when to stop reading
20 Jul
I spent the better part of the weekend reading a very fascinating book: The Knack, recommended by Mr. bDawg (thanks dawg). The Knack is authored by two columnists for Inc Magazine, Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham.
I very highly recommend it for anyone who wants to step into the murky and very turbulent waters of entrepreneurship, or even simply being self employed. Even seasoned business owners will benefit from the wisdom in its pages. It’s refreshing because the advice is dished out in a very non-assuming way and does not get too technical (well, some parts are inevitable, like finances, but that’s about it.)
While reading it, however, one thought kept crossing my mind: “I know this stuff. I’ve read it and experienced it before.” Now, before you write me off as another charlatan, let me explain.
I read a lot (except newspapers). Online, offline, wherever. My crib is littered with all sorts of books and magazines. From business to Greek epics to fantasy to children’s tales to advanced physics, it’s all there. And my computer’s even worse. I once downloaded and compiled about 15,000 pages worth of robotics documentation alone. Yep. Fifteen thousand pages spanning across thousands of PDFs. I did the math, because I wanted to print them out. When I saw the total cost, I almost collapsed.
And before I go further, don’t get me wrong, I loved The Knack. Seriously, go buy it if you can. Costs about 19,000/= . It’s a great investment.
So where am I getting with this?
By the time you buy a book and realize that there isn’t much that’s new in that book, you know it’s time to stop reading and start doing.
Granted, I’m not exactly the all bark and no bite type. I read and act. But my point is, I need to stop reading certain types of books. Especially the self-help books. Most of them are rehashes of the same subject matter anyways. There’s only to much you can learn by reading. After a while, you need to go out and do.
And just for good measure, here’s Seth Godin’s take on reading business books:
A lot of people read business books in just the same way. They cruise through the case studies or the insights or examples and imagine what it would be like to be that brilliant entrepreneur or that successful CEO or that great sales rep. A pleasant adventure.
There’s a huge gap between most how-to books (cookbooks, gardening, magic, etc.) and business books, though. The gap is motivation. Gardening books don’t push you to actually do something. Cookbooks don’t spend a lot of time trying to sell you on why making a roast chicken isn’t as risky as you might think.
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The fascinating thing is this: I spend 95% of my time persuading people to take action and just 5% of the time on the recipes.
Read the full post.
There you have it. The real lessons, the real mistakes, the real experience is out there, outside your reading room.
Who knows, maybe one day, after I’m done with the doing, one day someone might put up a blog post saying; “I spent a great weekend reading an awesome book by The Rogue King…”
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Rogue FM: Mark Mothersbaugh – Nick & Norah’s Theme
(From the soundtrack of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist). You need to watch that movie. It is brilliant!
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Memoirs: Hi Abba. What’s cooking? Thanks for yesterday. That was awesome!
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Offtopic:
Read not to contradict and confute, not to believe and take for granted, not to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.
- Francis BaconThere are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.
- Joseph BrodskyIt is chiefly through books that we enjoy the communion with superior minds. In the best books, authors talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls into ours. God be thanked for books.
- William Ellery Channing
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Yo dude,I totally agree. I’ve been pondering this ever since you told me years ago “you have tons of knowledge, now how about using it”. But i guess the point is, just like the Holy Word, you need to keep reading to reinforce these principles and get them deeply rooted in your inner core so that your basically operating on a mojo positivo auto pilot!
p.s i’m reading that book next right?
Word! And yeah, you’re next on the list. LOL. Dude, you sit right next to me!!
socks
major kudos bro
i had this discussion with you…
so, time to do….
Time to do indeed. And don’t worry, you’ll catch up soon enough.
lucky for you, you are ahead of me!!
Nice memoir!
Why thank you, Ash. How you doing?
“To be is to do”-Socrates; “To do is to be”-Sartre; “Do Be Do Be Do”-Sinatra; “Scooby Dooby Do”-Scooby Do; “Yaba Daba Doo!”-Fred Flintstone
Very articulate, Rhino.
i have never actuali read a self help book to the end. if you have read the preface, you have read it all. thanks for the insight.
You have a point there, but a lot of them are very helpful.
i wont lie i have read three biz books in life and coz they were on person skills but on business just ..ah ah except a kiyosaki maybe
LOL. In my books, Kiyosakis don’t count.
“By the time you buy a book and realize that there isn’t much that’s new in that book, you know it’s time to stop reading and start doing.”
Thanks man.
Anytime Nev.
i have some seth godin book some one gave me for my bd, failed to finish the dratted thing, purple cow this, purple cow that, wtf. tsup.
Dude. You have Purple Cow??? I want! Any Seth Godin book I want.
‘go out and do’ i like that…
Awesome. Hi Sy.