On Raising Champions, Getting Real, and Origins of the Crash
Books that changed my life
Hello all!
Here is your weekly dose of books that changed my life.
1. Memoir
Black and White: The Way I See it
Summary
I came to this book after watching the movie King Richard (which was phenomenal). I wanted to take a deeper dive into the story and journey of the Williams sisters. Richard Williams played a central role in their early development. While much of this book is about Richard’s life, there is enough good content to make it worth reading for anyone who is training a champion!
Principle: When you fail to plan you plan to fail.
Insight: Being a champion starts with a dream and the dedication and commitment to make that dream come true. A champion is a dream catcher. A champion is a true warrior. Will stop at nothing to make it to the top. A champion is confident she will be the victor.
Top 10 Rules of Success
Failing to plan is planning to fail
Always be positive
Confidence is essential to success
Faith is essential to confidence
When you fail, you fail alone
You learn by looking, seeing, and listening
Create theories and test them out
Always have a plan B
An appreciative child is a blessing
Let no one define you but you
Author: Richard Williams
Themes: Memoir, Peak performance
My personal notes from the book
2. Running a business
Getting Real by 37 Signals
Summary
This is a must-read for every entrepreneur, especially if your product or service is web-based. The information in this book will fundamentally change how you operate and run your business.
Principle: It is better to make half a product than a half-assed product.
Counter-insight: Do less than your competitors to beat them.
Brooks’ law: Adding people to a late software project makes it later.
Author: Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Themes: Entrepreneurship, Growing and running a business, Product development
My personal notes from the book
3. History
Origins of the Crash: The Great Bubble and its Undoing
Summary
Studying history helps us understand current events. Having lived through the dot com crash of 1999-2000, it was interesting to learn about the events that led up to the crash.
Principle: For an incentive to work properly, there must be a prospect of pain as well as gain.
Quote: Set a thief to catch a thief -FDR
Quote: Set our course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship. -Omar Bradley
Author: Roger Lowenstein
Themes: History, Investing
My personal notes from the book
That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading!
Please continue to share with me the books that changed your life!
Best,
Adam
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All Three Book Thursday Personal Notes