Reading

09 May

Free Books with DailyLit

Posted by chris in CFB, Reading

I don't remember exactly how I discovered DailyLit (but somebody definitely deserves credit) and have been reading Tom Peter's book, 100 Ways to Succeed/Make Money, one page at a time via email every day for free.

Dailylit.com offers over 1000 books which you may read for free via email or RSS. I use email and set the parameters to receive the installment every weekday at 9AM. These can be altered to fit your preferences.

I have been at it for about 3 months and LOVE IT! It's a great way to work in additional reading but in small bites. In that regard, I'll choose a book that either compliments the subject matter of other books I'm reading/learning from, or one that is completely off-topic for a dose of the unexpected.

I recently added Fred Wilson's, MBA Mondays. My theme for now has been business in my inbox while my offline reading is philosophy and fiction.

chris's blog

07 May

Power vs. Force Chart Download

Posted by chris in CFB, Reading

I recently read Dr. David Hawkins' popular book, Power vs. Force. The book, or references to it, kept popping up in my awareness so I took it as a sign to check it out!

I can't really speak to the kinesiology techniques or quantum physics referenced in the book but the real gem I walked away with was the chart Dr. Hawkins devised.

Basically, he applies a numeric value to various energy levels and emotions and associates a general life outlook and the pro's and con's of each state. The lowest level on the chart is shame and the highest enlightenment.

I like the chart. I was unable to locate a good download of it so I made one that you may download for free here: Power vs. Force Chart

Dr. Hawkins' goes into greater detail in the book as well as how he came to such conclusions. Whether or not you agree with the logic or methods, I still think that monitoring your emotions and using this chart to guide yourself higher up the scale is a valuable tool.

chris's blog

09 Mar

Stop Stealing Dreams

Posted by chris in CFB, Reading, Stuff that Matters

Seth Godin (a brilliant guy I read every day and respect infinitely) recently released a manifesto with ideas on how to reshape the education system in America. It was written to be thought-provoking and a conversation starter... the first steps toward action.

He released it for free.

You may download it here in a format of your choice: Stop Stealing Dreams

The first response I got when posting it to my personal Facebook page was from a school teacher friend of ours that read:

"I certainly hope that there are techniques in this to enforce SOMETHING to make parents to be accountable for their children--until that happens, nothing will change. They can try as they might to force teachers to be THE ONLY people with any accountability with 35+kids in a classroom, and no one who gives a damn--because their parents don't--but nothing will change, except a bunch of ill equipped business people trying to reach kids. Sorry Chris, just tired of teachers getting whipped on, yet parents do less and less!"

And I'm afraid this is going to be the knee-jerk reaction of a lot of educators and it's going to be dismissed before a single word is read.

I encourage you not presume anything and take a few minutes to at least read a couple pages. You have the right and the obligation to join the discussion, to share your own ideas. It is rash to easily dismiss and grumble under our breath but if you want to see change, you have to find the courage to put your thoughts out there. Criticism and condemnation are a part of it.

“You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.” -Winston Churchill

07 Oct

Reading now - The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama

Posted by chris in Reading

This book came packaged with my wife and has been laying around for a long time. I figured being an avid reader I'd already learned everything I needed to know on this subject and never gave much thought to reading it. But then I found myself sitting with nothing to do and this book in arms reach (again, "when the student is ready, the teacher appears").

All I can say is, "wow!" What an amazing insight on the subject of happiness. I walked away from the first chapter with applicable tactics to begin training my mind for more consistent happiness. He also points out the difference between pleasure and happiness which I think gets blurred in our culture but is very distinctly different. Even if you think you are the happiest person in the world, this book is still worth reading.

It's over 10 years old and more relevant today than ever before. The world needs to read or re-read this book. And while you're at it, follow the Dalai Lama on twitter: @DalaiLama

Unrelated but since we're talking about the Dalai Lama, I have to include one of my favorite all time movie quotes:

"So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald...striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver, he hauls off and whacks one- big hitter, the Lama- long, into a ten-thousand foot crevice, right at the base of this glacier. And do you know what the Lama says? "Gunga galunga...gunga- gunga lagunga." So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know?" And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice." - Bill Murray, Caddyshack

Makes me smile every time.

chris's blog

04 Oct

Gone Primal

Posted by chris in Reading

Grok - The Primal Blueprint To go forward, sometimes you have to go back.

It's been over 4 weeks of Lisa and I easing into a Paleo diet and fitness routine and the results have been astounding. She's lost over 20lbs without really getting into the exercise aspect and I am leaner and more energetic than ever.

It started with my quest to resolve my low energy issues and after multiple doctor visits and trying various other nutrition advice (like cutting out red meat and eating "healthier" per conventional wisdom), nothing actually worked. While Googling my troubles, I came across an article (from marksdailyapple.com) explaining how carbohydrates affect insulin and energy levels and recommended cutting them out. Why not; I tried everything else? So I started cutting starchy food from my diet right away and ordered Mark's book,The Primal Blueprint, which enlightened me on a lot more than just cutting out bread and pasta.

Lisa jumped on board by proxy of being our family food procurer and what I was relaying to her from the book made sense so she started making her own adjustments and for the kids. She's been a mess for a while with repeated major surgeries that have been non-stop since our second child was born nearly three years ago. But the arrival of this knowledge couldn't have come at a better time (like my Wing Chun Sifu says, "when the student is ready, the teacher appears."). She's just felt well enough to start kicking her full recovery into high gear and integrating the Primal Blueprint has given her the RESULTS to stay enthusiastic.

One major thing we've noticed is that cutting out grains (think gluten and company), we've all been a little less temperamental. The connection between food and mood is a lot closer than we were ever taught.

chris's blog

23 Jun

Freewriting to Better Thinking

Posted by chris in CFB, Learning Things, Reading

I have Amazon.com to thank for this since their profiling of me put a book called "Accidental Genius" up as something I may like (it works). Mark Levy published the book in year 2000 and has since released the second edition in 2010 which he notes reworking about half of the original content to refine the process after 10 years of use.

The premise: use freewriting to unlock your mind and create your best ideas.

Freewriting, in a nutshell, is "private" writing (writing for your eyes only) but with some additional guidelines that focus the minds attention with more effective precision. I've been doing private writing for quite a while because I find I'm able to better articulate ideas through the written word than through my internal dialog. In fact, this blog exists mostly as an outlet for ideas that for my own peace of mind, I've had to refine through the writing process (the introvert in me). But using Mark's tips and insights have opened up new avenues as I've been doing 10-15 minute exercises frequently on a wide range of topics and find the results to be better than I imagined.

One of the key points is to keep you pen moving or fingers typing at all times. This is a bit difficult as the mind is wont to wonder and I write a lot of what probably looks like gibberish but sticking to it guided me to taking ideas deeper and making disparate connections that probably wouldn't have transpired otherwise. That is just one of many pointers and exercises that I believe if used consistently will lead to positive results - even if not the results you were expecting.

As Mark writes:

"As expansive and impressive as the mind is, it's also lazy. Left to its own devices, it recycles tired thoughts, takes rutted paths, and steers clear of unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory. You could say that one of its primary jobs is to shut off, even when there's important thinking to be done.

Freewriting prevents that from happening. It pushes the brain to think longer, deeper, and more unconventionally than it normally would. By giving yourself a handful of liberating freewriting rules to follow, you back your mind into a corner where it can't help but come up with new thoughts. You could call freewriting a form of forced creativity."

In the short time that I've been practicing freewriting I've found it beneficial to a whole range of uses:

writing goals and figuring out what I really want and how to best articulate it;
drilling down into current challenges to better understand and in formulating solutions;
reinforcing learned material by freewriting on the subject matter;
creating ideas by allowing my mind to go while I record it;

And on and on and on.... Often, I'm my own worst enemy and freewriting slows my impulsiveness down and gives my ideas time to ferment and usually evolve into something quite different from my original notions. It's worth the small investment in time and money to learn this process.

chris's blog

I create, write, play, climb, code, taan da, explore, and keep learning new things. This blog is for sharing interesting things, effective methods, some personal development, and hub pages for various lifestyle projects.