I’m going to die.
Well, at least that’s what it feels like.
Truthfully, I’m just sick, which only happens once every year or so. Apparently, I don’t fuck around with colds. Nah, I get straight to the flu.
I’m having more hot and cold flashes than a woman going through menopause and if I have to eat another damn saltine cracker I’m going to, uh, do something…bad.
But on a bright note, I get to pretty much lounge around and finish up all the books I’ve been reading.
I usually go through a new book every week or two, but this past month I’ve found myself caught up between several I’ve yet to finish up.
So here’s what I’m reading:
Egonomics - What makes ego our greatest asset or most expensive liability - [i]by David Marcum and Steven Smith [/i]
This is a very insightful and thought-provoking account of my best and worst enemy: ego.
I love the blurb from the inside cover:
“Unless you’re an egomaniac, this book is sure to change your behavior and make you a better person. If you are an egomaniac, it won’t occur to you to read it. Hence, I predict that most copies of Egonomics will be anonymous gifts.”
Marcum and Smith have spent the last five years studying ego and how it interferes with success but also how it sparks the drive to achieve. They’ve also spent the last five years making people feel bad about themselves, but I’m sure all those egotistical bastards needed to be taken down a peg.
Apparently, the “three keys” to keeping your ego healthy are humility, curiosity, and veracity.
Having your own cheering squad does not show up on the list, which I found weird. Alcohol didn’t make an appearance either.
Thing I’ve learned:
- I have one hell of an ego.
- This is a good and a bad thing.
- I now recognize different “warning signs” when my ego is threatening to take over
- I have less tolerance for other people’s ego
- I’ll have to read this book again
The 4-Hour Workweek [i]by Timothy Ferriss[/i]
Alwyn Cosgrove first recommended this book to me and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that Alwyn knows what he’s talking about. This is my second time through Ferrris’ book and I’m consistently picking up new things and having ‘a-ha’ moments.
The 4-Hour Workweek is based on the premise that most people are living the “deferred life plan”, which is slave, save and then retire.
Ferriss believes that retirement is worst-case scenario, and people would enjoy life more if they took frequent ‘mini-retirements’ throughout life.
According to Ferris, time and mobility are more important than income. It all depends on how many 'W’s you control. What you do, and When and Where you do it.
Here are a few more things the book includes:
-How to outsource your life to overseas virtual assistants for $5 per hour and do whatever you want
- How to eliminate 50% of your work in 48 hours
- How to trade a long-haul career for short work bursts and frequent “mini-retirements”
-What the crucial difference is between absolute and relative income - How to cultivate selective ignorance and create time with a low-information diet
- How to get free housing worldwide and airfare at 50�??80% off
- How to fill the void and create a meaningful life after removing work and the office
What I like about Ferris is that he also practices what he preaches. Check out his bio:
Serial entrepreneur and ultravagabond Timothy Ferriss has been featured by dozens of media, including The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, NBC, and MAXIM. He speaks six languages, runs a multinational firm from wireless locations worldwide, and has been a world-record holder in tango, and chinese kick-boxing champion and a popular guest lecturer at Princeton University where he presents entrepreneurship as a tool for ideal lifestyle design and world change. He is thirty years old.
Now that’s just fucking cool.
After reading the 4-Hour Workweek I:
-Booked a trip to Belize
-Secured a couple freelancing deals with some national magazines
-Freed up about 40 hours per month without losing any income
-Learned how to throw a boomerang
Not too shabby.
Sperm Wars [i]by Dr. Robin Blake[/i]
I got this book in the mail yesterday from Craigk2 (thanks, man!) and I’m already about 30 pages in.
I’ll write more on this later, but here are a few initial thoughts:
- This book is fucked up
- I’ll never look at my penis the same way
- I’ll never look at a vagina the same way
- Sperm warfare is quite possibly the coolest thing ever
- This book is fucked up
So what are you reading?