one good day

James Clear’s book Atomic Habits is MSRE’s February book of the month. I read this book twice over the last two years and would say it is the best book I have personally read on the idea of habits and discipline. Love this quote from James’ newsletter that I received today.

"Just have one good day. Then repeat." - James Clear

A pretty simple formula for life when put in those words! It reminds me of an interview that my favorite fiction author, Cormac McCarthy, had with Oprah. Cormac basically said his goal is to simply write a few pages each day that are better than yesterday’s pages. His straightforward philosophy has led to some of the greatest American fiction and a Pulitzer Prize for his masterpiece, The Road.

the war of art

So, I decided to fully re-read The War of Art this week. Along with Turning Pro, I think Steven Pressfield has created two complete masterpieces that should be read and re-read by everybody.

If you have ever had a big goal or dream but you somehow failed to actually start taking the steps to accomplish those big ideas—all of us!—then these books are for you. This passage jumped out to me today.

read more books

“Fools say they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others' experience.” - Otto von Bismarck

I read this quote in Ryan Holiday’s recent blog outlining his suggested reading for 2021. Studying history and reading books (fiction included) will help you “profit by others’ experience” and it will also help develop your empathy and learn about human behavoir.

winner's dream

I am really enjoying Bill McDermott’s book Winner’s Dream. I first heard about it from Ivy Zelman at Zelman and Associates and picked it up based on her recommendation. It is a faced paced read and one I would recommend to anyone but, particularly to anyone who is just started their career. Bill was able to accomplish so much because he was a hard worker, put people first, wasn’t afraid to innovate and take risk, and was always willing to take on the tough assignment. During his tenure at Xerox he wrote down his “Most Important Things in the World” list and I found it to be very powerful.

books read in 2020

A Storm of Swords - George RR Martin

Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change - Marc Benioff

Scaling Up - Verne Harnish

Break Barriers - Bishoy Tadros

The Outsider - Stephen King

Mr. Mercedes - Stephen King

Finders Keepers - Stephen King

End of Watch - Stephen King

What it Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence - Stephen A Schwarzman

The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Corp - Robert Iger

The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create a Positive Change - Jon Gordon

A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles

Broken - Don Winslow

The Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday

Growth IQ: Get Smarter About the Choices That Will Make or Break Your Business - Tiffani Bova

Ego is the Enemy - Ryan Holiday

The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus - Richard Preston

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know - Malcolm Gladwell

The Comedians - Graham Greene

Stillness is the Key - Ryan Holiday

The Infinite Game - Simon Sinek

How to Be an Antiracist - Ibram X Kendi

Everything is Fucked - Mark Manson

The Down Days - Ilze Hugo

The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History - John M Barry

The Dawn Patrol - Don Winslow

The Mist - Stephen King

The Enemy - Lee Childs

Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers

Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI - Paul R Daugherty

The Gentlemen’s Hour - Don Winslow

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art - James Nestor

Plum Island - Nelson DeMille

The Death and Life of Bobby Z - Don Winslow

Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade - Robert B Cialdini

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

My Bondage and My Freedom - Frederick Douglass

Dare to Lead - Brene Brown

Coaching for Performance - John Whitmore

The Gold Coast - Nelson DeMille

Conspiracy - Ryan Holiday

Underworld - Don DeLillo

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption - Bryan Stevenson

The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

Man’s Search for Meaning - Viktor E Frankl

Tripwire - Lee Child

The Lion’s Game - Nelson DeMille

Night Fall - Nelson DeMille

Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life’s Work - Steven Pressfield

Running Blind - Lee Child

Intensity - Dean Koontz

Wild Fire - Nelson DeMille