Dan Pink’s book, Drive, takes complex topic like motivation and simplifies it into a few core concepts. During the industrial age, the carrot and stick form of motivation worked great. If you do this, then you get that. It was strait forward and works great for simple, rote tasks. However, once we moved into the information age, the age of knowledge workers, complex problems, and creative solutions; the carrot and stick is not as effective. He does mention though, that rewards are still useful forms of motivation and they need to be fair.
In this new age, Dan Pink suggests there are three distinct areas of motivation: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. People need autonomy over what they do, when they do it, who they work with, and how they do it. Without autonomy people will focus on other things besides the results.
In order for people to produce mastery, they need to be engaged. The work can not be too easy or too hard. When this happens, people get in the “flow”. This allows one to have the mind set that abilities are not finite, but infinitely improvable. He also reminds the reader that mastery is a pain and that mastery is impossible to fully realize.
The third area of motivation is purpose. People seek a cause greater and more enduring than themselves. Purpose entices people to strive further than any traditional reward would. Purpose motivates extrinsic values in people and not just intrinsic ones. Dan Pink provides research and examples to back up his ideas. show more Overall, Drive is a great book. For those that prefer to watch the video it is here: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_pink_on_motivation.html show less
In this new age, Dan Pink suggests there are three distinct areas of motivation: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. People need autonomy over what they do, when they do it, who they work with, and how they do it. Without autonomy people will focus on other things besides the results.
In order for people to produce mastery, they need to be engaged. The work can not be too easy or too hard. When this happens, people get in the “flow”. This allows one to have the mind set that abilities are not finite, but infinitely improvable. He also reminds the reader that mastery is a pain and that mastery is impossible to fully realize.
The third area of motivation is purpose. People seek a cause greater and more enduring than themselves. Purpose entices people to strive further than any traditional reward would. Purpose motivates extrinsic values in people and not just intrinsic ones. Dan Pink provides research and examples to back up his ideas. show more Overall, Drive is a great book. For those that prefer to watch the video it is here: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_pink_on_motivation.html show less
Mastery of Self for Wealth Power Success by Frank Channing Haddock has a catchy title that suggests it could be a great book, but unfortunately it is not. This book is not worth your time to read, however if still interested here are my takeaways.
As the title suggests, this book focuses on Mastery of Self, which deals with the art of success-magnetism. Acquiring magnetism is a constructive effort. It is a building process rising through successive stories.
The best use of self demands that is be understood. You cannot reasonably hope to succeed by merely dreaming about success. You surely cannot achieve success if you plunge blindly through your career. You cannot really succeed without possessing some degree of personal magnetism. Magnetic growth is naturally slow.
There are several causes of fear:
Fear of hurt of self by self (fear of self)
Fear of hurt of self by outer things (fear for self)
Fear of threat by things
Threat by others
Threat to others
Threat by events
Threat by the future
There are several kinds of fear:
Fear of self - timidity, lack of confidence, possible unaccountable states
Fear for self - weakness, anticipated failure, imagined disgrace
Fear of things - animals, inanimate objects, physical forces
Fear of others - human beings, apparitions, devils, deity
Fear for others - children, parents, husband, wife, relatives, friends, and strangers
Fear of events - present, future, imaginary, possible, probable, and contingent
Fear of the Future - in life, beyond the present show more life
The mastery of fear involves the discovery of right relations, mental or concrete, and the placing of self in those right conditions which are determined and provided for by the ground-plan of out nature. show less
As the title suggests, this book focuses on Mastery of Self, which deals with the art of success-magnetism. Acquiring magnetism is a constructive effort. It is a building process rising through successive stories.
The best use of self demands that is be understood. You cannot reasonably hope to succeed by merely dreaming about success. You surely cannot achieve success if you plunge blindly through your career. You cannot really succeed without possessing some degree of personal magnetism. Magnetic growth is naturally slow.
There are several causes of fear:
Fear of hurt of self by self (fear of self)
Fear of hurt of self by outer things (fear for self)
Fear of threat by things
Threat by others
Threat to others
Threat by events
Threat by the future
There are several kinds of fear:
Fear of self - timidity, lack of confidence, possible unaccountable states
Fear for self - weakness, anticipated failure, imagined disgrace
Fear of things - animals, inanimate objects, physical forces
Fear of others - human beings, apparitions, devils, deity
Fear for others - children, parents, husband, wife, relatives, friends, and strangers
Fear of events - present, future, imaginary, possible, probable, and contingent
Fear of the Future - in life, beyond the present show more life
The mastery of fear involves the discovery of right relations, mental or concrete, and the placing of self in those right conditions which are determined and provided for by the ground-plan of out nature. show less
How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day is a short read by Arnold Bennett where he explains his thoughts on time management. A few takeaways from the books are as follows:
Time is the inexplicable raw material of everything. With it, all is possible; without it, nothing. No one can take it from you. It is unstealable. And no one receives either more or less than you receive.
Some people are constantly haunted by a suppressed dissatisfaction with their own arrangement of your daily life; and that the primal cause of that inconvenient dissatisfaction is the dealing that you are leaving undone something which you would like to do, and which, indeed, you are always hoping to do when you have "more time". The most important preliminary task is arranging one’s life so that one may live fully and comfortably within one's daily budget of twenty-four hours. Beware of undertaking too much at the start. Be content with quite a little. Allow for accidents. Allow for human nature, especially your own. A man should not make two-thirds of his existence subservient to one-third, for which admittedly he has no absolutely excitement from. How can he hope to live fully and completely if he did? One may have spent one's time badly, but one did spend it; one did do something with it, however ill-advised that something may have been. To do something else means a change of habits.
One of the chief things which man has to learn is that the mental faculties are capable of a continuous hard show more activity; they do not tire like and arm or a leg. All they want is change, not rest. Cultivate your mind while on the street and on the train. While idle, concentrate your mind on a subject. It does not matter what you concentrate on, so long as you concentrate. It is the mere disciplining of the thinking machine that counts. It is important to realize happiness does not spring from the procuring of physical or mental pleasure, but from the development of reason and the adjustment of conduct to principles. It is important to have your conduct and principles agree. show less
Time is the inexplicable raw material of everything. With it, all is possible; without it, nothing. No one can take it from you. It is unstealable. And no one receives either more or less than you receive.
Some people are constantly haunted by a suppressed dissatisfaction with their own arrangement of your daily life; and that the primal cause of that inconvenient dissatisfaction is the dealing that you are leaving undone something which you would like to do, and which, indeed, you are always hoping to do when you have "more time". The most important preliminary task is arranging one’s life so that one may live fully and comfortably within one's daily budget of twenty-four hours. Beware of undertaking too much at the start. Be content with quite a little. Allow for accidents. Allow for human nature, especially your own. A man should not make two-thirds of his existence subservient to one-third, for which admittedly he has no absolutely excitement from. How can he hope to live fully and completely if he did? One may have spent one's time badly, but one did spend it; one did do something with it, however ill-advised that something may have been. To do something else means a change of habits.
One of the chief things which man has to learn is that the mental faculties are capable of a continuous hard show more activity; they do not tire like and arm or a leg. All they want is change, not rest. Cultivate your mind while on the street and on the train. While idle, concentrate your mind on a subject. It does not matter what you concentrate on, so long as you concentrate. It is the mere disciplining of the thinking machine that counts. It is important to realize happiness does not spring from the procuring of physical or mental pleasure, but from the development of reason and the adjustment of conduct to principles. It is important to have your conduct and principles agree. show less
The Art of Money Getting by PT Barnum is a short read that begins with a number of antidotes about money. Many people that think they understand economy, but they have it apply in only one direction. True economy consists in always making the income exceed expenses. Always save a margin of error in favor of the income.
It is the eyes of others and not our own which ruin us. If the entire world were blind except me, I should not care for fine clothes or furniture. You cannot accumulate a fortune by taking the road that leads to poverty. PT Barnum, then talks about the 20 key factors in becoming successful.
• Don’t Mistake your Vocation
• Select the Right Location
• Avoid Debt
• Persevere
• Whatever you do, do it with all your might.
• Depend upon your own personal exertions.
• Use the best tools.
• Don't get above your business.
• Learn something useful.
• Let hope predominate, but be not too visionary.
• Do not scatter your powers.
• Be Systematic.
• Read the newspapers.
• Beware of "Outside Operations".
• Don't endorse without security.
• Advertise your business.
• Be polite and kind to your customers.
• Be charitable.
• Don't blab.
• Preserve your integrity.
It is the eyes of others and not our own which ruin us. If the entire world were blind except me, I should not care for fine clothes or furniture. You cannot accumulate a fortune by taking the road that leads to poverty. PT Barnum, then talks about the 20 key factors in becoming successful.
• Don’t Mistake your Vocation
• Select the Right Location
• Avoid Debt
• Persevere
• Whatever you do, do it with all your might.
• Depend upon your own personal exertions.
• Use the best tools.
• Don't get above your business.
• Learn something useful.
• Let hope predominate, but be not too visionary.
• Do not scatter your powers.
• Be Systematic.
• Read the newspapers.
• Beware of "Outside Operations".
• Don't endorse without security.
• Advertise your business.
• Be polite and kind to your customers.
• Be charitable.
• Don't blab.
• Preserve your integrity.
Mind is the master power that molds and makes. And man is mind. They themselves are makers of themselves. As a man thinketh in his heart so is he. A man is literally what he thinks, his character bring the complete sum of all his thoughts. Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. Man is always the master even in his weaker and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his household.
Mans mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and also that which it fears.
Here is a man who is wretchedly poor. He is extremely anxious that his surroundings and home comforts should be improved, yet all the time he shirks his work, and considers he is justified in trying to deceive his employer on the ground of the insufficiency of his wage. Such a man does not understand the simplest rudiments of those principles which are the basis of true prosperity, and is not only totally unfit to rise out of his wretchedness, but is actually attracting to himself a still deeper wretchedness by dwelling in, and acting out, indolent, deceptive, and unmanly thoughts.
Good thoughts and show more actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life.
Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance. A particular train of thought persisted in, be good or bad, cannot fail to produce its result on the character and circumstances. A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstance.
The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed. Disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in thought. Sickly thoughts will express themselves though a sickly body. Strong, pure, and happy thoughts build up the body in vigor and grace. Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure foods. There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipating the ills of the body; there is no comforter to compare with goodwill for dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow.
Until thought is linked with purpose there is not intelligent accomplishment. They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-pitying, all of which are indications of weakness. A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts.
As the physically weak man can make himself strong by carefully and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in the right thinking. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step. He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.
All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts. A strong man cannot help a weaker unless that weaker is willing to be helped, and even then the weak man must become strong of himself; he must, by his own effort, develop the strength which he admires in another. None but himself can alter his condition. He who has conquered weakness, and has put away all the selfish thoughts, belongs neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free. Victories by right thought can only be maintained by watchfulness. Many give way when success is assured, and rapidly fall back into failure.
The dreams are the saviors of the world. He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it. Dream lofty dreams, as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your Ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.
Calmness of the mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought. The strong, calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm. show less
Mans mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and also that which it fears.
Here is a man who is wretchedly poor. He is extremely anxious that his surroundings and home comforts should be improved, yet all the time he shirks his work, and considers he is justified in trying to deceive his employer on the ground of the insufficiency of his wage. Such a man does not understand the simplest rudiments of those principles which are the basis of true prosperity, and is not only totally unfit to rise out of his wretchedness, but is actually attracting to himself a still deeper wretchedness by dwelling in, and acting out, indolent, deceptive, and unmanly thoughts.
Good thoughts and show more actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life.
Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance. A particular train of thought persisted in, be good or bad, cannot fail to produce its result on the character and circumstances. A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstance.
The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed. Disease and health, like circumstances, are rooted in thought. Sickly thoughts will express themselves though a sickly body. Strong, pure, and happy thoughts build up the body in vigor and grace. Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure foods. There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipating the ills of the body; there is no comforter to compare with goodwill for dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow.
Until thought is linked with purpose there is not intelligent accomplishment. They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-pitying, all of which are indications of weakness. A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts.
As the physically weak man can make himself strong by carefully and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in the right thinking. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step. He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.
All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts. A strong man cannot help a weaker unless that weaker is willing to be helped, and even then the weak man must become strong of himself; he must, by his own effort, develop the strength which he admires in another. None but himself can alter his condition. He who has conquered weakness, and has put away all the selfish thoughts, belongs neither to oppressor nor oppressed. He is free. Victories by right thought can only be maintained by watchfulness. Many give way when success is assured, and rapidly fall back into failure.
The dreams are the saviors of the world. He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it. Dream lofty dreams, as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your Ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.
Calmness of the mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought. The strong, calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm. show less
Think and Grow Rich is a book to help people create a state of mind that can assist in achieving success. The book offers a number of exercises for the reader to complete to improve success rates. The author provides lists of attributes and attitudes that seem to be common drivers of success and failure for the reader to reflect on.
One sound idea is all that one needs to achieve success. Riches begin with a state of mind, with definiteness of purpose. One of the main weaknesses of mankind is the average man's familiarity with the word "impossible." He knows all the rules which will not work. He knows all the things which cannot be done. Know what you want and be determined to stand by that desire until he realized it. Seek expert counsel before giving up. Keep on keeping on, no matter how hard the going may be. This is a lesson that needs to be learned before succeeding.
There are a number of principles of success:
Desire is the starting point of all achievement. Faith is the visualization of and belief in attainment of desire. Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith. We are what we are, because of the vibrations of thought which we pick up and register, though the stimuli of our daily environment. Auto-suggestion is the medium for influencing the subconscious mind.
Specialized knowledge is the personal experience or observations. There are two kind of knowledge - general and show more specialized. Knowledge will not attract money unless it is organized and intelligently directed through practical plans of action and directed to a definite end. The accumulation of great fortunes calls for power, and power is acquired through highly organized and intelligently directed specialized knowledge, but that knowledge does not, necessarily, have to be in the possession of the man who accumulates the fortune. Specialized knowledge is among the most plentiful and cheapest forms of service which may be had. It pays to know how to purchase knowledge. There is a universal weakness of people - lack of ambition. Specialized knowledge, plus imagination, are the ingredients that go into a successful business. The beginning of a successful business is an idea. A idea is capable of yielding an income far greater than that of the average professional whose education required several years of college. There is no fixed price for sound ideas. Imagination is the workshop of the mind.
Organized planning is the crystallization of desire into action. It is not the lawyer who knows the most law, but the one who best prepares his case, who wins. Remember when your plans fail, that temporary defeat is not permanent failure. It may only mean that your plans have not been sound. No man is ever whipped, until he quits -- in his own mind. "Brains" are a form of capital which cannot be permanently depreciated through depressions, nor can this form of capital be stolen or spent. Money is as worthless as a sand dune, until it has been mixed with efficient "brains". Quality, Quantity, Spirit is required for delivering a service. This is commonly called the QQS rating. "Man, know thyself!" If you market merchandise successfully, you must know the merchandise. You should know all of your weaknesses in order that you may either bridge them or eliminate them. This is a free country where every man may think as he pleases, where nearly everybody can live with but little effort, where many may live well without doing and work whatsoever. However, you should know the full truth concerning this freedom of which so many people boast, and so few understand. As great as it is, as far as it reaches, as many privileges as it provides, it does not, and can not bring riches without effort.
Decision is the mastery of procrastination. Keep a closed mouth and open ears and eyes. Tell the world what you intend to do, but first show it. Deeds, and not words, are what count most. The sustained effort necessary to induce faith. Persistence is a state of mind, therefore it can be cultivated
Power of the master mind the driving force. Power is essential for success in the accumulation of money. Power may be defined as "organized and intelligently directed knowledge. "Master Mind" may be defined as: coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two of more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.
The Subconscious Mind is the connecting link. Positive and negative emotions can not occupy the mind at the same time. One or the other must dominate. Fears are nothing more than a state of mind. One's state of mind is subject of control and direction. The six fears are: Poverty, Criticism, Ill health, Loss of love of someone, Old age, Death. There can be no compromise between poverty and riches. The two roads that to poverty and riches go in opposite directions.
Your business in life is to achieve success. To be successful, you must find peace of mind, acquire the material needs of life, and attain happiness. You may control your own mind, you have the power to feed it whatever thought impulses you choose. With this privileges goes the responsibility of using it constructively. You are the master of your own earthly destiny just as surely as you have the power to control your own thoughts. You may influence, direct, and eventually control your own environment, making life what you want it to be or you may neglect to exercise the privilege that is yours to make, thus casting yourself upon the broad sea of circumstance.
Without a doubt, the most common weakness of all human beings is leaving their minds open to negative influence. Mind control is the result of self-discipline and habit. You either control your mind or it controls you. The most practical way of all methods for controlling the mind is the habit of keeping it busy with a definitive purpose, backed by a definite plan.
People who do not succeed have one distinguishing trait in common. They know all the reasons for failure, and what they believe to be air-tight alibis to explain away their own lack of achievement. Building alibis is a deeply rooted habit. Habits are difficult to break, especially when they provide justification for something we do. Plato had this truth in mind when he said, " The first and best victory is to conquer self. To be conquered by self is, of all things, the most shameful and vile." Another philosopher had the same thought in mind when he said, " It was a great surprise to me when I discovered that most of the ugliness Is saw in others, was but a reflection of my own nature."
Life is a checkerboard, and the player opposite is time. If you hesitate before moving, or neglect to move promptly, your men will be wiped off the board by time. You are playing against a partner who will not tolerate indecision. Previously, you may have had a logical excuse for not having forced life to come through with whatever you asked, but that alibi is not obsolete, because you are in possession of the master key that unlocks the door to life's bountiful riches. show less
One sound idea is all that one needs to achieve success. Riches begin with a state of mind, with definiteness of purpose. One of the main weaknesses of mankind is the average man's familiarity with the word "impossible." He knows all the rules which will not work. He knows all the things which cannot be done. Know what you want and be determined to stand by that desire until he realized it. Seek expert counsel before giving up. Keep on keeping on, no matter how hard the going may be. This is a lesson that needs to be learned before succeeding.
There are a number of principles of success:
Desire is the starting point of all achievement. Faith is the visualization of and belief in attainment of desire. Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith. We are what we are, because of the vibrations of thought which we pick up and register, though the stimuli of our daily environment. Auto-suggestion is the medium for influencing the subconscious mind.
Specialized knowledge is the personal experience or observations. There are two kind of knowledge - general and show more specialized. Knowledge will not attract money unless it is organized and intelligently directed through practical plans of action and directed to a definite end. The accumulation of great fortunes calls for power, and power is acquired through highly organized and intelligently directed specialized knowledge, but that knowledge does not, necessarily, have to be in the possession of the man who accumulates the fortune. Specialized knowledge is among the most plentiful and cheapest forms of service which may be had. It pays to know how to purchase knowledge. There is a universal weakness of people - lack of ambition. Specialized knowledge, plus imagination, are the ingredients that go into a successful business. The beginning of a successful business is an idea. A idea is capable of yielding an income far greater than that of the average professional whose education required several years of college. There is no fixed price for sound ideas. Imagination is the workshop of the mind.
Organized planning is the crystallization of desire into action. It is not the lawyer who knows the most law, but the one who best prepares his case, who wins. Remember when your plans fail, that temporary defeat is not permanent failure. It may only mean that your plans have not been sound. No man is ever whipped, until he quits -- in his own mind. "Brains" are a form of capital which cannot be permanently depreciated through depressions, nor can this form of capital be stolen or spent. Money is as worthless as a sand dune, until it has been mixed with efficient "brains". Quality, Quantity, Spirit is required for delivering a service. This is commonly called the QQS rating. "Man, know thyself!" If you market merchandise successfully, you must know the merchandise. You should know all of your weaknesses in order that you may either bridge them or eliminate them. This is a free country where every man may think as he pleases, where nearly everybody can live with but little effort, where many may live well without doing and work whatsoever. However, you should know the full truth concerning this freedom of which so many people boast, and so few understand. As great as it is, as far as it reaches, as many privileges as it provides, it does not, and can not bring riches without effort.
Decision is the mastery of procrastination. Keep a closed mouth and open ears and eyes. Tell the world what you intend to do, but first show it. Deeds, and not words, are what count most. The sustained effort necessary to induce faith. Persistence is a state of mind, therefore it can be cultivated
Power of the master mind the driving force. Power is essential for success in the accumulation of money. Power may be defined as "organized and intelligently directed knowledge. "Master Mind" may be defined as: coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two of more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.
The Subconscious Mind is the connecting link. Positive and negative emotions can not occupy the mind at the same time. One or the other must dominate. Fears are nothing more than a state of mind. One's state of mind is subject of control and direction. The six fears are: Poverty, Criticism, Ill health, Loss of love of someone, Old age, Death. There can be no compromise between poverty and riches. The two roads that to poverty and riches go in opposite directions.
Your business in life is to achieve success. To be successful, you must find peace of mind, acquire the material needs of life, and attain happiness. You may control your own mind, you have the power to feed it whatever thought impulses you choose. With this privileges goes the responsibility of using it constructively. You are the master of your own earthly destiny just as surely as you have the power to control your own thoughts. You may influence, direct, and eventually control your own environment, making life what you want it to be or you may neglect to exercise the privilege that is yours to make, thus casting yourself upon the broad sea of circumstance.
Without a doubt, the most common weakness of all human beings is leaving their minds open to negative influence. Mind control is the result of self-discipline and habit. You either control your mind or it controls you. The most practical way of all methods for controlling the mind is the habit of keeping it busy with a definitive purpose, backed by a definite plan.
People who do not succeed have one distinguishing trait in common. They know all the reasons for failure, and what they believe to be air-tight alibis to explain away their own lack of achievement. Building alibis is a deeply rooted habit. Habits are difficult to break, especially when they provide justification for something we do. Plato had this truth in mind when he said, " The first and best victory is to conquer self. To be conquered by self is, of all things, the most shameful and vile." Another philosopher had the same thought in mind when he said, " It was a great surprise to me when I discovered that most of the ugliness Is saw in others, was but a reflection of my own nature."
Life is a checkerboard, and the player opposite is time. If you hesitate before moving, or neglect to move promptly, your men will be wiped off the board by time. You are playing against a partner who will not tolerate indecision. Previously, you may have had a logical excuse for not having forced life to come through with whatever you asked, but that alibi is not obsolete, because you are in possession of the master key that unlocks the door to life's bountiful riches. show less
Acres of diamonds : all good things are possible, right where you are, and now! by Russell H. Conwell
Acres of Diamonds
Acres of Diamonds could be best summarized by its subtitle: all good things are possible, right where you are, and now. The book is peppered with many anecdotes to entertain, as well as, make the reader think. Although the author does not attempt to organize the book into topics, these various stories could be categorized in three groups: money, place (time an location), and character.
Money
The love of money and seeking vast riches will not make you happy. Money is power, you can do more good with it than you could without it. Money is not evil, only the love of money is. However, he who tries to attain it too quickly, or dishonestly, will fall into many traps.
It is best to grow wealth slowly on your own so that you appreciate what you have and do not become greedy. It pays to be modest. You can not get rich on capital. The moment a young man or woman gets more money than he or she has grown to by practical experience, that moment he has gotten a curse. Do not attempt to send anyone enough for all their expenses, but just enough to save them from the bitterness. Even a small gesture or donation can lead to great results.
You can not trust a man with your money who cannot take care of his own. You can not trust a man in the world that does not begin with his own heart, his own character, and his own life. The majority of rich people are honest. They have to be honest if they are to control of great companies and find plenty of people to work with.
Place
It is show more possible to find vast riches in your own backyard if you look for them. You can measure the good you have done by what the city has paid you, because a man can judge very well what he is worth by what he receives; that is, in what he is to the world at this time. Do not leave one job before you have another, nor engage in a business you know nothing about. Find out what the customer wants before spending money on making something. If you care about your customers, enough to take interest in his affairs, to find out what he needs, it is possible to become rich.
Acres of Diamonds offered a great example that location is not the only factor of success.
"Records taken in 1889 of 107 millionaires of New York. If you read the account you will see that out of the 107 ten millionaires only seven made their money in New York. Out of the 107 millionaires worth ten million dollars in real estate then, 67 of them made their money in towns less than 3,500 inhabitants. It makes not so much difference where you are as who you are. But if you cannot get rich in Philadelphia you certainly cannot do it in New York."
It is the attitude of the person, not the place that drives success. The author suggest we should "talk up our own city".
Character
Don't think you are going to be made great by an office, but remember that if you are not great before you get the office, you won't be great when you secure it. Greatness consists in doing great deeds with little means and the accomplishment of vast purposes from the private ranks of life. To be great at all one must be great here and now.
True greatness is often unrecognized. We are taught that generals do all the fighting, but this is not true. Many of the great victories in war were won because of the great things done by the common soldier.
A characteristic that creates success is a dreamer that visualizes his dreams and can plan great things that to other men would seem impossibilities. Intense efficiency, prowness, patience, fine earnestness, and mastery over others allow for development of dreams into realities. Dreams, dreams, and see visions - visions that are never visionary and then dreams will become facts.
Be intensely earnest. Always remember, as you preach, that you are striving to save at least one soul with every sermon. Faith can move mountains; but it is better not to wait for the mountains to be moved, but to go right out and get to work at moving them. Think big things, then do them. Let patience have her perfect work. Things turn your way because you are on the job.
Lincoln's principle for greatness can be adopted by nearly all. This was his rule: whatever he had to do at all, he put his whole mind into it and held it all there until that was all done. Another similar maxim of efficiency mentioned in the book was: "This one thing I do". Whatever the thing may be which he is doing he lets himself think of nothing else until it is done. show less
Acres of Diamonds could be best summarized by its subtitle: all good things are possible, right where you are, and now. The book is peppered with many anecdotes to entertain, as well as, make the reader think. Although the author does not attempt to organize the book into topics, these various stories could be categorized in three groups: money, place (time an location), and character.
Money
The love of money and seeking vast riches will not make you happy. Money is power, you can do more good with it than you could without it. Money is not evil, only the love of money is. However, he who tries to attain it too quickly, or dishonestly, will fall into many traps.
It is best to grow wealth slowly on your own so that you appreciate what you have and do not become greedy. It pays to be modest. You can not get rich on capital. The moment a young man or woman gets more money than he or she has grown to by practical experience, that moment he has gotten a curse. Do not attempt to send anyone enough for all their expenses, but just enough to save them from the bitterness. Even a small gesture or donation can lead to great results.
You can not trust a man with your money who cannot take care of his own. You can not trust a man in the world that does not begin with his own heart, his own character, and his own life. The majority of rich people are honest. They have to be honest if they are to control of great companies and find plenty of people to work with.
Place
It is show more possible to find vast riches in your own backyard if you look for them. You can measure the good you have done by what the city has paid you, because a man can judge very well what he is worth by what he receives; that is, in what he is to the world at this time. Do not leave one job before you have another, nor engage in a business you know nothing about. Find out what the customer wants before spending money on making something. If you care about your customers, enough to take interest in his affairs, to find out what he needs, it is possible to become rich.
Acres of Diamonds offered a great example that location is not the only factor of success.
"Records taken in 1889 of 107 millionaires of New York. If you read the account you will see that out of the 107 ten millionaires only seven made their money in New York. Out of the 107 millionaires worth ten million dollars in real estate then, 67 of them made their money in towns less than 3,500 inhabitants. It makes not so much difference where you are as who you are. But if you cannot get rich in Philadelphia you certainly cannot do it in New York."
It is the attitude of the person, not the place that drives success. The author suggest we should "talk up our own city".
Character
Don't think you are going to be made great by an office, but remember that if you are not great before you get the office, you won't be great when you secure it. Greatness consists in doing great deeds with little means and the accomplishment of vast purposes from the private ranks of life. To be great at all one must be great here and now.
True greatness is often unrecognized. We are taught that generals do all the fighting, but this is not true. Many of the great victories in war were won because of the great things done by the common soldier.
A characteristic that creates success is a dreamer that visualizes his dreams and can plan great things that to other men would seem impossibilities. Intense efficiency, prowness, patience, fine earnestness, and mastery over others allow for development of dreams into realities. Dreams, dreams, and see visions - visions that are never visionary and then dreams will become facts.
Be intensely earnest. Always remember, as you preach, that you are striving to save at least one soul with every sermon. Faith can move mountains; but it is better not to wait for the mountains to be moved, but to go right out and get to work at moving them. Think big things, then do them. Let patience have her perfect work. Things turn your way because you are on the job.
Lincoln's principle for greatness can be adopted by nearly all. This was his rule: whatever he had to do at all, he put his whole mind into it and held it all there until that was all done. Another similar maxim of efficiency mentioned in the book was: "This one thing I do". Whatever the thing may be which he is doing he lets himself think of nothing else until it is done. show less
Blink is about how people make split second decisions consciously and unconsciously and what can drive a person to a good or bad decision. One of the major factors is the difference between knowledge and understanding of the decision maker. Sometimes too much knowledge can lead to paralysis by analysis. There needs to be a balance between rational analysis and instinctive judgment. Through experience and practice it is possible to identify what details are important and which are not. Some qualities cannot be measured with tests and statistics such as attitude and motivation. The book hopes to encourage practical problem solving that does not fixate on the person making the snap decision making, but to examine the context in which the unconscious circumstances influenced the snap decision. The book also suggested that priming a person before they make a decision can have a noticeable effect on their decision making.
The Innovator's Dilemma tries to explain why great companies fail, how successful companies innovate, and what the differences are between innovating sustaining technologies versus disruptive technologies. One of the reasons why companies fail is because they are held captive by their customers. It is possible for customers to continually ask for the same product they have been using for ages, but with bigger, faster, better features.... however, they might not be aware of or willing to use something that is different and potentially better. This can prevent a company from creating technologies that will be useful to the customer in the future or for entering a new growth market.
Organizations need more than capable employees to innovate. The organization needs to provide resources, processes, and values that support innovation of disruptive technologies. This can be difficult for some companies because small markets don't solve the growth needs of large companies. Management does not want to invest in markets that don't exist because they can't be analyzed. The tolerance for failure can be high in some organizations too. Smaller companies, on the other hand, are able to compete in small markets and markets with smaller margins and still create growth for the company.
Matching markets to disruptive technologies can be difficult to do. Organizations can be more specialized than they think, which can make it more difficult to innovate new technologies. Leadership in show more disruptive technologies can create enormous value. Established companies may not have leadership values within its organization since it is less important in creating sustaining technologies. show less
Organizations need more than capable employees to innovate. The organization needs to provide resources, processes, and values that support innovation of disruptive technologies. This can be difficult for some companies because small markets don't solve the growth needs of large companies. Management does not want to invest in markets that don't exist because they can't be analyzed. The tolerance for failure can be high in some organizations too. Smaller companies, on the other hand, are able to compete in small markets and markets with smaller margins and still create growth for the company.
Matching markets to disruptive technologies can be difficult to do. Organizations can be more specialized than they think, which can make it more difficult to innovate new technologies. Leadership in show more disruptive technologies can create enormous value. Established companies may not have leadership values within its organization since it is less important in creating sustaining technologies. show less
Now Discover Your Strengths is a great book. My boss made me read it before I had my annual review. If you ask someone what they are good at, they will say something like "I am good at baseball, computers, writing, math, etc" What this book does, it helps people understand what traits they have that make them good at those skills/tasks. These talents are what makes a person successful at many of the things they excel at. It helps you think about yourself at a higher level. This book can help greatly when getting reviewed, promotions, or job interviews.