Posts from the ‘Good Reads’ Category

Good Read: Uncertainty by Jonathan Fields

Recently, I finished reading the book Uncertainty by Jonathan Fields.

I enjoyed reading this book.  In a nutshell, this book is about managing the creative process, particularly with regard to entrepreneurial pursuits.  In this book, Jonathan Fields has drawn on his own experience of success, transformation, effort, and uncertainty to give us pointers on how to face our fears and use them to propel us forward, rather than hold us paralyzed.  Not only is this book motivational, inspiring you to take courageous decisions, it also provides practical advice on how to deal with the fear and take steps to avoid disaster.

Jonathan Fields offers a fresh perspective on the creative process based on his own experiences as well as research.  He frames the creative process in a new way by talking about things like creativity anchors, co-creation hives, attentional training, and reframing.

I appreciate how he brings these complex ideas down to earth for readers. I think the strongest part of his book are the thought-provoking questions he posses to readers.  These are found throughout every chapter.  In addition, he provides a “Conversation Starter” in the back which includes even more ideas for the active mind to ponder!

Fields continually encourages self-reflection, and I for one agree that self-awareness is key to not only successfully navigating creative pursuits, but to learning and growing in general.  One of the most helpful insights I got out of this book was about the value of certainty anchors and in particular the importance of rituals in creative endeavors.

The other important message I gleaned from Fields’ book related to co-creation hives.   The entrepreneurial journey can be a lonely one, and  therefore gaining support and assistance from others along the way can be very rewarding.  With co-creation hives Fields recommends formalizing the process to ensure a win-win arrangement that best leverages a cohort of value-adding contributors.

For me, the primary message of this book is to accept uncertainty (as hard as that may be).  Whenever you start on a new path or venture or endeavor, accept the uncertainty.  Looking for any guarantees before you start can only lead to mediocre work and not great work.  Great work is possible by accepting “uncertainty and its trusted sidekicks: risk of loss and exposure to judgment.”

In reality, there is uncertainty with everything in life.

In other news, thank you to all of you who participated in the blog giveaway with Adirondack Stone Works!  The winner of the blog giveaway is Kathy!  Your contact information has been given to Adirondack Stone Works, who will be in touch with you shortly concerning the custom stone you have won!

Good Reads

Good Reads: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown; and Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon.

Recently, I have been trying to find more time to read in order to complete reading the myriad of books on my desk!   I recently finished reading  Daring Greatly by Brene Brown; and Steal Like an Artist by Austin Keon.  These were both Good Reads!

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

Brene Brown, Ph.D., LMSW is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work.  She has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame.  Her 2010 TEDxHouston talk on the power of vulnerability is one of most watched talks on TED.com.

Daring Greatly was named after a quote from Theodore Roosevelt, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

In this book, Brene Brown presents her findings on the concepts of shame, weakness, and vulnerability.  Defining vulnerability “as exposure, uncertainty, and emotional risk,” Brene Brown maintains that this feeling is the crux of most of our meaningful experiences.  Ultimately, she writes, it is not a weakness; everyone is vulnerable, we all need support via friends and family.  Trust and vulnerability go hand in hand.  Brene Brown believes it is essential to expose oneself to a wide range of feelings in order to combat shame, break down the walls of perfectionism and stop the act of disengagement that separates many from themselves and others.  “Rather than sitting on the sidelines and hurling judgment and advice,” she writes, “we must dare to show up and let ourselves be seen.  This is vulnerability.  This is daring greatly.”   When we choose to dare greatly, the rewards are vast: We feel more loved and are more loving, we feel worthy of that love, we choose our path and commit to it with daily practice, and we live with courage, engagement and a clear sense of purpose.

One of the reasons I enjoyed reading this book is the openness and vulnerability with which Brene Brown speaks of her own experiences.  She is clear in describing herself as “a great mapmaker and a stumbling traveler” and I think it the descriptions of her own struggles with vulnerability that make the book so accessible and relatable.

What spoke to me overall, is the idea of how we are in a culture of “scarcity,” thinking we are not “enough,” that we are failing somehow as a person, and how that leads to fear, shame and guilt, etc.  Brene Brown contends that in the end, we need to be brave and let ourselves be vulnerable, whether what we do is successful or not, because that is the only way to fully experience life and joy.  We cannot shut out just the bad stuff selectively.  When we try, we shut out the good stuff too.  Overall, I found this book eye-opening and thought-provoking.

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

I loved this book!  I read about this book last year, and recently ordered it.  It is a quick read and it is filled with insightful quotes, fun drawings, and inspirational photographs.  This book helped me to think more creatively about becoming more creative by introducing me to a variety of different perspectives that will help me become more alert and more aware.

The quotations included in this book are excellent.  Below are some of my favorite quotes.

“Art is theft.”  – Pablo Picasso

“The only art I’ll ever study is stuff that I can steal from.”  – David Bowie

“What is originality? Undetected plagiarism.”  – William Ralph Inge

“It is better to take what does not belong to you than to let it lie around neglected.” – Mark Twain

“Start copying what you love.  Copy copy copy copy.  At the end of the copy you will find your self.”  –Yohji Yamamoto

” The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.”  – Jessica Hische

“Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.” – Gustave Flaubert

Happy Thursday!

Good Read: The Fifth Agreement

Recently, I finished reading The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz and Don Jose Ruiz.  Some time ago, I read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.  They are both good books.  The The Fifth Agreement is a fast, easy read with some very thought-provoking points.  The last half of the book really explains how to use the five agreements in your life.  This book gave advice for your day-to-day life that The Four Agreements does not include.

The Four Agreements are:

1. Be Impeccable with your Word
Speak with integrity.  Say only what you mean.  Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others.  Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you.  What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want.  Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama.  With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

These are wise words to live by.

In the The Fifth Agreement, the final agreement, is to Be skeptical, but learn to listen.    The Fifth Agreement prepares us to “return to our innate wisdom, and live our lives based on truth.”  The fifth agreement is ultimately about seeing our whole reality through the eyes of truth.  The result of practicing this agreement is the complete acceptance of ourselves just the way we are, and the complete acceptance of everybody else just the way they are.  The reward is our eternal happiness.

This book gives you an opportunity to change your  world view and obtain more peace.  I highly recommend this book to all!

Good Read – “Zen and the Art of Happiness,” by Chris Prentiss

Good Read — My good friend, Angie, highly recommended this book that she had read over the summer entitled,  Zen and the Art of Happiness by Chris Prentiss.  I recently finished reading this book and it is a very good read and contains insightful nuggets of advice along with practical, spiritual, and applicable wisdom from the Eastern philosophy of Zen Buddhism.  This book also provides you with a positive, uplifting message that can impact and influence the very makeup of your body at a cellular level through what you believe, think, and feel.  Prentiss uses plain words and simple, easy to grasp, life examples.

The idea of this book, at its core, is that to be happy you must realize that the Universe is looking out for you and regardless of what happens, it is the best possible thing that can happen to you.

What I love best about this book is that it gives you the means to rise above whatever happens.  This book will help you find a dramatic change in your life.  Pick up a copy, have an open mind, and get into a different type of world that you may have never known.

Two of my favorite quotes contained in this book,

“Everything comes at the appointed time.”

“The Universe doesn’t make mistakes.”

Happy Thursday!

Good Reads

Good Reads:

During our vacation, I was able to finally get some reading done.  I still have many more books waiting on my bookshelf to read, but here are a few good reads.

1. The Best Advice I Ever Got Lessons from Extraordinary Lives by Katie Couric.  Couric has compiled pieces of inspiration and wisdom from various people, leaders, and visionaries such as Maya Angelou, Jimmy Carter, Michael J. Fox, and Ken Burns, who offer advice about life, success, and happiness — how to take changes, follow one’s passions, overcome adversity and inertia, commit to something greater than ourselves, and more.  Each story, which ranges from just a short paragraph in length to a few pages, has a unique and uplifting message.  Couric also weaves her own personal stories throughout the book.

2. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  Rubin is a former lawyer who abandoned her career to follow her bliss: She decided to become a writer.  She started her blog as a part of a year-long experiment to find new ways to be happy.  She has now turned that experience into a best-selling book.  You can find The Happiness Project blog here.  Rubin defined happiness (“To be happy, I need to think about feeling good, feeling bad and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth”), designed a chart to monitor her progress and assigned a goal to each month.  Rubin took each month to focus on one part of her life to improve her overall happiness, Rubin examined different aspects like marriage, parenting, money and friendship and tried to find ways to add more fun and happiness to each.  What really drives the narrative though is her ability to take this research, apply it to her life and come up with useful lessons for her readers.  Rubin sums up the reason for her happiness quest best by saying “the days are long, but the years are short”.

3. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.  For all of you dog lovers, this novel is a really good read.  This book is narrated by a dog, Enzo, who (of course) cannot communicate as he would like to, by talking with his family.  Instead, Enzo pours his considerable heart and spirit into this book, sharing his experiences and reflections with readers.  Although Enzo is frustrated with his limitations as a canine, he comforts himself with the fact that, according to a documentary he watched about Mongolia (Enzo is a dedicated television viewer), he will be reincarnated as a human.  And he knows a lot about being a human after watching his master Denny Swift, who is a hero to him.  This was the first novel that I read with a furry friend as the narrator.

4. The Honest Truth About Dishonesty by Dan Ariely.  This book provides a fascinating perspective about lying, truth-telling, and why it is much easier to slide into cheating than we realize or admit to ourselves.  Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, sets out to ask why and when cheating occurs, whether it is useful and how it can be discouraged.  He also defines the paradoxical nature of dishonesty.  Specifically, Ariely explores the question — Why do we do what we do?  Why do we often behave irrationally or in a way that is inconsistent with our values?

Good Read – The War of Art

I just finished reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.  It was a very good read!

Steven Pressfield has written this guide to help you identify resistance in your life and beat it!  The wisdom in The War of Art can be used to help you accomplish any goal you set for yourself.  The key is beating resistance, that force that keeps you from living up to your potential.  The War of Art emphasizes the resolve needed to recognize and overcome the obstacles of ambition and then effectively shows you how to reach the highest level of your creative discipline.

Good Reads

Happy Leap Day!  I am not reading as much as I would like, but I try to squeeze in a chapter or two a day.  Below, are two books that I recently enjoyed reading.

Doug gave me a novel, Recipes for a Perfect Marriage, by Morag Prunty, which was a very good read.  Check out this link.

I also enjoyed reading, The Gifts of Imperfection, by Brene Brown.  Check out this link.

Biscuit continues to do well with his recovery from surgery.  He only has two more days in his t-shirt!

Good Read – “Rescuing Sprite”

Rescuing Sprite written by Mark Levin is a very good read about a real life story about a rescue dog that brought so much joy into a family’s life!  I highly recommend this book for anyone who has rescued a dog or who is considering rescuing a dog!   Please find the following link for more details.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rescuing-sprite-mark-r-levin/1008540642