Books Archives - Page 3 of 4

February 15, 2017April 26, 2017 tomreads All Posts, Books

Ego Is the Enemy

Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday Read: 2017-02-15, Rating: 8/10. Everyone should read this book because, for everything that comes next, Ego Is the Enemy. A really quick read full of anecdotes from Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, John DeLorean, Malcolm X, Jackie Robinson, Marcus Aurelius, Richard Nixon and Genghis Khan. My Takeaways Stay Humble Stay a Student Don't Tell Yourself a Story My Notes An unhealthy belief in our own importance. Arrogance. Self-centred ambition. "Not me," you think. For people with ambitions, talents, drives, and potential to fulfill, ego comes with the territory. Precisely what makes us so promising as thinkers, doers, creatives, and entrepreneurs, what drives us to the top of those fields, makes us vulnerable to…

February 8, 2017May 6, 2017 tomreads All Posts, Books

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance An Inquiry Into Values by Robert M. Pirsig Read: 2017-02-08, Rating: 10/10. My Takeaways Too personal for me to give an objective review. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance found me, forever changing my view on life, on suffering, on literature, philosophy and the search for Quality. My Notes Romantic vs Classical Personality What is Quality?

January 21, 2017January 3, 2018 tomreads All Posts, Books

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Read: 2017-01-21, Rating: 10/10. Gripping life story full of takeaways for an engineer, businessman, student. I couldn't put the book down. My Takeaways: Strive for simplicity, Minimalism, Zen Organize and Motivate A-players Ask "What is the Purpose?" Never use PowerPoint again Laser Focused Eye Contact My Notes: Biological father was a Syrian Muslim and biological mother was Catholic. Steve was supposed to be adopted by lawyers, but last minute decided they wanted a girl. Steve was adopted by a hard working mechanic and housewife. Lots of influences from his father. Job's father had once taught Steve that a drive for perfection meant caring about the craftsmanship even of the parts unseen. Jobs took interest in electronics.…

December 31, 2016November 27, 2017 tomreads All Posts, Books

Influence

Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini Read: 2016, Rating: 10/10. READ THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. My Keep Notes: Commitment and Consistency Get them to write it down - commitments such as from vp to get more headcount Don't let people commit public ally if you want to influence Idea: get people to write they are committed to customers Pin them down, then have them say he commitment instead of pinning them down - even if it doesn't work, they will feel more guilty Effort commitment such as Jewish Bar Mitzvah Or fraternity initiation and pledges Action: Get people to write down things you want them to do Active Public Effort full No must take…

December 28, 2016March 16, 2017 tomreads All Posts, Books

The Power of Habit

The Power of Habit Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg Read: 2016-12-28, Rating: 7/10. Entertaining and practical introduction breaking down the formation of habits and the three-step habit loop. Long and detailed case examples throughout the book. I will definitely re-read the first couple chapters again. My Notes: "In some sense... a community is a giant collection of habits occurring among thousands of people that, depending on how they’re inﬂuenced, could result in violence or peace." "...once you see everything as a bunch of habits, it’s like someone gave you a ﬂashlight and a crowbar and you can get to work" "...there’s nothing you can’t do if you get the habits right." Larry…

December 26, 2016January 16, 2017 tomreads All Posts, Books

The 4-Hour Workweek

The 4-Hour Workweek Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich Expanded and Updated by Timothy Ferriss Read: 2016-11-06, Rating: 8/10. I regularly listen to The Tim Ferriss Show podcast. I owe much of my new found learning spirit to his episodes with Derek Sivers, Jamie Foxx, and Tony Robbins. I will buy a physical copy of this book and treat it as an encyclopedia. The 4-Hour Workweek provides step-by-step breakdown for Lifestyle Design, Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. Compared to living in the United States of America, your money can go a long way in other countries. Retirement shouldn't be the goal. Don't work your whole life to retire on a boat. Have mini-retirements now and…

December 21, 2016January 16, 2017 tomreads All Posts, Books

Stumbling on Happiness

Stumbling on Happiness By Daniel Gilbert Read: 2016-12-21, Rating: 5/10 Interesting insights into many life situations. This book does not answer "how to be happy" but gives background information on the feeling of happiness. My takeaways: We treat our future selves as though they were our children, spending most of the hours of most of our days constructing tomorrows that we hope will make them happy. When we imagine future circumstances, we fill in details that won’t really come to pass and leave out details that will. When we imagine future feelings, we find it impossible to ignore what we are feeling now and impossible to recognize how we will think about the things that happen later. We should want…

December 20, 2016January 16, 2017 tomreads All Posts, Books

Show Your Work!

Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon Read: 2016-12-01, Rating: 8/10. A book to help you think about work as a never-ending process. Swift and inspiring call to action. Ignore the geniuses, experts, and professionals and adjust expectations. Comparing ourselves with others scares us from trying, from being amateurs. "That's all any of us are: amateurs. We don't live long enough to be anything else." - Charlie Chaplin Amateurs are not afraid of making mistakes and looking ridiculous in public. You can move from mediocre to good in increments. The real gap is between doing nothing and doing something. Without formal training, be a life-long learner and do so openly so others can learn from failures and successes. Don't worry about…

November 6, 2016January 16, 2017 tomreads All Posts, Books

Mindwise

Mindwise Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want by Nicholas Epley Read: 2016-11-06, Rating: 8/10. I only finished first three parts (approx 25%) but intend to finish the book. Very scientific, examples are detailed and referenced thoroughly in the book. Our Sixth Sense is working all the time. Making observations about our own thoughts and others thoughts. We know less about our own mind than we give ourselves credit for. We know less about the minds of our family, friends, coworkers than we give ourselves credit for. Sixth Sense misreads come from our inability to see a situation from another person's point of view, reliance on stereotypes, and assumption that other's minds match their actions. The main problem…

November 4, 2016January 16, 2017 tomreads All Posts, Books

Free Will

Free Will by Sam Harris Read: 2016-11-03, Rating: 9/10. A quick fun read introducing the concept of Free Will. Highly Recommended. Experiments showed brain activity even before feeling to move. The book discusses several other experiments predicting choices based on brain activity before the subject "feels" himself making a decision. Read the book. Our brains have determined what we're going to do before we do it. We don't know what we want to do until we want to do it. The question is why we want to do anything. This book provides several intriguing discussions about free will and implications to morality. Good/Evil or Lucky/Unlucky. Read the book. My Favourite Takeaway: Our next choice has been predetermined. All our choices, efforts, and intentions,…