Somewhere in here is a book that could change your life…
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: Decent audio. Nothing to write home about. Collection of a whole bunch of Brian Tracy motivation.
Add on Mar 16 2016: I was clearly coming to the end of my sales book phase. :)
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: I can hear all the anti-self help/self improvement activists scream right now. And before I give my comments, let me give you a warning – this book is very preachy. It is also true that this book doesn’t delve into the human psyche like the ‘7 Habits of highly effective people’, for example, among other books. This book is purely focused on the personality side of things and yes, you can ‘fake’ all those ideas in the book and yet, they might just work.
Having said that, this book offers a starting point for those who have difficulty connecting with people. And if that is not enough, the book makes it easier for us (thanks to many many stories) to understand why people are the way they are. And as a result, we are then empowered to use all the ideas and traits mentioned in the book in our day-to-day life.
And, while it can be argued that anyone can adopt most of the principles by ‘pretending’ or ‘faking’ it, I doubt anyone can do so without being found out in due time. If you care, it shows.
My view was simple – if we can even fully understand and implement principles that are consistent with our styles, we would likely be more successful socially and professionally than we are now. Principles vary from ‘Never criticize’ to ‘Compliment people’ among many others. Simple in theory, difficult in action.
If you haven’t read it, I’d still recommend buying it and read it. And if you still don’t like it, that’s still fine. I believe you will be richer by this experience. At the very least, just make sure you read the ‘Father Forgets’ letter twice. :)
Add on Mar 16, 2016: I think I’ve become less and less a fan of the book over time. However, I still think it is worth reading it to understand what the fuss is about. I definitely learnt a thing or two from the book. And, as a psychology oriented book, it was definitely well ahead of its time.
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: If you are a worry-wart like I was when I read this book, I’d definitely recommend checking it out. To put this in context, this book was written during the ‘Great Depression’ – so there were likely a lot of worried people then. The book had many simple ideas and stories and thoughts on how to execute them. Ideas that stuck with me were to ‘live in 24 hour compartments’, ‘stop rushing’ among others.
Again, at a time when I was prone to worrying a lot, the book was definitely positive.
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: Stever Robbins’ team sent the book over via mail to Singapore so I could review it. For a small time blogger like me, it is massive inspiration. And after I finished the book, I found it to be on that fine line between ‘Shelf’ and ‘Buy’ as it does have a very wholesome collection of productivity hacks.
What to expect: 9 steps increase your productivity and each step typically contains a bunch of easy-to-execute hacks that are certain to improve your productivity if implemented.
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: I didn’t find the audio so appealing. Maybe you’ll have better luck with the paperback. It had many stories/experiences of people who learnt the hard way that saying ‘No’ is a must for the sake of their own happiness. Good book in principle as I remember it having the right concepts. But, I didn’t find it very memorable.
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1) Read ASAP! 2) BUY it! 3) SHELF it 4) SOMEDAY it)
Comments: Good book. It clarifies that networking is really caring more than a next person, and that it can go a long way in taking you far in life!
What to expect: The story of a person who made it big thanks (in big part) to fantastic networking ability honed with time. It was an eye opener for me as it clarified what networking really is – making an effort to reach out, connect and care. And most importantly, it made me realize that keeping in touch is, and requires, hard work!!
Do I recommend this book?: Very good book. Almost a great one – not so much on the story line but very high on learnings and impact! :)
Add on Mar 16, 2016: This was one of the first business books I read. Definitely had a positive impact!
Category: 1 – Read ASAP! (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: I loved this book! This was fantastic because I had this habit of accumulating lots of clutter purely because I used to never throw away stuff all that easily. As I was listening to this book, I remember I went on this de-cluttering exercise where I threw away half of my existing ‘stuff’. And since then, I have been regular at decluttering and keeping just the essentials!
What to expect: A very practical book that explains the science behind accumulation of clutter through many stories and a book that I personally found VERY inspiring! :)
Add on Mar 16, 2016: A full 8 years or so after reading this book, it continues to inspire a relatively minimalist way of live.
Category: 4 – SOMEDAY it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: I didn’t find the book to be helpful – maybe because I had gotten most of the insight from other books. Not much on impact bu definitely good on the concept and theme.
What to expect: I don’t remember – And I guess that says a lot.
Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: Fun book that dives into human psychology and what makes people and relationships tick. It’s an entertaining read for sure.
What to expect: Lots of small tips and tricks to establish rapport that are definitely useful. I always feel the biggest use of books like this that deal with personality shifts is they help us think from the point of view of the other person, to actually listen and pay attention.
Category: 4 – SOMEDAY it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)
Comments: The issues I had with the book –
1) The narrator sounded very ‘low’ and monotonous
2) I had read this one after reading ‘How to stop clutter from stealing your life’ which was simply fantastic! (review coming soon..)
3) This was more applicable to folks who had been leading more ‘complicated’ lives thanks to big houses, too much ‘stuff’ etc..
Marler's Observatory 