5 Profound Volumes
It’s no secret that I read a lot… so people often ask me what I’m reading or if I have any good books to recommend on a particular subject.
I consider ACTIVE reading, that is reading with an eye towards actually doing something with the information, a weapon in your arsenal. If you become an information hub you become more valuable.
I have a particular method of note taking that allows me to retain an amazing amount of the material I read because it focuses on recall and building connections among many concepts.
BUT, as much as I love reading and acquiring knowledge I KNOW and have SEEN with my own eyes it is not the most important skill you can have.
Nor is it marketing (although that is HUGE), neither is it being great with numbers.
What is it? It’s making connections with people. One of my friends and a business mentor of sorts told me a few months ago, “They’re just MEN! There is nothing stopping you from picking up the phone and striking a deal with them.”
And, he’s exactly right. I created a small little business (not in pick-up or marketing niche) just this month that has made enough to pay my rent and utilities… and, it’s a monthly program so it’ll keep coming in. I have more plans to grow it in the coming months. His “They’re just MEN!” mantra as my own. He meant, they aren’t anything more special than you/me.
So, as far as business success is concerned I consider this book to be the number one…
Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time
This book by Keith Ferrazzi isn’t just fluff and common sense. He has REAL action items and strategies you can put into play. His idea about Super Connectors is really the most developed I’ve seen. And, his strategy for nearly taking over an entire conference is superior to any other as well.
Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life CD
Love him or hate him Trump is successful. He’s stared defeat right in the face and came out on top. I loved his first book “The Art of the Deal.” Now, he has published a few real horrible books. Trump: How to Get Rich was pretty bad. But, “Think BIG and Kick Ass” was worth it. I bought the CD version for listening in the car and it helped motivate me.
One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way
Once you are on the right path you can begin to smoke your rivals by making consistent, constant small improvements. The author discovered in his Therapeutic practice that if he asked people in an APATHETIC state to do too much they’d shut down because the Amygdala would view it as a threat, have a fear response and go into “flight” (run the hell away) mode. Once the brain was conditioned to the smaller steps they could then take bigger and bigger steps until they were running FULL STRIDE towards their goals.
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
This is where the core level of Sticking Point Analysis comes from. It is in novel story format so it is a fast, easy read but the ideas are golden. Bust those constraints!
The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization
This book will show you how to see stuff that nobody else can see. One friend of mine said “You have an uncanny ability to pinpoint the exact problem and exact solution within about a minute… how the hell do you do that?!” This book is how. But, it is HARD to read. And, even harder to grasp… but the end result of this one and the Goal is pure Ninja Calibration.
If you have any experiences with these books comment below (good or bad) AND if you end up buying any of them and reading them come back and comment. There’s GOLD in each of them.
Captain Jack
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Thanks for these recommendations. I spend most my time reading fiction and screenplays and what not but you've convinced me that I should branch out into some stuff like this.
“It’s no secret that I read a lot”
Right………the problem with most poo-ahs is that they are self-help junkies and all they do is gorge on a plethora of vacuous, cliched and predictiablly trite books on motivation, self-help and so on.
this is what makes most guys in the “community” weird is that they read this genre of books exclusively. If they must read fiction, they will extend it to the universally derided indulgent books of Ayn Rand, which is a mental masturbation for self help addicts.
To most erudite, cultured human beings – and yes to most interesting, intelligent women – being well read means reading LITERARY FICTION and perhaps history, philiosophy and political books.
To guys like Megatron, (posted below) keep reading fiction. It is an elegant art form and the best way of understanding the human psyche. Most girls read more than guys and it is an excellent way of genuinely connecting with them. If you say that you just read – Madame Bovary, it will sound cool, sexy and intellectual. Say you read anything in this list and you will appear…………..weird and desperate. Not that you should read for what others may think however this point is worth mentioning.
There were some great books released this year by Philip Roth and Paul Auster in particular. And of course, there are hundreds of great, great books to read and enjoy, which meet the critereia of “profound volumes” Gabriel Garcia Marquez, James Joyes, Leo Tolstoy etc……….
Poo-ahs will never be taken seriosly if all they do is repeat and recommend self-help books that have such a laughably myopic focus: the material success in life of one person.
There is a degree of value to be derived from some books in this genre but they all essentially repeat points that the likes of Tony Robbins were saying 20 years ago.
I have respect for Neil (Strauss) as he is remarkably well read, cultured remarkably knoweledgable and as such, he is the only one from our ranks to enjoy credibility in mainstream literary and academic circles, precisely because he is very well read and cannot be lampooned.
Forgive the rant as I think CJ is otherwise a very, very capable and talented pua and I have certainly learned a lot from reading your field reports and escapades over the years! You are one of the very best!
Hi Will, thanks for commenting and thanks for the kudos at the end of the comment.
I want to make a few points about my list and your comment.
There is not a book on that list that is traditional self-help or has a myopic focus. In fact, every book on that list is contrary to traditional self-help drivel. Other than “One Small Step” none of them are 'self-help' and that one certainly goes against pretty much every other self-help book I've read.
You have a taste for Literary Fiction and, like most people who like Literary Fiction, you seem to look down on others who don't like it or who haven't read it. More people would probably read it if the people who recommended it didn't seem like they were always trying to be intellectually superior and snotty.
Throwing out names and titles of authors might work in the circles you run in but that is a VERY small circle. I'd be willing to bet that if everyone on this blog sent a text message to all the girls in their phone, “What's your favorite book by Tolstoy?” they'd be lucky to get a 2% response. Again, you can say it is because these women aren't “cultured” or intelligent but they like what they like and they don't deserve to be judged because they were never exposed to it or they couldn't get into it.
As far Ayn Rand being “universally derided” I think that is a ridiculous statement. Perhaps in the circles you run in that is true. But, “Atlas Shrugged” reads like prophecy today. Her idea that a mixed economy eventually leads to a dictatorship she talked about in the 60s looks pretty darn true when you take the Bush Administration AND all the mixing of business and government we now have with the bailouts.
It is not in anyone's best interest to have the government controlling industry. This creates a new Feudalism where the families with the most pull in the government fleece the average person. The rest of the unconnected rich and the middle class are left to foot the bill while these few hundred families continue to pile on wealth and status. What Rand warned about IS HAPPENING right now and has been for awhile now.
They scream against “the rich and powerful” and pound tables with one hand while the other hand signs laws and taxes and prints money and sends it to the few hundred families with the other hand.
All these people know each other… and, Obama is just their newest poster boy. He will simply continue to help them like all the other world leaders do.
If a person were to read Rand's books ONLY with an eye towards masculinity and how the feminine and masculine interact they would be doing themselves a HUGE favor. And her message of being bigger than the world around you and being an individual has helped thousands. You CANNOT help anyone else unless you have your shit together.
The type of person that Ayn Rand lauds is the type of person who CREATED the middle class. The individualist entrepreneur who threw off Collectivism and PRODUCED something meaningful that saved us time, effort and money.
You mention Neil as an example. Have you met him? I have. Do you know he is a big fan of the “universally derided” book, Atlas Shrugged?
As far as Neil goes he was given this whole Pick-up thing as an assignment from a book publisher. Do you also think he is a Motley Crue groupie? No, because they don't make any money. But mPuas do…
You CANNOT do any good to society if you can't do well for yourself. Gates, Buffet and Ted Turner are probably going to wipe out Malaria in our lifetime. They are doers and producers, not government 'officials' and collectivists.
Do you think someone who has malaria gives a shit about Gabriel Garcia Marquez or Tolstoy? Or, are they praying to God for someone like Gates to give money, organizational expertise and VISION to galvanize a group of DOERS and PRODUCERS to make something happen?
CJ
Yeah! What he said.
(bubble, bubble, bubble
I set the bong down.)
Heavy stuff
A great reading list. Thank-you for assembling it. I had the Keith Ferrazzi on my radar map, and now you've helped moved it to the forefront of my “Books to read” list.
I'm really interested to learn more about how you are an ACTIVE reader. Anything you could share in a future post along those lines would be appreciated. Something similar you might enjoy I found on Tim Ferris' blog (4-hour work week author): http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/12/05...
Re: the reply above about reading fiction: I'm someone who has straddled the line between non-fiction and fiction. Use to be a fiction-only reader… then a non-fiction only reader… now I read and enjoy both. One area of non-fiction I'm getting more interested in is History, as well as biographies. Historical figures, in the hands of a competent author, make for facinating reading. I find that history can offer the best of fiction and non. And if you like the audio format there are some great history podcasts out there. I listened to one on Hannibal and now am going through a series on Napolean – both are fascinating, and one can learn from great leaders. Last, as a non-American I have been someone who has not been that interested in American figures, or history. Big mistake… the Biography of Malcom X is a great read. Now I'm working though “1776″ which is fabulous.
Again – thanks for the post, I appreciate hearing about good books to read.
Thx,
Ian.
“I have a particular method of note taking that allows me to retain an amazing amount of the material I read because it focuses on recall and building connections among many concepts.”
please explain. I also always make notes from the books I read, but I don't have a special method for it.
Never Eat Alone is next on my list. I was thinking of buying 'Click' but then I read a few reviews and Never Eat Alone came out on top. I'll let you know what I think of it.
I bought the book 'Think BIG and kick ass…' and I must say I wasn't too impressed. Trump is very successful, and I know that he knows his shit – but, I don't think his book is very good at relaying the information I need to know. He talks a lot about his success, and how he got there – but it seems like he leaves out the 'baby steps' he took; and without those the information is pretty much useless. However, these problems are minor, as the story was good, and this book will definitely help you 'think' the right way.
I would suggest 'Secrets to the Millionaire Mind,' or 'The Millionaire Next Door' over Trumps book. 'Secrets' is a very good book to get your mind set correct, and 'The Millionaire…' shows you that most of the people living the lavish life (like Trump tells you to do) are not as wealthy as you think they are.
Awesome list! Thanks for the recommendations.
About the Trump book… The thing about Trump and a lot of these other guys is they don't really do 'baby steps.' That's one thing I've learned in the last 6 months or so and why Trump's book struck a chord with me. He does everything big.
I have a friend/business mentor who is the same way. He just doesn't see these smaller baby steps because he passes them by like a whirlwind. OTHER people do the baby steps. When I'd think calling 10 people was a lot of action he'd put a plan in motion to contact 100. Scale is one of the things missing.
I didn't like “Millionaire Next Door” that much because I think most of those people were accidental milliionaires. Their lives aren't really how I want to live. Many of them scrimp and save and their millionaire status is primarily business equity that they'd be hard pressed to cash out because their businesses DEPEND on them. They haven't turned it into a real business that could run with professional management.
I am reading “Millionaire Mind” right now and I like it more. The group surveyed is quite a bit higher than the group for the Millionaire next door.
Here's something interesting to do: If you write down the major Theme's in Trump's book and then compare it to Table 2-1 in “Millionaire Mind” I think you'd find a HUGE overlap.
The other thing I liked about the Trump book was Zanker's story about influencing one of the guys to speak at the Learning Annex. He sent the guy flowers every day for a long time. That's persistence.
CJ
I'd also like to hear about your note-taking system. I try to take notes when I read but I still find I don't retain as much information as I'd like to.
This is so typical. Thanks for confronting “Will” on this issue. Has he returned comment? But it's not new, and I've seen this with many who criticize objectivism. They don't provide any argument at all. Just snide remarks. What is it specifically with the objectivist philosophy that he disagrees with? The metaphysics (nature of reality and existence exist and A is A axioms?) The epistemology of reason? Perhaps it's the metaphysical primacy that objects have over subjects (that is a thought or whim does not automatically alter reality). I would like to know. What does he mean by “mental masturbation” and how does it apply to objectivism?
“More people would probably read it if the people who recommended it didn't seem like they were always trying to be intellectually superior and snotty.”
Trying is the operative word here, but one can easily see through it. Someone who fancies themselves a thinker should be able to generate at least one cogent argument. It 's good that you sympathize with Rand's message, but be careful about framing it's benefits in altruistic terms (for example, helping thousands which is fine but the not the core issue).
An important point needs to be made about Buffet and Gates. Gates specifically is an altruist. This is someone who despite his technical knowledge and business success, subscribes to the idea that individuals fundamentally do not have the right exist for their own sake and that the good is what is done for the others, in this case the poor–as if their poverty were a legal or moral claim on someone else's life and property. Though he doesn't say it explicitly, it's contained in his message:
http://galileoblogs.blogspot.com/2008/01/ignora...
You may also want to consider this excellent blog: Incinerating Presuppositionalism
bahnsenburner.blogspot.com
If Will or anyone else is interested in serious philosophical discussion specifically targeted towards mysticism then check it out. Start at the beginning, it's a long one
Found this through Twitchy's site, btw
Clarification:
Said I found this through Twitchy's site, and was referring to your website not those I listed.
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