“Different” by Youngme Moon is a book about brands and how to understand what makes one brand different from one another and how a company can become different.  Though this is by and large a business book, I found it changed the way I thought about being “different.”

And for full disclosure, I read this book right after the surprisingly disappointing Linchpin by Seth Godin, which was touted as a book about being different.  Unlike, Linchpin,  I found this book to be a good read that actually made me think about what we mean by “different.”

Moon argues that most businesses talk about being different but don’t do anything to be different..  What they think is “different” is really one of two things:

1. Augmentation by addition: adding new features to a product
2. Augmentation by multiplication: adding new lines of product: diet coke, coke with lime, cherry coke, etc.

When brands try to be “different” they really end up doing the same thing as everyone else.

In “Different”, Moon takes use trough different types of brands:

Reverse-positioned brands: brands that take away something you want but give you something unexpected, like JetBlue that takes away first class and round trip tickets but gives everyone leather seats and an entertainment center.

Breakaway brands: brands that re-categorize their brands as something else, e.g. Hugggies turned a diaper into a “pull-up”..

Hostile brands: brands that flaunt the fact that the brand is not for everyone, e.g. Hollister has only sizes 0-9

She uses these brand types to guide us to her main point: being different is not just a marketing tactic, it is a way of thinking.

The Good

I like the way Moon starts out the book.  She realizes that in words used to categorize brands they should not be taken as gospel.  They are just a starting point—a frame of reference—to start a conversation.

I wish more books said that.  Categories are merely heuristics to build a framework.  I wish more books (Ahem, Malcolm Gladwell!) would state this clearly instead of making people run around trying to fit something into a framework that doesn’t quite fit.

Moon is very clear that she is not trying to deliver the be-all-end-all of “difference.”  She is giving you a place to start.  And this book did get me thinking about what it really means to be “different” rather than just telling me that I or my business should be different.

The Bad

This book is not a rah rah book. It doesn’t give a bunch of platitudes about how great it would be if your business were “different.”  If you are looking for something to motivate you this is NOT that book.

I see this as good, but this “you can go it” style without substance is what passes for a lot of business books these days.

Different is nothing like that.   But I found it to be an easy read with plenty of case studies to illustrate the point.

The Verdict

Get the book!(affiliate link).  If you’re in business, it would be a good resource for you to think about your brand.  If you are just interested in the idea of being different and trying to figure out what difference really is, I think you will also find this book worthwhile.

Not convinced?  You can read an excerpt from the author’s site.

And you can view the cool video trailer for the book.

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If you’ve read one book about time management, you’ve probably read them all—at least that’s the conclusion I’ve been coming to after reading a bunch of them.

So, imagine my surprise when I read a book that hits upon a novel concept:

Manage ENERGY NOT TIME.

But did the concept live up to its billing?

The Good

I liked this book for 2 reasons:

#1 It offered compelling insights

#2 Unlike most books of this type, it didn’t rely on fluff to sell things. It actually had some substance.

They key insights in this book arre:

1. The key to high performance is energy not time
2. You must not overuse or underuse your energy
3. Press beyond limits to build capacity
4. Rituals, not discipline, is key

The authors use the metaphor of the athlete in this book and approach managing energy the same way athletes do.  They make a distinction between marathon and sprints.   The Power of Full Engagement says you should live your life like a sprint and do more when you have energy and then rest when you don’t.

The authors recommend breaking your day into 90-minute “sprints” with 15 minutes of rest.

I found this to be interesting given that in another book I read” The Brain Rules” it states that the brain cannot concentrate for long periods of time.  So, a break is good both mentally and physically.

The key they say is to keep your energy high in order to get things done,  you should tap into 4 sources of energy:

• physical (and includes strategies for “fueling the fire” through exercise, nutrition, and sleep),
• emotional (“transforming threat into challenge”),
• mental (“appropriate focus and realistic optimism”)
• spiritual (“having a ‘why’ to live”)

By combining these 4 sources of energy, the authors say you become fully engaged.

I like this book mostly because it shows a new way of dealing with things. Here is a chart from the book:

The second part of the book is related to showing how to do all this.

The Bad

I liked most of the book.  There are times when the authors rely on storytelling (one of the authors also wrote a book on the power of stories) instead of giving more information.  But I don’t think they went overboard and they don’t fall into inspiroof.   However, at times I was thinking that I would choke if I had to hear one more story.

One thing people may not like about the book is that its roots are in athletics and its training is like training “corporate athletes”.  I find that even though athletes are good to study, their realm is mainly physical more than mental.   Some things that work for them do not always translate into the “real” world.

Another thing is I think this book is longer than it needs to be.   I found it repetitive in some parts.  And the writing style can be dull, making the book harder to read in some spots than it needs to be.

The Verdict

Despite these problems, I definitely recommend this book. I put some of the things in this book into practice and found they work for me.  But I think the insights this book offers are worth the price of admission and a good place to start when thinking about time management.

The link is my Amazon affiliate link.Similar Posts:

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This review is going to be a little different from anything I’ve done before.  It’s an experiment, you might say.

You can say that I was thrilled to grab a copy of Linchpin on my Kindle.  And as a disclaimer, I was pre-disposed to liking this book because since this year stared I have made creativity my focus.  In addition, I have made creating art (not drawing pictures/painting kind of art, but art as in expressing creativity) my theme for the year.

That said.  I HATED this book.  If I still had hair, I’d of pulled it out right in the middle.  This might be the first time ever that I loved the idea in a book but hated the book itself.  How is that possible?

Let’s go into it.

Linchpin basically says that we’re all artists and we should  make ourselves indispensible (linchpins).

Here’s basically what Godin is saying in his own words.

“You don’t become indispensable merely because you are different. But the only way to become indispensable is to be different. That’s because if you’re the same, so are plenty of other people.”

Don’t you love that message?  I do.  So, why did I hate the book so much?

I thought as an experiment I’d try to write the rest of my review in the style of Linchpin.  Sit back and enjoy (if you can).

Review written in the style of Linchpin

Linchpin is a book that repeats the same idea over and over again.  It constantly talks about the same thing over and over again.  The severity of this repetition cannot be overstated. This is because it restates the same premise ad nausea (yes, I’m using the word incorrectly).

The Guy at the Bar

It’s like this time I went into a bar.  I met this guy.  This guy was pretty wasted.  I mean really wasted.  His eyes were glazed over and it looked like he would fall down at any moment.  But here’s the thing.  This guy keeps telling this story about his ex-wife and a dog.  And he keeps telling the same story over and over again.  Till finally, someone says, “hey man, I heard that already.”  But the guy just kept on telling the same story, as if he heard nothing at all.  I think somewhere out there that man is still telling that story.  Linchpin is that man.

The Broken Record

When I was a kid I played records.  That’s right.  I was born before the CD was invented.  So, for you “youngsters” who don’t know what I’m talking about a record is “vinyl”.  Anyway, every so often one would skip and play the same little part over and over again.   You may like that part of the song.  It may even be your favorite part of the whole darn song.  But it’s get REAL annoying after awhile.  Linchpin is that broken record.

The Undergrad Stretching the Report

A student needed to write a 35-page paper on the symbolism in Heart of Darkness.  He pretty much summed it up in 5 pages. But the assignment was 35 pages.  What does he do?  First, he peppers the paper with stories and long quotations.  Then he phrases and rephrases himself.  He takes one short sentence and turns it into three long ones. He takes short and easy words and replaces them with long phrases and idioms.  Before long that paper is at 37 pages.  Linchpin is that paper.

The Cover Band That Only Knows 3 Songs

There’s a cover band that only knows three songs.  Yet, they usually play a one-hour set.  Now, the three songs they know run about 21 minutes or so.  So, they play the same three songs over and over.  They change the order here and there to add variety.  And of course one of those songs is “Free Bird” which they add some drum solos and guitar bits at the end.  Now, some people in the audience love these 3 songs and demand that they be played again and again.  Some even ask them to play ONE song the entire hour.  Linchpin is that cover band.

I am sure that the fans of Seth Godin who buy all his books love to hear him repeating himself. They probably see it as proof that he’s a marketing genius or something.  I, for one, can only hear “Free Bird” so many times before I finally say ENOUGH ALREADY!

Summary of the Linchpin-style Review

As you may have guessed by now, this book has a serious repetition problem.  A big problem!  The only other thing I hated about this book was how in the beginning Godin keeps repeating how schools train you to be a factory worker.  He goes all off on how schools don’t teach you to be artists but how to repeat information and follow orders, but I get the feeling that Godin was regurgitating the same message throughout this entire book while  following the instructions of his publisher.

The Verdict

Great idea.  Terrible book.  If you’re a fan of Godin, you’ll buy it anyway.  If you’re not a fan…read a summary on Amazon.  It pretty much covers it.  Or go back and read the quote above.  It’s the whole book.Similar Posts:

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A self-help or personal development book should be as advertised: a way to actually help yourself or develop in some area.

But some books present ideas that can actually cause you to regress instead of progress.  Or they are so insulting to one’s intelligence that they take you for a fool.  In one post, I tried to show how you can know that a self-help book is BS.  If you don’t see a book listed here, I advise you to go to that post and see if the book you are reading fits the description.

I can’t possibly read all the bad books out there, but here is my list of those books you’re better off not reading.

I’ll update this page regularly as I come into contact with the worst of the worst.  I recommend you subscribe to my feed or get updates by e-mail (located on the sidebar) to stay up to date.

The Secret

This one is tops.  The Secret is the WORST THING to ever happen to personal development.  The fact that this book is so popular is really no surprise to me.  Everyone wants to believe that there’s some magic pill that’ll absolve them of all responsibility to take action and bring them happiness.  And The Secret delivers. It delivers a bunch of crap.  That whole Law of Attraction stuff is largely BS.  But The Secret takes it further than ever.  But let’s say I actually believe that the Secret is true.  That means:

The Secret on Health: It’s not germs that kill you; it’s your negative thoughts.

The Secret on Wealth: You’re poor; because you’re too negative.

The Secret on happiness: Your negative thoughts are to blame for your unhappiness.

So, a kid born in Darfur is wrecked by disease, starvation, and brutality because of his negative thoughts?  According to The Secret—YES.

What kind of “guiding principle” is that?

Some people tell me I don’t “get” The Secret.  Or they say I don’t know the “true” Secret (of course, they’ll let me in on that true secret for a large sum).

Look: I watched the video and I’m just taking what they say at face value.  The Secret is the  logical conclusion of New Thought teachings which form the basis of a lot of self-help.  It completely empowers the individual with having control over the universe.  Heck, you’re thoughts can make things come true, right?  Sorry!  Lots of things are just out of your control.  That’s life.  Deal with it.  It doesn’t sound as “positive” as The Secret, but life isn’t always positive.  And to blame the bad things that happen to you on “negative thoughts” is reprehensible.

The fact that people think this is guiding philosophy astounds me.  One thing that really gets me is how “materialistic’ The Secret is.  As I the universe really cares about how much money you have…the oceans will be gone in about 1 billion years and the sun’s going to expand in 5 billion years and leave this little planet lifeless…I’d say your dream car is pretty very low on the universe’s list of things to cares about.

At some point, I will do a long review of The Secret to let you know what I really think of it.

Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins

I’ve now had the displeasure of reading one book by Tony Robbins.  I love advertisements.  I just don’t like advertisements disguised as personal development.  This book was 512 pages of mostly fluff.

See my full review to see what I really think of this book.

Who Moved my Cheese?

This has to be one of the dumbest books I’ve ever read.  I have no problem with parables.  I have no problem with a short book.  What I do have a problem is reading an entire book that basically says “embrace change.” See my full review here to see what I really think of Who Moved my Cheese?”.

Anything written by Dr. Phil

Dr. Phil?  I think he’s the worst of the “it’s all your own fault” gurus.  His “straight talk” is nothing but a way of giving simplistic answers to complex problems and then blaming people because they just can’t figure it out.  And when they don’t just “get it”, Dr, Phil is there to tell them how dumb they are and accuse them of not taking responsibility.

People love simple answers and I’m sure Dr. Phil was a refreshing change of pace from the “secrety” stuff out there (yes, Secret fans, that so-called secret’s been around awhile now with guys teaching it for years).  But all Dr. Phil offers is a way for you to beat yourself up over everything.

But there is one story I heard about Dr. Phil that I did like.

You see, when Oprah was sued by the cattle ranchers over her beef comments, she hired Dr. Phil to help her understand the jury.  That’s what Dr. Phil did.  He was a jury consultant—not a therapist (makes sense now, doesn’t it?).

Anyway, he goes to Oprah’s office and her secretary tells him Oprah’s too busy and he’ll have to wait.  In response, Dr. Phil gets up and is about to leave.  The secretary tells him to wait.  He says he won’t wait because ,”it ain’t my ass being sued.”

Oprah let him in right away.

Hell ya, Dr, Phil!  That’s a lesson we all need in self-value, even if I don’t value Dr. Phil as much as he values himself.

However, hs books are still terrible.

And speaking of Oprah…

Any self-help book recommended by Orpah

Let’s get this straight: Oprah LOVED The secret.  She raved on and on about it.  To her credit though, she did backtrack a bit when someone ACTUALLY followed The Secret and refused chemotherapy for her cancer and decided to use The Secret instead.

So, to recap:

1. Oprah she recommends a book that’s full of crap.

2. a person follows the advice in said crap book

3. Oprah gets freaked out because the advice is kooky.

4. Oprah still loves The Secret but thinks seeing a doctor is a good idea.

Did she even read The Secret?  Or watch the infomercial–I mean movie? How can you trust anything she says?

You’d think that after the whole James Fey thing that she’d have no credibility whatsoever!

For years, she’s had some real wackadoos on her show and no one ever seemed to question it. The fact that she lets so some of those alternative health people on her show should cause alarm (see Jenny “my son may not have autism after all even though I blamed the MMR vaccine for his maybe-not autism” McCarthy).

Newsweek finally had the guts to call her on it last year.  But why did it take 20 years or so for them to do it?

THE END SO FAR

Think I’m wrong?  You love Dr. Phil?  Are you Dr. Phil? Let me know.  Or if you have a book that you think belongs on this list, I’ll try to have a look at it and review it myself.Similar Posts:

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Are you reading this review at your office instead of working?  Well, according to Larry Winget, you’re a thief.  You’re stealing from the company.  Now, get your butt back to work.

That’s the central message in It’s Called Work for a Reason: Your Success is Your Own Damned Fault”.

A friend of mine recommended this book, and Larry’s straight-forward, no-holds-barred style means you are about to get a dose of harsh reality. And he pretty much takes on everyone in this book: smart-ass employees, gossips, know-it-all managers, hotel clerks, and more.

Sometimes the truth hurts and this book delivers the pain.

The Good

The best part about this book was how Larry managed to be pretty balanced between employees and business.  As someone who’s been an employee, ran a business, and handled employees, I felt Larry hit the nail on the head.

If you’re an employee: Stop whining and do your damn job.

I don’t know how many times I had to tell people that.  Instead, I was expected to be someone’s therapist.

But Larry didn’t leave me off the hook.  No, siree. He says if employees are acting that way, it’s because you’re a bad manager. Ouch!

And that’s the core of the book: your success is your own fault.  You make it.

I love the message of personal responsibility, which is lacking in some corners.  In some personal development corners, I get treated to people ranting about being “wage slaves” and “working for the man”.

And Larry has some advice for them.  Shut up and do your job.  If you don’t like it, leave.

No manifesting intensions or other malarkey.   Straight advice that’s easy to understand.  Simple, not complex.

I loved that about this book.

Some advice Larry gives that I love:

• There are no secrets: you already know what to do.
• Always be on time.
• Teamwork is nonsense.
• Don’t hire “team players”. Hire people who want credit for their work and get out of their way.
• Focus on results.

The Bad

First of all, this book is not for the motivated or those who are content on the job. This book is definitely pep-talk material.  Not motivational, but irritational, as Larry says. So, it’s good if you’re in a rut or need a little jolt.  For the others, it may not have the intended effect.

Secondly, Winget oversimplifies things.

There are many types of gurus, but you’ve got two extremes. You’ve got the “align your vibrations I’m spiritual” kind of guru, and then there’s the “you’re a failure cause you’re an idiot” guru.  Larry is definitely more of the second type.  The”you’re an idiot’ guru puts 100% of your problems squarely on you.

In debt? Your  fault.

Kids are rotten? You’re fault.

Personal responsibility is one of my core messages as well.  But when I think it through, I ask myself: when someone hits your parked car, it’s not your own damned fault.  It’s theirs.

So, how does one distinguish between something being their fault or someone else’s?  Winget does not provide an answer.

And that’s because the “you’re an idiot” guru tends to oversimplify everything.  They are very black and white.  And, sorry Larry,  your success or failure is not 100% your own damn fault.  That’s not being irresponsible.  That’s called reality. Poop happens.  And success depends on making the most out of what you CAN control, and not wasting a bunch of time and energy on things you can’t change.  Larry might even agree–he thinks idiots don’t change.

But the one point where Wignet and I totally agree on and where I too happen to be black and white on is this:   You DO control your ethics and standards. There is no excuse for being a slimeball.  Your integrity IS your own damn fault.   And the reason I liked this book is for this message: being a bad employee is bad for YOU.  Because losing your integrity is the worst thing that can happen to you.

The Verdict

Heck, you read my blog. How could I NOT recommend this book?  You know I’m kind of partial to this kind of guru despite what I said.  Sometimes we all need someone to shake us up.  And I haven’t seen many books that I could recommend to both employers and employees.  But this is one of them.

And love him or hate him, Winget‘s style is easy to follow and makes for a pleasant read.

Yeah, that’s right. I referred to a Larry Winget book as “pleasant”.

Now, read the book It’s Called Work for a Reason!: Your Success Is Your Own Damn Fault and find out why that just might be controversial.

As an aside, why is it that all the “you’re an idiot” gurus seem to have Southern accents?  I’m originally from Texas and my deep-seeded southern accent came creeping through while reading this book.   I think I’m gonna do me a little podcastin’ with my accent before it wears off…Similar Posts:

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"Star" from the amazing collection of artwork by Carlon Haas

Today, I am honored to be a guest blogger over at one of my favorite blogs, “The World’s Strongest Librarian.”  It’s a great blog for learning to get stronger, healthier, smarter, and enjoy every day of your life.

As I noted in an earlier blog post, I’ve learned more from children’s books than from most of the “books” on creatvity.

Josh has given me the chance to review one of my favorite books, “Draw Me a Star” by Eric Carle.  Go please go to Josh’s blog now to read my review.Similar Posts:

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Disclosure: Everyone says that that Tony Robbins is an amazing speaker.  But I have NEVER heard Tony Robbins speak.  My only “contact” with Tony Robbins was watching him in “Shallow Hal.”  So, my review covers this book “Awaken the Giant Within” ONLY and does not take not account the man himself, the other products he sells, or the quality of his seminars/programs.

The Good

I can definitely say that this book was not cheesed in any way.  It’s 512 pages of small font writing.  There was only one problem: he really doesn’t seem to say much.   As a writer, I did like the chapter on changing vocabulary.  Words are important in how you describe yourself and others.   The checklists he gives on “power words” in the vocabulary chapter is quite useful.  It’s also important if you are a writer.

I originally bought this book as a way to help me make better decisions.  But the most I got out of the decision section was simply “make more decisions.”  And that was probably the most helpful part of the book.

The Bad

Right from the beginning of this book, my poop detector started going off.  Robbins begins the book with a story about riding in a helicopter and realizing just 12 years ago he was the janitor at some building.  Not the same as “I was living in my car…” but it comes close.

Then there’s how  outdated the book felt.  This book is chockfull of stories to illustrate what Robbins is trying to tell you.  The problem?

You ever seen “The Wedding Singer?”  There’s a  scene where the wedding photographer shop says to a couple that they’ll last forever, like “Ivana and Donald, Woody and Mia, and Burt and Loni”

Well, that’s the same feeling I get when reading this book.

He talks about a private school that closed down.  And the story of how happy Billy Joel is now that he married Christy Brinkley was especially comical given the present state of that marriage.

All I can say is UPDATE THE BOOK!

Usually, these kinds of books are full of inspiroof (proof by inspirational story).  Now, that is bad enough.  But  this book gives you inspiroof s of people who never actually followed the system in question.  The system being NAC (not NLP: nero-linguistic programming. Totally different, right?  Note to self: make new program NLT: Neuro-linguistic training).

When a book gives you insiroof of people who don’t follow your system, it insults my intelligence.  I mean,imagine a Christian missionary  who’s trying to get you to follow Christianity and used the Buddha as an example of someone who followed the teachings of Jesus.  That guy would be laughed out the door.

And THAT brings me to the part of the book that annoyed me the most: Robbins’ non-stop self-promotion.

Tony Robbins definitely has a high opinion of himself.  I actually spit out some of the water I was drinking when I saw that he quoted himself in his own book.  He quotes the Bible, Helen Keller, Thomas Edison, et.al and himself! That takes some serious conjones.  I should have put that up there  with the good part of the review.

The book also constantly makes reference to his other products and the amazing results.   At many points in the book, I thought I was reading sales copy.

In fact,  I started wondering which copywriter wrote this book.  I mean wow…I could not help but get that feeling that if I really want to learn the things in this book, I should try Tony’’s seminars or other products.  At least that was the point of most of the book.

Look, I read a book to get information and learn something—not to read sales copy.

A lot of ads stress results  like a better lifestyle, more money, etc. rather than the nuts and bolts.  Robbins seems like he’s doing the same thing.  OK, Tony, I get it.  You have money, a great wife (well, had), and you’re just as successful as you can be.

Frankly, I don’t read these books to hear about how wonderful the author’s life is.  And what’s the point?  How often does Steven Covey mention himself in the 7 Habits?  I don’t envy Tony Robbins.  I have no idea if his life is any better than mine.  The fact is I am not interested in his life.  I am interested in my life.  And in “Awaken the Giant Within”, Robbins talks about himself so much that I started wondering if it were an autobiography.

The Verdict

I absolutely do NOT, recommend this book.  It was all fluff and no substance.  And I think I’m being kind to say that.  This book does something that I see in public speaking that I call spooking.  Spooking is when someone gives  a speech where they don’t actually give out any information, but just say enough to get people to buy whatever you’re selling.

For example, I once sat for an hour where this guy gave a speech on how to use speaking to promote your business.  The whole time he just kept saying how wonderful it was to be a speaker and what a great lifestyle it was.  And then to cap it of, he had a $5,000 bootcamp to sell to you.  In other words, I didn’t learn a damned thing about how to use public speaking to promote my business.  I was given an hour-long sales pitch.  I was “spooked”.

This book felt just like that.

I was so disappointed by this book that I jumped online to see why people like this guy so much.  I have no idea…but I guess is that he’s a great speaker.  If you are desperate and looking for answers, you won’t find it in this book.  You’ll need to go to Robbins’ seminars to get that (I guess).

So, you won’t  even get a link to where you can buy it.  Google it if you really want it.  All I want is a refund.

But I’ll go ahead and strip down the 512 pages of the book for you and save you the money.

Here goes: if you want to take immediate control of your mental, emotional, physical, and financial destiny, you must:

1) Make more decisions

2) Feel good about yourself

3) Don’t do things that will cause you pain in the long term

4) Reward yourself when you do something good.

There you have it–512 pages in 4 sentences sans all the self-promotional drivel.  Now, go forth and prosper.Similar Posts:

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When we are young, we are taught that to be successful, we have to set goals.  But all too often those goals consume us and we wind up sacrificing the now for an uncertain future.

Goal-free Living sets out to change that.

Steve Shapiro was a former “goal-aholic” who adopted a goal-free living approach.  He took a trip around the country interviewing people. He wasn’t so sure what he was going to get out of it because he didn’t set a definate goal.  The result was this personal development book.

From the interviews, he gathered, Shapiro discovered 8 secrets.

They are spelled out in the inside flap:

• Use a compass, not a map—have a sense of direction, and then let yourself wander and try new things on the way to fulfilling your aspirations
• Trust that you are never lost—every seemingly wrong turn is an opportunity to learn and experience new things
• Remember that opportunity knocks often, but sometimes softly—while blindly pursuing our goals, we often miss unexpected and wonderful possibilities
• Want what you have—measure your life by your own yardstick and appreciate who you are, what you do, and what you have . . . now
• Seek out adventure—treat your life like the one-time-only journey it is and revel in new and different experiences
• Become a people magnet—constantly seek, build, and nurture relationships with new people so that you always have the support and camaraderie of others
• Embrace your limits—transform your inadequacies and boundaries into unique qualities you can use to your advantage
• Remain detached—focus on the present, act with a commitment to the future, and avoid worrying about how things will turn out

The Good

I absolutely loved these “secrets”.  And frankly, I was pretty predisposed to liking these books because I am not a goal-oriented person in the traditional sense.  In other words, when people ask me what I will be doing in 5 years, my answers are vague at best or a variation of “how the hell should I know.”

For someone who is not a traditional goal-oriented person, it is hard to find a personal development book that actually praises this attribute.  Don’t get me wrong, by being goal-free, it doesn’t mean have no goals.  It simply means that you should not be attached to a particular result and you should be free to change direction if you feel like it.  AS the first secret states, “Use a compass, not a map”.

The chapter on embracing your limits is particularly helpful.  Some people say that you can do anything if you put your mind to it…puh-lease.  I am not going to play in the NBA. So, should I spend hours and hours practicing my basketball skills or working on the things I happen to be good at?

I also enjoyed the chapter on seeking out adventure.  And his approach on being a people magnet was very useful and closely resembles the “Ripple philosophy” of Steve Harper whom I’ve interviewed on this blog.

What I liked most about this book was that it clearly showed that traditional goal-setting can be an obstacle rather than a boon to actually achieving goals.  That might be contrarian, but Shapiro does a good job of showing how that can be.

The Bad

The strength of “Goal-free living” is in its insights.

But when reading the last secret–remaining detached, it did give me the “and now what?” reaction.  ”It says be detached, and now what?”

A lot of BS books are purposely written this way to get you to go to a seminar or some other high-priced item.  Goal-free Living, thankfully, does not do that.

I completely agree that detachment is the key to a contented life.  That is because I am a Buddhist who practices Vipassana mediation.  But it does raise the question: if detachment is a secret to success, then how can I be detached? .     The fact is agreeing with a principle and actually being able to do it is another thing.

We are born with our personalities and we can’t change them through sheer willpower.  In my case, Vipassana meditation practice (and I emphasize the word practice) allows me to develop new mental habits in order to become detached from outcomes.

If someone reads this book and wants to learn to be detached, there is really no guide for doing that.  And I can’t think of any practice outside of mediation that can do it.  And by meditation, I don’t mean sitting there contemplating detachment but actually putting your attention on the sensations in the body and training your mind NOT to react pleasantly or negatively.   It’s hard work.

The Verdict

Other than that small point, I put this in the absolutely recommend category.  This book had a lot of good insights. So, this book will give you a great starting point–especially if you are someone who “sets goals” but is having trouble actually accomplishing those goals.

This book will definitely change the way you think about goals and show you that you don’t need to sacrifice the now to have what you want later.  In fact, you can have it all.

Grab Goal-free Living on AmazonSimilar Posts:

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Disclaimer: This review may contain offensive language for readers who are faint of heart.  If so, do not, I repeat, do NOT continue reading this.  I am not responsible for your mental anguish, suffering, or any potentially harmful physical reaction that may result from reading this.

The Good

The good points of “Who Moved my Cheese” are as follows:

It’s an easy read—for a first-grader.

The story is mildly entertaining—for unimaginative children.

It’s the story of two little people and how they cope with the fact that all their cheese has been moved from their station.  It deals with one guy’s revelation that he should accept the fact that the cheese has been moved and go find more cheese.  The other guy just sits around waiting for more cheese.

It’s supposed to be a metaphor for accepting change.  That’s a good message in general.

So, to recap the good points.

It’s an easy read—for a first-grader.

The story is mildly entertaining—for unimaginative children.

The Bad

I find this book insulting on so many levels.  Let me count the ways:

1.  The size issue

The book is only about 71 pages but that 71 pages is in a huge font, the white space is huge, and then I am treated with an introduction full of inspiroof (proof by inspirational story) at the beginning of the book to fill up more pages.

Look, I have nothing against a short story.  But when you are purposely trying to make your 6-8 page story into a book by over-formatting, it’s dishonest.

I think this was originally a newsletter article that the author or publisher over-formatted to make into a book.

It reminds me of those thousand-dollar 300-page “courses” you get from BS gurus that could be condensed into a 40-50-page book.

2.  The intellectual level of this book

The book is shallow and frankly insulting to anyone possessing even a modicum of intelligence.  I thought the book was written for a group of kindergarteners who were told that recess time has been revoked.

I am NOT kidding.  As I noted in the good section, it is an easy read.  And maybe that accounts for its popularity.

3.  The message/metaphor of this book

Accepting change may be good.  But change itself is not always good.  In fact, change can be disastrous.  On a small level, if some corporate executive is tired of the way things are going (even if they are going great), he or she may get it in their head to “change” things.  Then when things don’t go well, just tell the employees it’s their fault for not embracing change.

To put it more bluntly, what do you do when someone moves your cheese, and there’s no more cheese to look for?  In reality, it’s called losing a job, having your savings taken away, etc.

You have a right to not only ask Who Moved Your Cheese, but to say “GIVE ME BACK MY GODDAMNED CHEESE!”   “Who Moved My Cheese?” seems to be saying, “Just accept whatever gets thrown at you.”

Well, that’s like telling a child to “just do what I tell you.”

Hmmm..maybe that is the message of the book.

Here’s the worst part of this book…the metaphor itself.

These little people live in a maze with rats.  Now, what does the maze represent?  Maybe, your job.   And the cheese is, maybe, your position.  So, if you get downsized, transferred, or told to mop the floor, you should embrace this change.

But there’s another option this book doesn’t even get close to approaching.

LEAVE THE MAZE!

You don’t need to stick around while someone is messing with you.  ”Who Moved My Cheese” was right about one thing: it’s a book concerning “little people”.

Well, I’m not a little person.  I am a big person who can make big big decisions.  And I for one would choose to leave the maze.  When a game is rigged, your best option, no, your ONLY option is to stop playing the game.

In the book, one guy sits there and waits, the other goes to other parts of the maze to look for cheese.  They’re both idiots.

The Verdict

This has got to be one of the worst books I’ve ever read.

The fact that so many people find this book “life-changing” boggles my mind.  “Who Moved My Cheese” is just plain stupid.  I found it to be neither inspirational nor uplifting.  It did not give me any revelations or even one good idea.  It was a complete waste of time—albeit short since it is the size of a newsletter article.

The fact is I got this book as part of my divorce.  I wondered why my ex-wife would give up the book so quickly.  Now, I know why.

My hope is that if I can save just ONE person from reading this inane drivel then my life would be meaningful.

I recommend some other activities that are a better use of your time than reading this book.

They include:

Taking a nap

Playing Tetris

Drawing stick figures in a notebook

Coloring a picture

Playing with blocks

Going to the bathroom

Eating cheese (that is, good cheese, and don’t let anyone take that away from you.)

Trimming your nails

Those are just a few suggestions.

To end this review, I know that when I say don’t read this book, some of you will leave out the “don’t” and just see read this book.  Curiosity will get the better of some of you.  I understand that.

So, I let me summarize the book for you:

Embrace change.

There you go.  That’s it.  If you’d like to donate to my blog in lieu of buying the book, I won’t stop you.

But wait, there’s more….

For my blog readers, I am offering a free 1o-page cheesed* version of this review.  Download it for free and send it to 200 of your closest friends (or you could just share this link).

Cheesed Review of “Who Moved My Cheese”

* cheesed (adj): when content is formatted in such a way to make it appear that there are more pages than there actually are, a la “Who Moved my Cheese?”Similar Posts:

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Disclosure: John T. Reed does not offer any affiliate programs.  Therefore, I make no money from my review one way or the other

John T. Reed is a real-estate guru who is famous for his guru ratings page.  In addition to writing books on real estate investment, he also writes on self-publishing and youth football.  I have read some of his real estate investment books, and decided to try out his book “Succeeding”.

The reason I chose this book for my first review is because John T. reed does not sell this book in any bookstore.  You have to buy it from his site.  So, there are really no real reviews of his book.  Buyers have to buy it on faith.

And that’s a shame because it is all and all a good, practical book on the subject at hand—Succeeding.

The Good

If you are looking for a book that tells you that you can do anything if you put your mind to it, then this is NOT the book.

Reed’s “Succeeding” is much more thorough.  It’s a book of nuts and bolts advice that, if followed, will increase your chance of achieving your goals.

The best thing I like it how Reed starts from the premise that there are some things you can control and some things you cannot.  And we should work on the things we can change and not worry about the things we cannot.

Great stuff, if not slightly borrowed from Epictetus.

But it’s amazing how many personal development books don’t make the distinction and leave you feeling worthless because you can’t change what they promised you could.

Reed is of the opinion that you can’t change your personality and you should tailor to your strengths instead of trying to fix your weaknesses.

I couldn’t agree more.

He also gives good advice on investment, I thought his advice on index funds sounded too simplistic till I called up my financial planner and realized that Reed was pretty much on the money.

Reed also covers one thing you NEVER find in success books:  risk

A lot of success books try to live up to the Old West cowboy gambler stereotype.  Reed does not subscribe to that theory. Gambling big, though it sounds great, also means you lose big.  That’s probably why professional gamblers never bet their whole bankroll.

So his chapter on risk is a welcome change.

But the one thing he does that I like is put money in its proper prospective.  Yes, money is important (and he has a couple of chapters on wealth and investment) but it’s not everything.

One interesting part is Reed’s section on spousal choice.  His advice: date 40 marriageable women before getting married and live together beforehand.

The Bad

I read another of Reed’s books on self-publishing.  In it, he encourages writers who self-publish not to hire editors.  He seems to believe that he’s just fine without one.  That, however, is not my opinion.

Reed most certainly could have used an editor.  For example, Reed rightly notes in his book that going to West Point and Harvard can be a disadvantage in that people feel bad about it. In Succeeding, however, he mentions the fact those two facts so often that even I (who think it is awesome that he did both of those things) am starting to think enough already, John, I get it.

Also, I thought the book was not well-organized in places.  I was having trouble following the book until I realized that the chapters weren’t necessarily linked by any theme.  I almost put the book down before it started to come together.

An editor could have fixed that too.

Also, the book itself is simply a comb-over style binding.  Reed likes it, but I don’t.  I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I would like it to be a bit better.

One last thing is that Reed’s tone can come off as “preachy”.  I don’t have a problem with it personally, but some people will find it off-putting.  Go to Reed’s web site and you’ll get a taste of how he writes.  If it bothers you, you won’t want to read this book.

The Verdict

Despite the bad, I recommend “Succeeding”.  It is a refreshing change of pace from other books on the subject.  You may not agree with everything Reed says (I certainly don’t), but a lot of what he says makes sense.

All in all the book will make you think and it’s a welcome change of pace from a lot of the other books out there on the subject.

If you want a copy of Succeeding, you’ll need to order it directly from Reed. You can get it here.

As I noted above, I get no commission if you buy the book off my recommendation.  But if you do order it, please let him know that Carlon Haas from Don’t Step in the Poop sent you.Similar Posts:

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