Quotes
"If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” — J.K. Rowling
“Whenever you allow someone else to give you value, you lose confidence” — Ralph Smart
“The best way to succeed in life is to act on the advice you give to others” — Fortune cookie
“Knowledge is not power, Execution is” — Tony Robbins
“There is no security on this earth. Only Opportunity.” — Douglas MacArthur
“We doubt ourselves because we haven’t put in the work” — Teronie J. Donaldson (yep that's me cool right?)
Notes/Observations
One of the benefits of reading is that it allows you to master the best of what other people have already figured out. This is only true if you can remember and apply the lessons and insights from what you read.
Always be ready to apply what you read.
Articles
5 Lessons Dick Gregory Taught Me About Success and Entrepreneurship.
9 Easy Ways to Be Constantly Improving, Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
Keep Going - Why a slight change in perspective makes a world of difference.
Watched
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying the difficulties that he faces as he tries to balance his family life with his role as the leader of a criminal organization.
I watched this show when it originally aired during its run from January 10, 1999 - June 10, 2007, and decided to rewatch it again. I did not start watching it this week but over the last few months, I happened to finish the last episode this morning. I am more impressed with the series now than when I first watched it.
My motivation for watching the series was to get a character analysis on leadership. The title character Tony Soprano is not a good guy - so this was an interesting perspective on leadership from the bad guy's view.
There are so many aspects of leadership that I learned about from Tony such as;
- Keep your crew tight,
- Be proactive
- Show muscle when needed, (obviously don't kill anyone), be firm, and don't back down if someone is trying to take advantage of you
However, my biggest takeaway was in the observation of the characters overall. Most of the characters were irredeemable, horrible human beings that lack accountability.
I see that Tony especially lacks accountability in his life with family, business, and others and this is the main cause of many of his problems.
Personal Accountability is essential for effective leadership.
A brilliant show overall.
Book of the Week
Mindset by Carol S. Dweck
Carol Dweck is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology and, by courtesy, at the Graduate School of Education. A leading expert in the field of motivation, her research has demonstrated the role of mindsets in students’ achievement and has shown how praise for intelligence can undermine motivation and learning. She has lectured to education, business, and sports groups all over the world, and has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. She has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, Nightline, and 20/20. Her bestselling book Mindset has been widely acclaimed and translated into over 20 languages.
My biggest takeaway from this read is
1 - Approach everything with a growth mindset and to put a name of my fixed habit character.
2- If I notice myself in a fixed mindset call out the name of my character as a way to identify it a move on from it back into an area of growth.
Strategy
—tips for writing from ayodeji ayosika—
If you want to be a writer and an artist, you must remember this famous line:
“Nothing bad can happen to a writer. Everything is material.”
Everything in my life can be a source of material — from the highs to the lows. Honestly, the lows are usually more compelling because there are few things more authentic than feeling like crap.
Be grateful for the usefulness of everything that happens to you. Don’t let it go to waste. Examine your own life and then examine life as a whole.
Question
"If you added up all the time wasted searching for shortcuts and trying to cheat the process, the hard work could have already been done by now." - James Clear
Where are some areas in your life you are deliberately taking shortcuts?