Category Archives: Books

Finding Things That Read You

Unintentionally, social media is creating a culture of addicts on the status, location, and doings of others.

This “look at their life” and “look at their stuff” and “look at their dreams” adrenaline appears to be unquenchable. Do we do this to avoid looking at ourselves? Do we do this to avoid clicking the “like” button of us? Do we do this because someone convinced us at some point that we are not @ mentionable?

We need to look at ourselves more.

Looking into a book we sort have to look at ourself.

Having tough and great conversation we have to look at ourself.

And staring at vacant canvases, trying to start/make something from nothing, makes us look at ourself.

I guess what I’m getting at is we do ourselves a lot more good to read ourselves than to constantly read others through tweets and instagrams. Not so you constantly look at yourself from a place of arrogance or pride, but so you look at yourself from a place of wonder and awe as to where you can plug into the world that is evolving, not revolving, around you.

Live your life. Don’t live someone else’s. Find things that read you and report back to the universe with that.

And while you’re at it, look up from your smart phone and experience this place.

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Top 10 Books I’ve Read This Year

In no specific order:

Entreleadership – Dave Ramsey

– This is the gold standard of running a business.  I keep a copy in the top drawer of my desk.

Love Does – Bob Goff

– Whimsy whispers and we must respond. When we do…Love does His/her thing.

Art and Fear – David Bayles and Ted Orland

– When fear leaves art happens.

Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

– I was told by everyone to read this. I still listen to it in my car weekly. It’s not about money either…its about designing what you call a rich life.

Turning Pro – Steven Pressfield 

– A great question for any moment. “Are you acting like a pro or an amateur?”

Necessary Endings – Dr. Henry Cloud

– I found out ending is a chance to begin.

Simple Numbers – Greg Crabtree and Beverly Blair Harzog

– This book redefined the basics of profit, margin, and expenses for me.

The 4-Hour Work Week – Timothy Ferris

– You don’t want to put this down and you’ll want to dream even bigger than what you’re dreaming now.

Blue Ocean Strategy – W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

– Dominate – don’t compete.

Delivering Happiness – Tony Hsieh

– I now have a note behind my desk that says “Out zappos Zappos.”

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A.E.P.

Gandhi once said…”Action expresses priorities.”

I’m going to start referring to this as A.E.P. And today A.E.P. becomes tattooed all over my office, car, and even my hand (with marker).

In other words…

  • My laziness reveals something about my priorities.
  • My focus shows what is important to me.
  • My complaining casts a shadow on what I value.
  • Alas, my instrument practice shows how much I care about my music.

The only thing I can find that precedes an action is a decision. So the question for the day is, how are you going to decide to act?

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Future Music

Charlie Tremendous Jones said, “The only difference between where you are now, and where you’ll be next year, are the books you read and the people you meet.”

In other words, success will be found in shaking more hands with your paper cut fingers.

It is people and ideas that hold the melody to the music you will be (or won’t be) making 12 months from now.

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