Category Archives: Books

“One glance at a book and you actually hear the voice of another person — perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.”

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“One glance at a book and you actually hear the voice of another person — perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.”

—Carl Sagan, 20th Century American astronomer, astrophysicist & author

Image from Amazon

The book Cosmos by Carl Sagan was first published in 1980. It was a sensation, and Sagan became an astronomic hit (pun intended!). His work significantly popularized the explorer in each of us, to more fully examine our relationship with the universe and the role man has as a pioneer and adventurers of our solar system and beyond.

His word played a considerable role in bringing humanity’s voice, images, and the sounds of Earth to the rest of the galaxy, through the famous Golden Records attached to the Voyager probes launched in 1977.

When we look into space and see the cosmos, we are seeing the past based on the finite speed of light. Despite traveling 35,000 miles per hour, Voyager has only traveled a bit over 13 billion miles — well short of even the closest star in our Milky Way Galaxy.

EXERCISE:

What are the most influential books that made a lasting impact on your life? How have the voices of the recent and distant past taken you on a voyage through time to contemplate the thoughts and wisdom of man through the years?

Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only

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“Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.”

—Sir Francis Bacon, 16th Century Lord Chancellor of England

Image from Unsplash by Thought Catalog

I have a math problem for you on the subject of books. According to Google’s advanced algorithms, about 130 million books have been published in all of modern history.

Consider multiplying 130 million by the number of hours it takes you to read an average book, giving your reading speed. To keep it simple, let’s assume it takes you ten hours. Multiply 130 million by ten and you see that it would take you one billion, three hundred thousand hours to read all the books published in modern history.

Now let’s pretend you began reading at birth, and that, given advanced medical breakthroughs, you live to be 100.

If my math is correct, it would take 876,000 lifetimes to read them all – far more if you took time to sleep, work, eat, or do anything other than read.

EXERCISE:

As you examine your book tasting efforts, which new books, or perhaps a few oldies but goodies, are worth your valuable time in the years ahead?

Reading gives us some place to go

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“Reading gives us some place to go when we have to stay where we are.”

—Mason Cooley, Late American Aphorist

Image of a man reading at a bus stop

Photo by Laëtitia Buscaylet on Unsplash

My mother, Rose, was the most avid reader I’ve ever known. As a boy, I would frequently go with her to the library where, every three weeks, she would pick a new batch of 12 books. She devoured them every evening after dinner.

I recall her frustration on one occasion, in that she could not find, in our small local library, enough books of interest that she had not already read.

Although she was never a world traveler or college graduate, she took countless trips with her vivid imagination – wherever her written portals to adventure would take her.

EXERCISE:

Consider visiting your local library or bookstore to pick up a book that will take you on a great adventure, from the comfort of your favorite chair.

The worst thing about new books

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“The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.”

—Joseph Joubert, 19th Century French Essayist

Image of a large library

Image from Flickr by Saimad

Because I am heavily invested in personal and professional development, I am always on the lookout for the next ground-breaking book. I thrive on new ideas and the concept of finding a better way to improve the world.

If you are like me, you sometimes find new books a bit of a letdown in that they often repackage old ideas in ways that fall short of the originals.

EXERCISE:

Consider a Google search on this phrase:

The greatest ___________ books of all time. Fill in the blank with whatever types of books you value and enjoy most.

 

Some books are undeservingly forgotten

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“Some books are undeservingly forgotten. None are undeservingly remembered.”

-W.H. Auden, 20th Century English Poet

image of books on a shelf

Image from Flickr by UNCG Research

Do you love books, as I do? Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction? Regardless of your choice, take a moment to recall the books that told a great story or taught a profound lesson that has stayed with you to this day.

What percentage of the books you’ve read have you forgotten completely – perhaps undeservedly – due to a less than optimally open and receptive mind?

EXERCISE:

How would a far more open mind and receptive attitude toward seeking value and benefit from the books you read support you in living a fuller and more prosperous life?

“Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.”

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“Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.”

-Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis

Brené Brown, from her TED talk (see link below).

Brené Brown, from her TED talk (see link below).

In recent years, the subject of “vulnerability” has received a great deal of media coverage due to the work of authors such as Brené Brown.

In two of her recent books, The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly, which are based on considerable research, she clearly debunks the idea that vulnerability is weakness and indicates that it is far more correlated with courage and strength, as Freud suggests.

Exercise:

Where would being vulnerable in either your professional or personal life demonstrate the strength of your commitment to something of great importance to you?

Consider watching Brené Brown’s TED talk, The Power of Vulnerability

“Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them in: but as a rule the purchase of books is mistaken for the appropriation of their contents.”

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“Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them in: but as a rule the purchase of books is mistaken for the appropriation of their contents.”

– Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher

569Image from Flickr by susivinh.

Have you ever purchased a book with the full intention of reading it and absorbing every morsel of value, only to have it stare at you from a pile on the shelf with more than a few other similar books? Me too!

Today, I’d like to encourage you to purchase my new book, The Quotable Coach: Daily Nuggets of Practical Wisdom. My hope is that you will invest the one minute a day (or less) it takes to explore its content.

Please visit the following links and gain 365 nuggets of wisdom to support your personal excellence journey. Thank you!

Ebook: http://amzn.to/1jboDX7 (Amazon.com)

Paperback: https://www.createspace.com/4855547 (My CreateSpace eStore)

Enter the code 42E47C9N for a 10% discount on the paperback book via my store.

If you happen to find the book of value, I would sure appreciate it if you would write a review on Amazon or Goodreads.

Help Choose the Cover for The Quotable Coach Book

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Thanks so much for offering your thoughts on the title for my book. By popular demand, I’ve titled it The Quotable Coach: Daily Nuggets of Practical Wisdom.
We’ve been through an exciting and fast-paced design process during the past week, and now have four options to choose from.
Thanks again for all your support,
Barry

 

“The true university of these days is a collection of books.”

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“The true university of these days is a collection of books.”

– Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher and writer

466Image from Flickr by Abee5.

Thomas Carlyle was born in 1795. He was a Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.

What do you think Carlyle’s quote might say if he lived today in the era of Google, mobile apps, and voice recognition software? He would undoubtedly have included blogs, audio, video and a host of other modalities from which to choose.

Exercise:

Consider watching the 1959 Twilight Zone episode “Time Enough at Last” where the main character, the coke-bottle-glasses wearing Henry Bemis, explores his voracious appetite to read and learn.

What are your preferred methods of educating yourself in this time of such variety?

How can you make a bit more time for your own pursuit of continuous learning and take a self-declared advanced degree in any subject you choose?

From Harold S. Geneen

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“You read a book from beginning to end. You run a business the opposite way. You start with the end, and then you do everything you must to reach it.”

– Harold S. Geneen

I know a few people who actually read the last chapter of a book to determine if they wish to read the book from the beginning.

Yet few of us ever want to be told a joke’s punch line first, to be told how a sporting event turns out, or to know how a popular movie ends. We like to see how things evolve.

Achieving professional or personal goals is different. We like to ensure a happy, successful ending, and therefore this quote suggests that we begin with the end in mind.

Exercise:

What are your personal and professional goals? Take at least two to three minutes to actually write them down.

Take another two to three minutes to write out steps and milestones along the way that will help you reach them.

Consider doing this exercise with family members, colleagues … or a coach. 🙂

(You can find details of my coaching services here: http://www.dempcoaching.com/professional-services