangerous to your status quo.
I won't take you through the impressive resume and credentials of Mr Friedman, suffice to say there appears to be only two or three degrees of separation between TLF (as i will hitherto refer to him for brevity sake) and any true mover and shaker on the planet. I really started to feel jet lagged as i flew from one inter-continental location to another, almost from one turned page to the next.
As I read with increasing fascination of this shrinking planet of ours irrevocably evolving to the beat of broadband connectivity I realised i would be revisiting this book sooner rather than later. Like a thriller that you'd read with increasing urgency to uncover the plot secrets and conclusion, I rushed through the chapters, whilst reminding myself this was material that needed pondering and digesting.
So what's it about you ask. The gist of the subject is that national boundaries and economic power centres are dissolving and that the rules of the economic game are shifting. It's a new world order in which outsourcing is the buzz word of the services industry and digital information is creating the same opportunities for entrepreneurs in impoverished African villages as for spoon in the mouth sons and daughters of privilege.
TLF doesn't merely observe the evolving inter connectivity between a multitude of nations in the global manufacture and supply distribution network, but notes the implication of this inter connectivity to predicting which counties are least likely to go to war with each other.
The implication is made that countries that are connected by the massive distribution and supply juggernaut will jump off the carousel at their peril. Financial peril that is.
A strong argument flavoured with implicit underlying fear. is made against America moving towards protectionism in response to recent financial upheaval. I'd love to hear the thoughts of president Obama on this topic. I'm sure there is a counter argument, but certainly the position taken by TLF seems compelling.
After reading this book you'll never receive another telemarketed call from India without wondering how soon it'll be before the world is run out of Bangelore!
A few brief paragraphs cannot due justice to the rich depth of material in this book that is written with more than a tinge of wry humour, without ever straying into parody or self indulgence. email your stories of inspiration and motivation
Malcolm Gladwell "trilogy"
A trifecta of best sellers from social and cultural observer Malcolm Gladwell. Each of the following books merits discussion of it's own accord, however much like your musical tastes, if you love or hate a certain artists' latest album, more than likely you'll love or hate each of these books.
THE TIPPING POINT, BLINK and OUTLIERS follow the same theme of identifying the underlying simplicity that underscores what might be described cultural awareness.
Our social awareness is filtered by cultural prejudice and information overload can dilute our capacity to discern acutely.
Social communication cues that can predict with high accuracy a couple's likelihood to live happily ever after, can be coded by a few laboratory analysts observing short conversations between the test case dummies. A scientific measuring of what many would call gut feeling, perhaps less fallible.
Gladwell drops in labels such as "thin slicing" to describe the relatively rare ability to identify anomalies and "know" something's not right, before conscious awareness.
Sweaty palms and feelings of discomfort precede actual realisation that we're playing with a deck of cards stacked against us. This "gut feeling" is physiological and being tuned into it can be advantageous, particularly prior to parting with you hard earned cash on a sculpture that isn't quite what it appears to be! You need to read BLINK to get that reference.
Other labels such as TIPPING POINT, the title to the first in the "trilogy" are finding their way in to the lexicon of the morning coffee conversations. As an aside a similar tipping point emerged from the line out of Sex and the City 'he's just not that into you" that has since spawned a bestseller and movie.
These three books can very readily be read simultaneously as they blend from one cultural phenomena observation seamlessly. The themes for each book are distinct but there is no subplot that needs to be followed running through the chapters.
OUTLIERS was the third of the "trilogy" that I read and I was just as fascinated with this story of success as I was the previous two. This is not a book about the power of positive thinking or manifesting happiness a la bookshelves full of pop personal development. The personal story of Gladwell's family tree, is indeed a story of triumph over adversity. However whilst inspiring it is tempered by the role luck plays in success. Not a populist view of success.
Inspirational author Robin Sharma's "No Guru"
Robin Sharma's opening chapter in his latest best seller THE GREATNESS GUIDE is titled "I'm no guru" Well I have news for you, this success coach of the noughties doth protest too much.
Sharma writes in an engaging conversational manner as if shooting the breeze over an Earl Grey tea. Never confrontational or awe inspiring, yet with more than a sprinkling of common sense. Having established his credentials already with books such as THE MONK WHO SOLD HIS FERRARI, an award winning title if ever the were such a category, Sharma leads us gently down the road of personal development.
The core message delivered almost in parable fashion is the sort of wisdom you'd expect from your worldly wise Grandfather or great Aunt. Be humble to your customers. Take little steps. Mix with the Ghandi's of the world. Make time to think. Value happiness. Be enthusiastic. Smell the roses and embrace the WOW factor. The power of focus. Appreciate the genius within.
So what's new? In this celebrity obsessed world, lessons to be learned are infinitely more interesting and palatable, when delivered from the mouths of Rock Star Demi-Gods like Bono or Bon Jovi, than from the verses of Milton or Shakespeare. Of course the exception being if those words have been adapted to a hollywood blockbuster and delivered by Leonardo or Kate!
That's the essence of Sharma's communication genius. It's less about the message and more about the delivery through little anecdotes of wisdom garnered and expressed by our contemporary cultural pop icons.
An easy read, fleetingly interesting, and like a big mac you'll probably pop back again knowing what you're getting without raving or becoming a disciple.
Sharma's no guru, which makes his message more digestible
Trump kicks Ass!
Donald Trump doesn't do false modesty and his recent motivational fist pumping rallying call to action, delivers exactly what you'd expect. Love him or loathe him you'll never miss the 'Don". Ebullient, in your face, arrogant, all your preconceptions will doubtless be confirmed upon reading this book.
Whilst Trump attracts an audience and fan base that many a rock star would kill for, he has as many detractors as believers.
THINK BIG AND KICK ASS in Business and Life, is a call to action. Like an in your face personal coach, screaming at you, calling you a wimp, goading, challenging and ultimately inspiring you. The heart beats a little faster and adrenalin levels rise.
There are no real pearls of wisdom, but the delivery may be a wake up call. Like the strong coffee shot or energy drink before your workout session, the material focuses the mind.
From anyone else, it would all seem so trite, but the 'Don" has DONE IT. He's been there done that. Been so debt laden (broke is hardly the word, and suggests an attitude that would never apply to Trump) that the beggar on the sidewalk asking for loose change at one point had a higher net worth. The "Don' was sitting at around negative $900 million at that point!
The celebrity anecdotes, particularly one relating to Lee Iaccoca are fascinating and a touch cringe worthy. Message: don't get on the wrong side of Trump, or he'll trample all over you, publicly if it hurts more.
The content is summed up in the title. It's a kick ass attitude to life. Posture, ego, self belief, attracts and alienates, timidity goes unnoticed.
Instinct, luck, fear and internal dialogue are all addressed, and for the more cynical less romantics among you, a whole chapter on the"pre-nup"!
Certainly not profound, but curiously motivating.
A real busy 4 hour week!
Do you ever wonder what you're doing with your life?
"How was your day honey, what did you do today?" Often elicits a somewhat vacuous response to fill the gap whilst we ponder the discrepancy between our busyness and actual accomplishments.
Tim Ferris has to be having a laugh, with his extolling of THE 4-HOUR WEEK, though must grant him 'big respect" for such a great book title. Who wouldn't be sold on that Holy Grail?
The premise of this gem of a book, is that retirement is wasted on the retired. He asserts, with a dazzling account of personal life experiences and achievements, that effectiveness is the goal. Not activity per se.
Ferris postulates a major paradigm shift in how we spend our time. This digital age that offers every service and information resource one could ever need at the tip of our google finger, also uniquely allows us to outsource the mundane in our life.
Eliminate the mundane, the drudgery, the important but uninspiring, and what are you left with? Well frankly speaking, about 4 hours per week, to be super effective, clutter free and invincible.
Whether you believe, that you can metamorphose into a superhuman uber productive, semi retired, filthy rich WINNER, is debateable.
Ferris does a good job of advocating through his own life experiences, that living outside conventional and cultural expectations of what it means to be productive, is now a choice. Pretty compelling one too.
Even if you dismiss the premise, as fiction, the book makes for a fascinating and entertaining read, as you follow the journey of this modern Indianna Jones following his own somewhat hedonistic life.
Ferris is generous with his resource notations. almost as though challenging us to overcome our procrastination instincts. "Look I've done it so can you."
If ever a book were to inspire you to query your world view, and sack the boss move to France and buy a vineyard, this is it. Whether we can actually pull it off with such ease, grace and savoir faire as the incredibly accomplished Tim Ferris is unlikely.
Just don't call him busy!
Maximum Achievement
I've been a fan of the Writings and Audios of Brian Tracy for years. At the forefront of personal development, motivation, inspiration and personal achievement mentoring for 30 years, he is one of the few amongst his peers that seem to communicate without hype.
Having an unnatural aversion to the overly abused word "Ultimate", it is encouraging that Tracy uses the less fashionable "Maximum" in his book title.
MAXIMUM ACHIEVEMENT is a book that has been out for sometime and is almost a reference guide to common sense, and easily forgotten principles that precede achievement.
The common sense approach to life success resonates longer than the energy jolting evangelical style of many fellow podium speakers.
Tracy's style of delivery is practical, he draws on a lot of his own experiences as a high school drop out, drifter, labourer and comparative failure to great success and mastery in his field.
Maximum Achievement, highlights the tangible effect that the combination of thoughts and actions have on our accomplishments. He further concludes that Health, Wealth, Happiness, Success and Piece of mind are amenable to the same principles.
A recurring question is asked? "Why are some people more successful than others?" What are the differences that most impact our results?
Tracy labels these stepping stones as Principles and Laws. The Law of Attraction, Expectation, Belief, Cause and Effect are just a few examples.
Snippets such as "The Law of Concentration says that what ever you dwell upon, grows" is not profound, but nonetheless worth reinforcing as we have our own default mechanisms that often veer more in the direction of negativity than empowering goal orientation.
This book is written in conversational English, and never feels as though the message is condescending. Common sense is not necessarily that common and Brian Tracy gently narrows the focus and sharpens our perceptive lens, so that we stay on track in the pursuit of our goals.
Tuesdays With Morrie
One of those timeless books that you feel drawn to revisit, as it reads differently a second time.
Mitch Alborn's book from the late 90's TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE would not have drawn my attention had I not heard the author being interviewed on radio.
The story line is simple; a former student's weekly meetings with his old professor, who shares his thoughts and philosophy of life as he moves inexorably towards his demise.
The book reads like a parable. The message that resonates so clearly is that despite the profound sadness of a vital life ebbing away, dignity and authenticity prevail. Stripped of the pressure to conform to the dictates of the ego, impending death provides a clarity of perspective on what matters most in life. Hint; it's not materialism, prestige or accoutrements.
Alborn rarely wanders in to the territory of the maudlin. The subject matter whilst emotional, always feels uplifting and inspiring.
In a world of ubiquitous Twittering, social networking, and self obsessed commentary, there's often a void of real insight, that captures the essence of what a life well lived equates to.
I'm guessing that Morrie represents a less humble personification of what as youth we aspire to. A bit drab, beige, timid, intellectual, even altruistic. Yet perhaps paradoxically, as we reminisce in later life, the sort of person we'd like to be remembered as.
There's no preaching from Mitch Alborn, no pronouncements or life philosophy's espoused, merely an intriguing insight in to the lessons of life from the perspective of the "been there, done that and here's my epitaph"
Plenty of food for thought, not depressing though a little humbling.
The Co-Founder of NLP Reveals His Secrets
The foundations of the modern Personal Development industry were quarried out of a new world view and away from traditional Freudian analysis.
Through the codifying of behavior to identify what works, why it works, and how it works, a new path was forged with the objective of facilitating change, not by virtue of hours of talk and endless questioning, but instantaneous change born out of simple techniques.
This new direction was manifested in the NLP movement of the late '70's. Change is rarely universally popular, particularly if it confronts the very fabric of a lucrative, if somewhat arcane industry. That industry was traditional psychology.
The first superstar of this movement was uber-celebrity, Coach to the stars, Author, and Seminar leader extraordinaire, Anthony Robbins. Love him or hate him, his impact is powerful and ubiquitous, and he will go down as one of the great salesmen of his generation.
This Review however is not about Mr Robbins, but the rather less known, though hugely respected in his field, Richard Bandler. Bandler co-founded Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) with John Grinder and coached the likes of Robbins who then packaged, rebranded and sold it to the world.
GET THE LIFE YOU WANT will be looked on as the bible of NLP. Bandler is an innovator, a doer, a worker bee and queen bee at the same time. He is not however an entertainer. This book strips the mysticism, magic and psycho babble from this oft derided "behavioral technology". Ironically one of his earlier masterpieces was titled the THE STRUCTURE OF MAGIC
There is no strong premise to the book. Rather Bandler ascribes to the Keep It Simple lesson. His assertions are all backed up by practical examples of his methodology and results. The key message is that desired change; change of attitude, elimination of Phobias, eliminating emotional baggage, changing beliefs and overcoming any number of obstacles, does not need to be a gradual process. Change can and should be quick.
He contends that all beliefs, fears, addictions, worries and self doubt are learned, and therefore can be unlearned. The key is to mirror and model the thought processes, breathing patterns, posture, and physiology of those that are better adapted.
Phobias are a mentally created fear and mostly can be eliminated by "noticing" the thought processes that precede the utter fear. The question is asked "how do you get in to that state?" 'what do you think about and focus on to create the fear?" "what is the voice in your head saying preceding this fear?" Now let's look at how non-phobics react in the same situations. Notice what's different and mirror it.
This is a book about the techniques that produce results. Good and bad. Even the cynically minded will feel somewhat seduced by the actual stories of profound success, and the speed of change.
A more diluted presentation of the world of NLP than Anthony Robbins' best seller "UNLIMITED POWER". From the Granddaddy of NLP, this is a remarkably clear introduction, and unadulterated with academic references, as one might have expected from a lifetime scientist. As they say if you only ever read one book on the topic, this is probably it. Big title, little hype.
Think and Grow Rich. A hundred Million Readers?
It has been estimated that "THINK AND GROW RICH”, Napoleon Hill’s 1937 masterpiece has been read by in excess of 100 million people.
It would be hard to find any success coach, self made entrepreneur or sales trainer that wasn’t inspired by this small, disarmingly simple little motivational book.
Written in a language that at times seems a little old fashioned the message and philosophy resonates deeply. Hill sought inspiration from the great achievers of his day and spent 25 years, with the patronage of Andrew Carnegie, interviewing over 500 millionaires a few billionaires and 3 presidents included for good measure.
In a world of cause and effect Hill sought to identify the common Principles followed by top achievers that if discerned and duplicated by mere mortals would lead and inspire them to their own achievements.
Written in the midst of the Great Depression, when confidence and self-belief levels were at a low ebb, Hill identified that during such times more great fortunes would be made than in any other time in history.
Interwoven amongst anecdotes taken from the likes of Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and Henry Ford to name but a few industrial icons are Key Principles that if followed hold the elusive code to unlocking your untapped immeasurable potential. Potential alas that most fail to realize they possess and hence never tap in to.
Some of the Principles Hill describes, that many a personal development author has made a good living from espousing, include: Desire, Faith, Auto-suggestion, Imagination, visualization, Organized Planning, Decision and the Sub-Conscious Mind.
Hidden in the heart of the book is perhaps Napoleon Hill’s best known quote, and core message. ‘Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve'
As the first motivational book I ever read, I can still remember the goosebumps, and intense inspiration that ensued. Re-reading this folksy book still managed to elicit some of same feelings many, many years later. A Timeless classic.
The Free Lunch Economy-By Chris Anderson
Actually the title of the book is simply FREE-the future of a radical price.
Frustrated by the piracy of their comedic satirical works, the Monty Python team conducted a real life skit. They created their own Youtube channel and proceeded to under cut the pirates by offering full television quality sketches for FREE! The result? An increase in sales of CD’s books etc to the tune of over 20000%.
In a similar vein. The band Radiohead offered their album ‘In Rainbow’ as a free download. They subsequently sold 3 million copies, surpassing their previous best album sales and perhaps the greater financial pay off was the 1 million plus concert tickets sold.
Chris Anderson, best known within the Internet Community as the editor of Wired magazine and the author of the best selling book ‘The Long Tail’ has written an easy to read and quite fascinating book that falls loosely between the categories of Economics, Social Commentary and on the fringes of prophetic philosophy.
Anderson makes some interesting observations that seem paradoxical in the extreme and seem to defy the rules of traditional economics. We live in an age dominated by all things digital. Information has never been more abundant and accessible. Yet, none of us have any additional time to process this tidal wave of sensory bits and bytes. Hence, like a child that’s had too much sugar or an adult drowning in caffeine the attention span and craving for instant gratification borders on the manic.
To compete for the attention of this audience, the purveyors of this content are increasingly embracing Freeconomics. Anderson notes that in 1961 the cost of a transistor was $10, by 1968 the cost had dropped to $1 dollar and today you can purchase 20 000 for that same 1 dollar. As marginal costs of a copy become so low, the price approaches zero. How can this apparent nonsense work?
Storage, processing and bandwidth, the essence of the digital world are increasing in capacity exponentially, so it would appear that the key to monetization is all in the ancillary add-on. The secret to the Freemium business model is simply to attract attention, build relationships, desire, trust and then by default the ever time poor freeloader will upgrade to the Premium service. If that service is Google then the upgrade can be significant. The initial free search and free email account is parlayed into paid Google Adwords clicks, purchases, and any number of monetary transactions.
In summary Anderson states that ‘people are making a lot of money charging nothing’
Each chapter is written in an engaging and entertaining manner. At time you feel that you’re being teased by the outrageous premise. Yet most of the arguments presented seem to validate his contention that perhaps despite the sage lectures from our elders that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, perhaps there really is!
The Law of the Lazy Entrepreneur-Richard Koch’s 80/20 Principle.
The Secret to achieving more with less.
From time immemorial our elders have preached the merits of working long and hard to succeed. The motto that hard work equates to success is a rational concept, yet upon closer analysis, the empirical evidence doesn’t actually stack up.
Over a 100 years ago an Italian Economist produced some counter intuitive evidence that seemed to suggest that 80% of Europe’s wealth was controlled by 20% of the population, and this pattern of skewed effort and reward manifested itself in all manner of societal observation.
80% of Crime appeared to be committed by 20% of criminals. 80% of carpet receives 20% of the wear! 20% of Insurance Sales Reps earn 80% of total commissions. You get the point.
Richard Koch examines Pareto’s Principle from both an economics and business management perspective and is unequivocal in his endorsement and the lessons and advantages that can be gleaned from acting in accordance.
Unlike many authors who talk the talk but often fail in the walking department, Koch achieved significant financial success in his private equity investments business, which he attributes to the application of this strange theorem.
Many successful business entrepreneurs attribute much of their success to the application of Koch’s lessons, and this book is frequently quoted as being the most influential and favourite book in many a library.
Some of the lessons that Kock espouses:
“Leverage your own time so that you focus on the things where you add five times more value than elsewhere.”
“Choose a niche that you enjoy and in which you can excel”
“Identify where 20% of effort gives 80% of returns”
“Figure out the 20% of what you do that will contribute the most to your success in the future, then concentrate your time and energy on that 20%”
Anyone who’s ever played golf can probably appreciate the quirky contradiction that the harder you try to hit the ball the less likely it will travel far. The more you relax the better you will perform. This is a lesson that very few amateur ‘hackers’ will ever truly accept, and therefore continue in their futile attempt to defeat the law of effort and reward. Less effort, concentrated in the pivotal area will always produce the highest degree of reward.
This is a book that takes a little patience to reach its conclusions. The first half reads like an economics manifesto, full of graphs and charts, with statistical analysis that will not be to every one’s palette. The second half however is worth waiting for. There are at least a dozen lessons that if applied can produce some profound changes in your results.
At the risk of sounding banal, you’ll probably find that 80% of the benefits you’ll gain from reading this book will come from a mere 20% of the content!
A book well worth revisiting and applying its un-commonsense message.
Rich Dad Poor Dad Secrets Revealed
Robert Kiyosaki has built an impressive career around the principles he teaches in this short easy to read book. A best seller on the new York Times Best Seller List for over 6 years the financial lessons are compelling.
It is written in the manner of a parable, and Kiyosaki has been evasive when questioned about the actual existence in real life of the two central characters. The folksy story telling style that he uses is a lot more palatable and digestible than any dreary economics manifesto I’ve ever read.
What are the key points in the book?
The Rich Don’t Work For Money.
Instead of working for a pay cheque and living in fear and ignorance, they harness the power of money and have it work for them. The rich understand that money is an illusion. If everyone cashed in their assets tomorrow there just wouldn’t be enough to go around.
Financial Literacy.
You need to understand the difference between an asset and a liability. An asset is something that puts money in your pocket, and a liability is what takes money out of your pocket. Ask this question with regard to your current possessions. Is your car, your home, your computer, income producing or not?
Interestingly Kiyosaki notes that a business is only an asset, if someone else manages it. Otherwise it is simply a job.
Inability to Overcome 5 Obstacles.
Getting Started.
Kiyosaki confronts conventional wisdom. He suggests that most people are blinkered and imprisoned by a financial slave mentality that people have in the pursuit of the paycheque. Opportunities abound and are missed by most people, because they haven’t been taught how to master their twin emotions of fear and greed.
The underlying theme is that knowledge is power and money is something to be mastered and not feared.
Kiyosaki ha s recently co-authored a book with the King of Capitalism, Donald Trump, suggesting his philosophies have the seal of approval from even the biggest of financial investors.
Some personal observations and reviews of uplifting interesting books that relate to the theme of this website; Inspiration and motivation in the face of adversity.
The most interesting and thought provoking book I've recently read is THE WORLD IS FLAT by Thomas L. Friedman.
The book title and subject matter; the globalized world in the twenty-first century, would not normally have drawn my attention, and truth be told, seemed a little too dry and academic for my tastes.
However I kept coming across references to this absolute gem from other authors, whose books i had enjoyed, such as Tim Ferriss author of New York Times bestseller THE 4 HOUR WORK WEEK. To be reviewed soon. Hint, dangerous to your status quo.
I won't take you through the impressive resume and credentials of Mr Friedman, suffice to say there appears to be only two or three degrees of separation between TLF (as i will hitherto refer to him for brevity sake) and any true mover and shaker on the planet. I really started to feel jet lagged as i flew from one inter-continental location to another, almost from one turned page to the next.
As I read with increasing fascination of this shrinking planet of ours irrevocably evolving to the beat of broadband connectivity I realised i would be revisiting this book sooner rather than later. Like a thriller that you'd read with increasing urgency to uncover the plot secrets and conclusion, I rushed through the chapters, whilst reminding myself this was material that needed pondering and digesting.
So what's it about you ask. The gist of the subject is that national boundaries and economic power centres are dissolving and that the rules of the economic game are shifting. It's a new world order in which outsourcing is the buzz word of the services industry and digital information is creating the same opportunities for entrepreneurs in impoverished African villages as for spoon in the mouth sons and daughters of privilege.
TLF doesn't merely observe the evolving inter connectivity between a multitude of nations in the global manufacture and supply distribution network, but notes the implication of this inter connectivity to predicting which counties are least likely to go to war with each other.
The implication is made that countries that are connected by the massive distribution and supply juggernaut will jump off the carousel at their peril. Financial peril that is.
A strong argument flavoured with implicit underlying fear. is made against America moving towards protectionism in response to recent financial upheaval. I'd love to hear the thoughts of president Obama on this topic. I'm sure there is a counter argument, but certainly the position taken by TLF seems compelling.
After reading this book you'll never receive another telemarketed call from India without wondering how soon it'll be before the world is run out of Bangelore!
A few brief paragraphs cannot due justice to the rich depth of material in this book that is written with more than a tinge of wry humour, without ever straying into parody or self indulgence. email your stories of inspiration and motivation
Malcolm Gladwell "trilogy"
A trifecta of best sellers from social and cultural observer Malcolm Gladwell. Each of the following books merits discussion of it's own accord, however much like your musical tastes, if you love or hate a certain artists' latest album, more than likely you'll love or hate each of these books.
THE TIPPING POINT, BLINK and OUTLIERS follow the same theme of identifying the underlying simplicity that underscores what might be described cultural awareness.
Our social awareness is filtered by cultural prejudice and information overload can dilute our capacity to discern acutely.
Social communication cues that can predict with high accuracy a couple's likelihood to live happily ever after, can be coded by a few laboratory analysts observing short conversations between the test case dummies. A scientific measuring of what many would call gut feeling, perhaps less fallible.
Gladwell drops in labels such as "thin slicing" to describe the relatively rare ability to identify anomalies and "know" something's not right, before conscious awareness.
Sweaty palms and feelings of discomfort precede actual realisation that we're playing with a deck of cards stacked against us. This "gut feeling" is physiological and being tuned into it can be advantageous, particularly prior to parting with you hard earned cash on a sculpture that isn't quite what it appears to be! You need to read BLINK to get that reference.
Other labels such as TIPPING POINT, the title to the first in the "trilogy" are finding their way in to the lexicon of the morning coffee conversations. As an aside a similar tipping point emerged from the line out of Sex and the City 'he's just not that into you" that has since spawned a bestseller and movie.
These three books can very readily be read simultaneously as they blend from one cultural phenomena observation seamlessly. The themes for each book are distinct but there is no subplot that needs to be followed running through the chapters.
OUTLIERS was the third of the "trilogy" that I read and I was just as fascinated with this story of success as I was the previous two. This is not a book about the power of positive thinking or manifesting happiness a la bookshelves full of pop personal development. The personal story of Gladwell's family tree, is indeed a story of triumph over adversity. However whilst inspiring it is tempered by the role luck plays in success. Not a populist view of success.
Inspirational author Robin Sharma's "No Guru"
Robin Sharma's opening chapter in his latest best seller THE GREATNESS GUIDE is titled "I'm no guru" Well I have news for you, this success coach of the noughties doth protest too much.
Sharma writes in an engaging conversational manner as if shooting the breeze over an Earl Grey tea. Never confrontational or awe inspiring, yet with more than a sprinkling of common sense. Having established his credentials already with books such as THE MONK WHO SOLD HIS FERRARI, an award winning title if ever the were such a category, Sharma leads us gently down the road of personal development.
The core message delivered almost in parable fashion is the sort of wisdom you'd expect from your worldly wise Grandfather or great Aunt. Be humble to your customers. Take little steps. Mix with the Ghandi's of the world. Make time to think. Value happiness. Be enthusiastic. Smell the roses and embrace the WOW factor. The power of focus. Appreciate the genius within.
So what's new? In this celebrity obsessed world, lessons to be learned are infinitely more interesting and palatable, when delivered from the mouths of Rock Star Demi-Gods like Bono or Bon Jovi, than from the verses of Milton or Shakespeare. Of course the exception being if those words have been adapted to a hollywood blockbuster and delivered by Leonardo or Kate!
That's the essence of Sharma's communication genius. It's less about the message and more about the delivery through little anecdotes of wisdom garnered and expressed by our contemporary cultural pop icons.
An easy read, fleetingly interesting, and like a big mac you'll probably pop back again knowing what you're getting without raving or becoming a disciple.
Sharma's no guru, which makes his message more digestible
Trump kicks Ass!
Donald Trump doesn't do false modesty and his recent motivational fist pumping rallying call to action, delivers exactly what you'd expect. Love him or loathe him you'll never miss the 'Don". Ebullient, in your face, arrogant, all your preconceptions will doubtless be confirmed upon reading this book.
Whilst Trump attracts an audience and fan base that many a rock star would kill for, he has as many detractors as believers.
THINK BIG AND KICK ASS in Business and Life, is a call to action. Like an in your face personal coach, screaming at you, calling you a wimp, goading, challenging and ultimately inspiring you. The heart beats a little faster and adrenalin levels rise.
There are no real pearls of wisdom, but the delivery may be a wake up call. Like the strong coffee shot or energy drink before your workout session, the material focuses the mind.
From anyone else, it would all seem so trite, but the 'Don" has DONE IT. He's been there done that. Been so debt laden (broke is hardly the word, and suggests an attitude that would never apply to Trump) that the beggar on the sidewalk asking for loose change at one point had a higher net worth. The "Don' was sitting at around negative $900 million at that point!
The celebrity anecdotes, particularly one relating to Lee Iaccoca are fascinating and a touch cringe worthy. Message: don't get on the wrong side of Trump, or he'll trample all over you, publicly if it hurts more.
The content is summed up in the title. It's a kick ass attitude to life. Posture, ego, self belief, attracts and alienates, timidity goes unnoticed.
Instinct, luck, fear and internal dialogue are all addressed, and for the more cynical less romantics among you, a whole chapter on the"pre-nup"!
Certainly not profound, but curiously motivating.
A real busy 4 hour week!
Do you ever wonder what you're doing with your life?
"How was your day honey, what did you do today?" Often elicits a somewhat vacuous response to fill the gap whilst we ponder the discrepancy between our busyness and actual accomplishments.
Tim Ferris has to be having a laugh, with his extolling of THE 4-HOUR WEEK, though must grant him 'big respect" for such a great book title. Who wouldn't be sold on that Holy Grail?
The premise of this gem of a book, is that retirement is wasted on the retired. He asserts, with a dazzling account of personal life experiences and achievements, that effectiveness is the goal. Not activity per se.
Ferris postulates a major paradigm shift in how we spend our time. This digital age that offers every service and information resource one could ever need at the tip of our google finger, also uniquely allows us to outsource the mundane in our life.
Eliminate the mundane, the drudgery, the important but uninspiring, and what are you left with? Well frankly speaking, about 4 hours per week, to be super effective, clutter free and invincible.
Whether you believe, that you can metamorphose into a superhuman uber productive, semi retired, filthy rich WINNER, is debateable.
Ferris does a good job of advocating through his own life experiences, that living outside conventional and cultural expectations of what it means to be productive, is now a choice. Pretty compelling one too.
Even if you dismiss the premise, as fiction, the book makes for a fascinating and entertaining read, as you follow the journey of this modern Indianna Jones following his own somewhat hedonistic life.
Ferris is generous with his resource notations. almost as though challenging us to overcome our procrastination instincts. "Look I've done it so can you."
If ever a book were to inspire you to query your world view, and sack the boss move to France and buy a vineyard, this is it. Whether we can actually pull it off with such ease, grace and savoir faire as the incredibly accomplished Tim Ferris is unlikely.
Just don't call him busy!
Maximum Achievement
I've been a fan of the Writings and Audios of Brian Tracy for years. At the forefront of personal development, motivation, inspiration and personal achievement mentoring for 30 years, he is one of the few amongst his peers that seem to communicate without hype.
Having an unnatural aversion to the overly abused word "Ultimate", it is encouraging that Tracy uses the less fashionable "Maximum" in his book title.
MAXIMUM ACHIEVEMENT is a book that has been out for sometime and is almost a reference guide to common sense, and easily forgotten principles that precede achievement.
The common sense approach to life success resonates longer than the energy jolting evangelical style of many fellow podium speakers.
Tracy's style of delivery is practical, he draws on a lot of his own experiences as a high school drop out, drifter, labourer and comparative failure to great success and mastery in his field.
Maximum Achievement, highlights the tangible effect that the combination of thoughts and actions have on our accomplishments. He further concludes that Health, Wealth, Happiness, Success and Piece of mind are amenable to the same principles.
A recurring question is asked? "Why are some people more successful than others?" What are the differences that most impact our results?
Tracy labels these stepping stones as Principles and Laws. The Law of Attraction, Expectation, Belief, Cause and Effect are just a few examples.
Snippets such as "The Law of Concentration says that what ever you dwell upon, grows" is not profound, but nonetheless worth reinforcing as we have our own default mechanisms that often veer more in the direction of negativity than empowering goal orientation.
This book is written in conversational English, and never feels as though the message is condescending. Common sense is not necessarily that common and Brian Tracy gently narrows the focus and sharpens our perceptive lens, so that we stay on track in the pursuit of our goals.
Tuesdays With Morrie
One of those timeless books that you feel drawn to revisit, as it reads differently a second time.
Mitch Alborn's book from the late 90's TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE would not have drawn my attention had I not heard the author being interviewed on radio.
The story line is simple; a former student's weekly meetings with his old professor, who shares his thoughts and philosophy of life as he moves inexorably towards his demise.
The book reads like a parable. The message that resonates so clearly is that despite the profound sadness of a vital life ebbing away, dignity and authenticity prevail. Stripped of the pressure to conform to the dictates of the ego, impending death provides a clarity of perspective on what matters most in life. Hint; it's not materialism, prestige or accoutrements.
Alborn rarely wanders in to the territory of the maudlin. The subject matter whilst emotional, always feels uplifting and inspiring.
In a world of ubiquitous Twittering, social networking, and self obsessed commentary, there's often a void of real insight, that captures the essence of what a life well lived equates to.
I'm guessing that Morrie represents a less humble personification of what as youth we aspire to. A bit drab, beige, timid, intellectual, even altruistic. Yet perhaps paradoxically, as we reminisce in later life, the sort of person we'd like to be remembered as.
There's no preaching from Mitch Alborn, no pronouncements or life philosophy's espoused, merely an intriguing insight in to the lessons of life from the perspective of the "been there, done that and here's my epitaph"
Plenty of food for thought, not depressing though a little humbling.
The Co-Founder of NLP Reveals His Secrets
The foundations of the modern Personal Development industry were quarried out of a new world view and away from traditional Freudian analysis.
Through the codifying of behavior to identify what works, why it works, and how it works, a new path was forged with the objective of facilitating change, not by virtue of hours of talk and endless questioning, but instantaneous change born out of simple techniques.
This new direction was manifested in the NLP movement of the late '70's. Change is rarely universally popular, particularly if it confronts the very fabric of a lucrative, if somewhat arcane industry. That industry was traditional psychology.
The first superstar of this movement was uber-celebrity, Coach to the stars, Author, and Seminar leader extraordinaire, Anthony Robbins. Love him or hate him, his impact is powerful and ubiquitous, and he will go down as one of the great salesmen of his generation.
This Review however is not about Mr Robbins, but the rather less known, though hugely respected in his field, Richard Bandler. Bandler co-founded Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) with John Grinder and coached the likes of Robbins who then packaged, rebranded and sold it to the world.
GET THE LIFE YOU WANT will be looked on as the bible of NLP. Bandler is an innovator, a doer, a worker bee and queen bee at the same time. He is not however an entertainer. This book strips the mysticism, magic and psycho babble from this oft derided "behavioral technology". Ironically one of his earlier masterpieces was titled the THE STRUCTURE OF MAGIC
There is no strong premise to the book. Rather Bandler ascribes to the Keep It Simple lesson. His assertions are all backed up by practical examples of his methodology and results. The key message is that desired change; change of attitude, elimination of Phobias, eliminating emotional baggage, changing beliefs and overcoming any number of obstacles, does not need to be a gradual process. Change can and should be quick.
He contends that all beliefs, fears, addictions, worries and self doubt are learned, and therefore can be unlearned. The key is to mirror and model the thought processes, breathing patterns, posture, and physiology of those that are better adapted.
Phobias are a mentally created fear and mostly can be eliminated by "noticing" the thought processes that precede the utter fear. The question is asked "how do you get in to that state?" 'what do you think about and focus on to create the fear?" "what is the voice in your head saying preceding this fear?" Now let's look at how non-phobics react in the same situations. Notice what's different and mirror it.
This is a book about the techniques that produce results. Good and bad. Even the cynically minded will feel somewhat seduced by the actual stories of profound success, and the speed of change.
A more diluted presentation of the world of NLP than Anthony Robbins' best seller "UNLIMITED POWER". From the Granddaddy of NLP, this is a remarkably clear introduction, and unadulterated with academic references, as one might have expected from a lifetime scientist. As they say if you only ever read one book on the topic, this is probably it. Big title, little hype.
Think and Grow Rich. A hundred Million Readers?
It has been estimated that "THINK AND GROW RICH”, Napoleon Hill’s 1937 masterpiece has been read by in excess of 100 million people.
It would be hard to find any success coach, self made entrepreneur or sales trainer that wasn’t inspired by this small, disarmingly simple little motivational book.
Written in a language that at times seems a little old fashioned the message and philosophy resonates deeply. Hill sought inspiration from the great achievers of his day and spent 25 years, with the patronage of Andrew Carnegie, interviewing over 500 millionaires a few billionaires and 3 presidents included for good measure.
In a world of cause and effect Hill sought to identify the common Principles followed by top achievers that if discerned and duplicated by mere mortals would lead and inspire them to their own achievements.
Written in the midst of the Great Depression, when confidence and self-belief levels were at a low ebb, Hill identified that during such times more great fortunes would be made than in any other time in history.
Interwoven amongst anecdotes taken from the likes of Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and Henry Ford to name but a few industrial icons are Key Principles that if followed hold the elusive code to unlocking your untapped immeasurable potential. Potential alas that most fail to realize they possess and hence never tap in to.
Some of the Principles Hill describes, that many a personal development author has made a good living from espousing, include: Desire, Faith, Auto-suggestion, Imagination, visualization, Organized Planning, Decision and the Sub-Conscious Mind.
Hidden in the heart of the book is perhaps Napoleon Hill’s best known quote, and core message. ‘Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve'
As the first motivational book I ever read, I can still remember the goosebumps, and intense inspiration that ensued. Re-reading this folksy book still managed to elicit some of same feelings many, many years later. A Timeless classic.
The Free Lunch Economy-By Chris Anderson
Actually the title of the book is simply FREE-the future of a radical price.
Frustrated by the piracy of their comedic satirical works, the Monty Python team conducted a real life skit. They created their own Youtube channel and proceeded to under cut the pirates by offering full television quality sketches for FREE! The result? An increase in sales of CD’s books etc to the tune of over 20000%.
In a similar vein. The band Radiohead offered their album ‘In Rainbow’ as a free download. They subsequently sold 3 million copies, surpassing their previous best album sales and perhaps the greater financial pay off was the 1 million plus concert tickets sold.
Chris Anderson, best known within the Internet Community as the editor of Wired magazine and the author of the best selling book ‘The Long Tail’ has written an easy to read and quite fascinating book that falls loosely between the categories of Economics, Social Commentary and on the fringes of prophetic philosophy.
Anderson makes some interesting observations that seem paradoxical in the extreme and seem to defy the rules of traditional economics. We live in an age dominated by all things digital. Information has never been more abundant and accessible. Yet, none of us have any additional time to process this tidal wave of sensory bits and bytes. Hence, like a child that’s had too much sugar or an adult drowning in caffeine the attention span and craving for instant gratification borders on the manic.
To compete for the attention of this audience, the purveyors of this content are increasingly embracing Freeconomics. Anderson notes that in 1961 the cost of a transistor was $10, by 1968 the cost had dropped to $1 dollar and today you can purchase 20 000 for that same 1 dollar. As marginal costs of a copy become so low, the price approaches zero. How can this apparent nonsense work?
Storage, processing and bandwidth, the essence of the digital world are increasing in capacity exponentially, so it would appear that the key to monetization is all in the ancillary add-on. The secret to the Freemium business model is simply to attract attention, build relationships, desire, trust and then by default the ever time poor freeloader will upgrade to the Premium service. If that service is Google then the upgrade can be significant. The initial free search and free email account is parlayed into paid Google Adwords clicks, purchases, and any number of monetary transactions.
In summary Anderson states that ‘people are making a lot of money charging nothing’
Each chapter is written in an engaging and entertaining manner. At time you feel that you’re being teased by the outrageous premise. Yet most of the arguments presented seem to validate his contention that perhaps despite the sage lectures from our elders that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, perhaps there really is!
The Law of the Lazy Entrepreneur-Richard Koch’s 80/20 Principle.
The Secret to achieving more with less.
From time immemorial our elders have preached the merits of working long and hard to succeed. The motto that hard work equates to success is a rational concept, yet upon closer analysis, the empirical evidence doesn’t actually stack up.
Over a 100 years ago an Italian Economist produced some counter intuitive evidence that seemed to suggest that 80% of Europe’s wealth was controlled by 20% of the population, and this pattern of skewed effort and reward manifested itself in all manner of societal observation.
80% of Crime appeared to be committed by 20% of criminals. 80% of carpet receives 20% of the wear! 20% of Insurance Sales Reps earn 80% of total commissions. You get the point.
Richard Koch examines Pareto’s Principle from both an economics and business management perspective and is unequivocal in his endorsement and the lessons and advantages that can be gleaned from acting in accordance.
Unlike many authors who talk the talk but often fail in the walking department, Koch achieved significant financial success in his private equity investments business, which he attributes to the application of this strange theorem.
Many successful business entrepreneurs attribute much of their success to the application of Koch’s lessons, and this book is frequently quoted as being the most influential and favourite book in many a library.
Some of the lessons that Kock espouses:
“Leverage your own time so that you focus on the things where you add five times more value than elsewhere.”
“Choose a niche that you enjoy and in which you can excel”
“Identify where 20% of effort gives 80% of returns”
“Figure out the 20% of what you do that will contribute the most to your success in the future, then concentrate your time and energy on that 20%”
Anyone who’s ever played golf can probably appreciate the quirky contradiction that the harder you try to hit the ball the less likely it will travel far. The more you relax the better you will perform. This is a lesson that very few amateur ‘hackers’ will ever truly accept, and therefore continue in their futile attempt to defeat the law of effort and reward. Less effort, concentrated in the pivotal area will always produce the highest degree of reward.
This is a book that takes a little patience to reach its conclusions. The first half reads like an economics manifesto, full of graphs and charts, with statistical analysis that will not be to every one’s palette. The second half however is worth waiting for. There are at least a dozen lessons that if applied can produce some profound changes in your results.
At the risk of sounding banal, you’ll probably find that 80% of the benefits you’ll gain from reading this book will come from a mere 20% of the content!
A book well worth revisiting and applying its un-commonsense message.
Rich Dad Poor Dad Secrets Revealed
Robert Kiyosaki has built an impressive career around the principles he teaches in this short easy to read book. A best seller on the new York Times Best Seller List for over 6 years the financial lessons are compelling.
It is written in the manner of a parable, and Kiyosaki has been evasive when questioned about the actual existence in real life of the two central characters. The folksy story telling style that he uses is a lot more palatable and digestible than any dreary economics manifesto I’ve ever read.
What are the key points in the book?
The Rich Don’t Work For Money.
Instead of working for a pay cheque and living in fear and ignorance, they harness the power of money and have it work for them. The rich understand that money is an illusion. If everyone cashed in their assets tomorrow there just wouldn’t be enough to go around.
Financial Literacy.
You need to understand the difference between an asset and a liability. An asset is something that puts money in your pocket, and a liability is what takes money out of your pocket. Ask this question with regard to your current possessions. Is your car, your home, your computer, income producing or not?
Interestingly Kiyosaki notes that a business is only an asset, if someone else manages it. Otherwise it is simply a job.
Inability to Overcome 5 Obstacles.
- · Fear
- · Cynicism
- · Laziness
- · Bad habits
- · Arrogance
Getting Started.
- · Find a compelling ambition
- · Choose carefully how you invest. Start with financial education.
- · Pick your associates and peer groups carefully
- · Master a strategy and then find a new one
- · Create discipline and pay your self first
- · Pay your advisors well
- · Pay for your luxuries out of your asset column
- · Find heroes or role models to inspire you
- · Become a teacher of what you learn
Kiyosaki confronts conventional wisdom. He suggests that most people are blinkered and imprisoned by a financial slave mentality that people have in the pursuit of the paycheque. Opportunities abound and are missed by most people, because they haven’t been taught how to master their twin emotions of fear and greed.
The underlying theme is that knowledge is power and money is something to be mastered and not feared.
Kiyosaki ha s recently co-authored a book with the King of Capitalism, Donald Trump, suggesting his philosophies have the seal of approval from even the biggest of financial investors.
