The Energy Bus | Jon Gordon

The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon is a short book that you can easily read and get some inspiration and question the way you live your life.

Positive people and positive teams produce positive results, and the essential ingredient is positive energy.

Everything happens for a reason. Don’t forget that. Every person we meet. Every event in our life. Every flat tire happens for a reason. You can choose to ignore it or ask what that reason is and try to learn from it. Every problem has a gift for you in its hands as my man Richard Bach says. You can choose to see the curse or the gift. And this one choice will determine if your life is a success story or one big soap opera.

We don’t talk this game, we play it.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less | Greg McKeown

If I ask a key question to myself as: “What was the best book of 2024 so far?” Probably I would choose Greg McKeown’s “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” which was easy to understand, applicable and eye-opening for me. I found it while I was searching Amazon’s best seller list and it is a real must-read if you deal with so many to-do’s within your ordinary day. I hope my quotes from the book will help you.

THE WISDOM OF LIFE CONSISTS IN THE ELIMINATION OF NON-ESSENTIALS.

 —Lin Yutang

Sam Elliot is a capable executive in Silicon Valley who found himself stretched too thin after his company was acquired by a larger, bureaucratic business. He was in earnest about being a good citizen in his new role so he said yes to many requests without really thinking about it. But as a result he would spend the whole day rushing from one meeting and conference call to another trying to please everyone and get it all done. His stress went up as the quality of his work went down. It was like he was majoring in minor activities and as a result, his work became unsatisfying for him and frustrating for the people he was trying so hard to please.

In the midst of his frustration the company came to him and offered him an early retirement package. But he was in his early 50s and had no interest in completely retiring.

He went to speak with a mentor who gave him surprising advice: “Stay, but do what you would as a consultant and nothing else. And don’t tell anyone.” In other words, his mentor was advising him to do only those things that he deemed essential—and ignore everything else that was asked of him.

The executive followed the advice! He made a daily commitment towards cutting out the red tape. He began saying no.

Now when a request would come in he would pause and evaluate the request against a tougher criteria: “Is this the very most important thing I should be doing with my time and resources right now?”

He stopped attending meetings on his calendar if he didn’t have a direct contribution to make. He explained to me, “Just because I was invited didn’t seem a good enough reason to attend.”

He could concentrate his efforts on one project at a time. He could plan thoroughly. He could anticipate roadblocks and start to remove obstacles. Instead of spinning his wheels trying to get everything done, he could get the right things done. His newfound commitment to doing only the things that were truly important—and eliminating everything else—restored the quality of his work. Instead of making just a millimeter of progress in a million directions he began to generate tremendous momentum towards accomplishing the things that were truly vital.

To his great surprise, there were no negative repercussions to his experiment. His manager didn’t chastise him. His colleagues didn’t resent him. Quite the opposite; because he was left only with projects that were meaningful to him and actually valuable to the company, they began to respect and value his work more than ever. His work became fulfilling again. His performance ratings went up. He ended up with one of the largest bonuses of his career!

In this example is the basic value proposition of Essentialism: only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.

Hidden Potential | Adam Grant

Everyone has hidden potential. This book is about how we unlock it. There’s a widely held belief that greatness is mostly born—not made. That leads us to celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music. But you don’t have to be a wunderkind to accomplish great things. My goal is to illuminate how we can all rise to achieve greater things.

Same As Ever | Morgan Housel

In the realm of financial wisdom and life’s philosophies, few voices resonate as profoundly as that of Morgan Housel. His book, “Same as Ever” is a treasure trove of insights, anecdotes, and timeless wisdom that challenges our perspectives and urges us to think deeper. This blog post aims to share some of the most impactful quotes from the book, each serving as a reminder of the enduring truths that govern our lives and the world around us. From Warren Buffett’s wisdom on the constancy of change to Jeff Bezos’ focus on the unchanging, these quotes invite us to reflect on the paradoxes that define our existence. So, let’s embark on this journey of exploration, guided by the enlightening words of Morgan Housel. Same as ever, yet always new.

Million Dollar Weekend | Noah Kagan

In the vast ocean of business literature, it’s easy to drown in the monotony. Many of these books, while well-intentioned, can often lull you into a state of inertia rather than sparking the fire of innovation. However, there’s one that stands out from the crowd - Noah Kagan’s “Million Dollar Weekend”

As a white-collar employee, I’ve come to realize that reading books can sometimes become a sophisticated form of procrastination. We convince ourselves that we’re gaining invaluable insights, but in reality, we’re just delaying the leap into action.

This is where Noah Kagan’s “Million Dollar Weekend” flips the script. Kagan understands the entrepreneurial mindset and the pitfalls of over-preparation. His book is a breath of fresh air in the business genre, cutting through the fluff and providing a practical guide to real action.

In the upcoming sections, I’ll share some insightful quotes from the book that have the potential to transform your entrepreneurial journey.

Unreasonable Hospitality | Will Guidara

I saw this book Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara in the book list that Ozan Varol shared and then I also noticed it in the bestseller list of Amazon when I was very close to finishing the book. It is a great book that every business people can find things to apply in their business life. Although Will Guidara has a profession that I am not familiar with, the method he uses will probably fit into almost all businesses.

Will Guidara was twenty-six when he took the helm of Eleven Madison Park, a struggling two-star brasserie that had never quite lived up to its majestic room. Eleven years later, EMP was named the best restaurant in the world. How did Guidara pull off this unprecedented transformation? Radical reinvention, a true partnership between the kitchen and the dining room—and memorable, over-the-top, bespoke hospitality. Let’s see what I highlighted from Will’s book.

In the rise of digital communication and increased demand for remote work, we are left feeling lonelier and more apart than at any other time in recent history. Yet our intense desire to feel a sense of belonging remains—it’s an innate human need. That’s where Unreasonable Hospitality comes.

The greatest restaurants in the world became great by challenging the way we think about food: sourcing, preparation, presentation and, of course, taste. But when Will Guidara set out to make Eleven Madison Park the best restaurant in the world, he had a crazy idea about how to do it: “What would happen if we approached hospitality with the same passion, attention to detail, and rigor that we bring to our food?”

Awaken Your Genius | Ozan Varol

Ozan Varol is one of the best "out-of-the-box thinkers" I have known and after reading his best seller "Think Like a Rocket Scientist", I started to follow his blog and weekly posts. I get new perspective from what he shares and this makes him one of my best authors. And here is the best book I read in 2024: Awaken Your Genius. No need for fancy introduction, you will understand why I love him so much after having a look at the quotes from his book below. So let's start...

Here’s the thing: No one can compete with you at being you. You’re the first and the last time that you’ll ever happen. If your thinking is an extension of you—if what you’re building is a product of your own genius—you’ll be in a league of your own. But if you suppress yourself, if you don’t claim the wisdom within, no one else can. That wisdom will be lost, both to you and to the world.