My “strengths finder” says I’m a “learner”. I usually don’t put much stock in such surveys, but this one is dead on. At any one time I have 10-12 podcasts going, at least one or two audiobooks, and then plenty of good ‘ole fashioned bound paper books. Don’t get me started on my Twitter rabbit-holes.
Here are five things I discovered or enjoyed this week.
Favorite Podcast Episode
This is actually a podcast series, not just one episode. I’m at the tail-end of a series from the Bible Project called “The Paradigm Series”. I’ve been a fan of, and listened to, the Bible Project Podcast for years, but this series is excellent, especially for those new to the Bible. It’s hard for Westerners to understand the Bible because we come to it with so much time and culture between us and The Bible Project hosts do a great job shining a light on some of the complexities of scripture we miss or misinterpret. I highly recommend this for anyone Bible-curious.
Audiobook I’m Listening To
Recently a friend (and local marketing guru) raved about “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek. I’ve watched Simon’s TEDx talk and although it intrigued me, I wasn’t sure I could listen to him for hours (this is petty, but something about his accent drives me crazy). But because of my friend’s recommendation, and because I had a credit to burn, I bought the book on Audible. I’m deep into the book; almost finished. I have to say that so far it seems merely to be an expansion of Sinek’s TEDx talk. The only thing I’ve encountered so far that’s really new is his explanation of Walmart’s failure to continue Sam Walton’s “why” and its impact on the company and its employees; basically, what happens when a company strays from its “why”. There are certainly some good reminders here for leaders to clearly articulate their “why” as they build organizations and lead teams. I’m not clear what I’ll do with the material as of yet. I’ll most likely write a complete review once I finish.
Listen to “Start With Why” on Audible (or just watch the TEDx talk in 18 minutes).
Newsletter I’m Enjoying
2021 has been a year to expand my thinking on all things investing. I’m still not interested in Bitcoin or any kind of digital currency. But I’m hard core on businesses that generate cash. Somehow I stumbled on “Contrarian Thinking” by Codie Sanchez and although I haven’t taken action quite yet, it’s generated lots of ideas for me (Ice machines! Postal boxes! Laundromats!). Her weekly newsletter is great, and one of the things I really like is that she makes it available as an MP3 download for you. It’s a quick listen while you’re driving through town. Occasionally I’ll go back to the email newsletter to see graphs or charts she references, but mostly I just take in the audio.
Sign up for Codie’s newsletter here.
Quote of the Week
I’m working on a Life Plan workshop I’m presenting in December. To me, the most important thing you can do when undertaking any endeavor is to imagine the finished product and then reverse-engineer the outcome. To “begin with the end in mind” (Covey). When it comes to your life, the last thing that will happen before they put you in the ground is that someone will give a eulogy. They will describe what you meant to the world and the people that walked through life with you. With those thoughts in mind, here’s this week’s quote:
“Make your eulogy better than your resume.”, Peter Attia
It’s easy to pad your resume with your accomplishments. Outside of how you live your life, your eulogy is out of your control.
Recent Purchase
Like many, I have a love-hate relationship with my phone. In fact, I have two phones, one for calling folks and email, and one for entertainment (podcasts, social media, audiobooks). I usually leave my secondary phone at home or in my bag to remove the temptation to waste time. For years I’ve bought the absolute cheapest phones I could buy: Motorola Moto E series, generally. Absolutely no-frill Android phones. But a couple of weeks ago my phone fell out of my pocket and hit the floor just in time for someone to set a chair leg in the middle of my screen. Ouch. Looking through the Verizon catalog for another cheap Moto phone, I found a used Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for a decent price. I ordered it and I have to say, it’s a great purchase. Larger than I like (it was actually fine until I wrapped it in an Otter Box), but spectacular performance and a beautiful camera. I’m a huge fan. I’ll never be one to spend a stupid amount of money on a new Samsung or iPhone, but I could do this all day.