Heavy Book Club Proposal

FIRST (1)

I realized recently that for the past ten years plus… I’ve read nothing but self-help, business and how-to books.

Sure, I got my fiction habit back two years ago, but there was something “missing”. What I think is missing is the “hard science” and “practical” stuff: History, biographies, economics, politics, science, classics, etc.

And I noticed I do have quite a few of these books on the shelves… But I kept putting them off for the quick-and-easy self-help/business… Justifying it as growing my business, and I should feel guilty for reading anything else. Or I’d just rather read fiction because I personally want to become a fiction writer.

So what I’d like for us to accomplish in this group is to pick books that..

  1. We can take copy ideas from
  2. We can take life lessons from
  3. We can expand our wisdom bank…

BUT MY ONE CRITERION –

  1. Cannot be candy-coated and easy-to-swallow like a “How-To”, “7 Steps To”, book.

The books on our shelves we keep putting off. The ones we know will cost us… mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Because the lessons are hidden inside the stories and events. And it’s up to us to decipher them and actually use our brain… Instead of having it spoon-fed to us in 7 steps, a listicle or some cute acronym.

SECOND (2)

Earlier this year I was looking at the Modern Library and Easton Press top 100 list. The classics - And man. Wow. For being a “well-read” guy, I realized I wasn’t really well-read at all. 50 “how-to” books on the same subject (how to make money)… doesn’t really count for one good classic. So that’s something I’d like to START tackling this year.

In case you guys are wondering:

THIRD (3)

And the key word I just used was “START”. I used to look at these lists and just get overwhelmed. I kept thinking I had to tackle them all in one go – in one long continuous streak. That’s a really weird and absurd way to think. I don’t know why I have that in me. It’s the OCD part plus the “saving for heaven” part of me… I.E. WHEN I have enough money, THEN I’ll sit down and watch the Criterion Collection of films.

It’s really dumb. It’s the same idiotic mentality that most people have about investing as well. I.E. WHEN I have enough money, THEN I’ll start investing. Or WHEN I’m good enough, THEN I’ll ask her out on a date etc.

Robert, my mentor sent me this recently:

The most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later. - Randy Komisar

Start now. And Commit.

We do one book every 3, maybe 4 weeks… That’s 12 books off the list. It’s OKAY to take 5 - 6 years to complete one of these lists.
Another quote:

Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year - and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade! - Tony Robbins, stolen from Bill Gates