Published in January of 2023, What it Means to Be a Man is a book by retired Majoy General Bill Mullen.
I used to work for General Mullen and I devoured this book when I saw it came out. It gave me a few things to think about but really was a reflection of the man he is.
Good book. Particularly if you are raising sons.
Published in August of 2022, MindReader makes the claim that you will never be lied to again on it’s cover. It is a guide to attempt to understand what is the motivation behind people and what might clue you in on it.
Of course, you can’t actually read minds but I do agree most people are pretty easy to get a handle on. However, these days there are more and more people who are coming out of their specific echo chambers and may not fit the mold you may expect.
It was OK. There was no “Ah-hah” moments throughout the book.
Published in March of 2022, Tranquility by Tuesday is a book on finding calm with practical step by step ideas.
Another fix it quick book on inner peace. However, I did like the list she came up with.
Not bad as these books tend to go.
Published in April of 2022, Before You Say Anything is a good on how to write, prepare for, and deliver a good speech.
Such a good book! It even made my Christmas list. Most people don’t have a clue of what to say or how to say it. This book can help!
If you are speaking in the near future, get this book and follow the concepts. It will be worth it.
Published in March of 2022, “Abundance: The Inner Path to Wealth” is a book by Deepak Chopra who argues that true wealth comes from within, not from material possessions. He believes that we can all create abundance in our lives by changing our mindset and focusing on our inner resources. He offers a number of practical tools and exercises to help us tap into our inner abundance, including meditation, visualization, and affirmations.
Chopra’s message is that we are all capable of creating abundance in our lives. He shows us how to shift our focus from scarcity to abundance, and how to use our inner resources to create a more fulfilling and prosperous life.
In general, it was a lot of pseudoscience BS. I didn’t get much out of this and don’t have too much to say about the book other than it seemed over-hyped for what it was. I agree we all have much more potential than what is realized but it doesn’t come from wishing it so.
However, it did hit at an interesting time as it is just before Thanksgiving. We have so much. It almost seems like an insult to ask or expect more…
Skip this one.
Published in February of 2018, AgeProof: Living Longer Without Running Out of Money or Breaking a Hip is a book about investing in both your financial well being and your physical body so you can enjoy it!
I enjoyed the book. It was a fun paring of both the financial and physical knowing we will want both in the years to come. Good advise on both topics were given and the book was in a very readable form.
It was worth the read.
Published in March of 2021, Everybody Fights so Why Not Get Better at It is a book about marital relations and how to talk to each other.
I actually really liked this book and it had a lot of really good ideas in it. Of course, I identify more with Penn but I think they did a good job of balancing out the crazy. Kim and Penn Holderness are known for their YouTube songs and the like so I didn’t have much faith going into it.
It’s hard not to draw parallels to the Hollis couple before they split. I identified with Dave and was bothered with how Rachael treated him. Kim doesn’t take herself quite so seriously but she still bothers me. (As I type that I can picture my daughter, “That seems like a you problem.”) Anyway, I wish them all the best and I did enjoy the book.
I liked it. If you want to communicate better with your spouse, I would recommend it.
Published in October of 2015, this was Jocko’s first book in the realm of translating his experience as a Navy Seal into business and life in general.
I read this back before I started this blog and enjoyed it just as much this time around. If you are looking for some motivation, order, disapline, or just need a good old fashion kick-in-the-butt. This is the book for you.
A little too military for some but I imagine it landed just right for others based on the book sales.
Published in 2014, The Body Keeps the Score is a book on the impacts and potential healing methods for people dealing with psychological trauma.
Given the subject matter, I was very interested due to who I work with on a daily basis. My thoughts were that if I could better understand what these warfighters were dealing with the better I could communicate with them. I’d say the book gave me some things to think about but nothing is ever really definitive.
The biggest take away for me was the over reliance on pharmaceuticals in this country. (And this was from when before the pandemic…) I am generally blown away with how much we trust in our little pills to take care of everything. I’m also so tired of doctors pushing services and then charging as much and more than insurance allows. I remember when I was going to college and didn’t have dental insurance. It’s amazing what changes when they realize they won’t get paid for the extras. “Mr. Bair, you need to have a panoramic xray!” My reply, “Well, I’m not paying for it.” They go conference for a bit with dentist and then come back. “Oh ok, we don’t need to do it…”
I neglected to look at the publication date till after I was finished with the book. That’s fun in the sense of the things that still haven’t come to general acceptance over 8 years later. We are still doing the same stupid things…
A little dry but a good read in general.
Published in March of 2015, Rohit Bhargava published the book Non Obvious as a help to spot trends and make sense of the world around us.
This book was on the CMC Professional Reading Program of 2020 and I’ve been working my way through the list. However, I think it is time for this book to leave it. While it had some utility in how to build and curate your thoughts, I didn’t see what it had to do with anything relating to the Marines.
The book is also 7 years out of date so it was interesting to hear what he thought would be a big deal 7 years ago. We still haven’t paid different prices for newly released material, Venmo has stayed with us, and so on.
Sadly, seven years is too long a break for this book to be relevant.