365QOD- Day1393

Four Elements of Leadership- Reliability

Trust in leadership can be distilled down to four basic elements.

"Trust in others (and their trust in us) depends on four elements: reliability, congruence, acceptance, and openness."-Joanna Barsh and Johanne Lavoie in their book Centered Leadership: Leading with Purpose, Clarity, and Impact

In order for a leader to be trusted,  a leader had to be reliable.   It is one of the four basic elements.

So what do we mean by being reliable?   Being a reliable a leader can be thought of as someone who has your back. Not once but all the time.

As a follower you must get the sense that the leader will come in and clean up any problems with external people and issues that are beyond your level. A leader must be present and aware of the issues that a team has in order to be able to help.

The messages that a leader gives to his team can not change 180 degrees and expect not to lose the belief the team will have in you as being reliable. Consistency in how you nurture the team and protect them leads to you as the leader being perceived as reliable.

Today's question is:

"How reliable are you to your team?"

365QOD- Day1392

Small Decisions with Long Tail

"Small Decisions with Long Tail"- title of an article by Thomas Goetz

I love this title.  It made me think back to the Long Tail book by Chris Anderson.  It it he makes a point that in the future we will make money on selling that one off item.  
 So how do I transition to the title?  It made me realize that even small decisions have a lingering effect on our lives.  But even more importantly, these small changes could lead us to a completely different place in our life.  

I am sure that drug addicts start with  a small decision to try a drug.  That small decision leads to many small bad decisions.  

But just like we can make bad decisions we can chose good small decisions.  This will lead to a much better result.

Today's question is:
"How do you make great small decisions?"
 

365QOD- Day1391

Grateful

"I am grateful for my life."- my words

I have to be honest and say that I love most portions of my life.  I have many gaps in my life that I do not love.  This is where many of my stresses come in to play.

Mostly, I am grateful for the people in my life.  Some provide the easy with which I move through life.  Others provide the abrasiveness that I need for growth/  Both help me.

So today I pause to recognize that I am where I deserve to be and can change it at any time into what I want it to become.

Today's question is:
"What are you thankful for?"

365QOD- Day1390

Pivoting to a New Idea

"Do something until you are successful for 10 years, then extract a sub-component of your success"- paraphrase of  Langdon St. Ives words on Eventual Millionaire

I listened to this podcast as I ran the other day.  The words immediately made me think about how we had become a culture that wants overnight success.  Who wants to wait 10 years to buid a boring business?

Well, the reality is that most businesses if they survive the initial startup phase become routine and thrive by executing consistently.  There is no sexiness but just brute management.

The lesson that the presenter offered was how he developed a system for his company that he could have bought.  But he believed that this was something that he needed and teh licensing fees would be more over time than developing it in-house.  So they did.

After 10 years of running his business he decided to spin off the system as a seperate business.  Notice that he did not rush it and try to be in two different business.  He developed the software and over time improved it to the point that now it can become a new "sexy" business.

Today's question is:
"Could you wait ten years before extracting a sub-business?"

365QOD- Day1389

Compliance

"We are a nation of compliers"- my words

As an educator of 18+ years I believe that we rarely test the level of learning that a student reaches.  We test for compliance.  A student is suppose to "memorize" the material and the correct sequence of steps needed to get the desired result. 

A true test is to be given some information and then you are to use it to produce a new outcome that is original.  You are not solving someone else's problem but solving your own problem.  

There is a revolution that is taking place around us.  It is a 3D makers revolution.  People are going to be able to construct new "things' as they think of them.  There will be less of a need to "memorize and regurgitate"  Either you can produce or you will not be successful.

Today's question is:
"Are you a producer?"

365QOD- Day1388

Asynchronous Dialogs

"Kids speak in packets of asynchronous dialogs"- Nick Webb on Eventual millionaire

I remember being in Paris December of 1999.  My girlfriend at that time lived there and communicated to her friends through texting mostly.  I thought that texting was silly and it would never catch up in the US.  I figured it was easier to call and briefly speak than to send messages back and forth.

15 years later I realize that I was wrong and now it seems that we have become a nation of texters.  Texting is more dominant than speaking to others.  I believe this even though I have never seen the data.

The reasons why this type of information exchange is dominant is that people can answer it immediately or when it is convenient for them.  It takes time and adjusts it to suit you instead of the caller.

This change creates opportunities.  What type of app could take advantage of this asynchronous communication?  I do not know but I will be thinking about it.

Today's question is:
"Do you prefer to text most people or do you just call?"

365QOD- Day1387

A Catch

"And for the price of only $1997, you get this package that is worth $$$$$"- a catch

In the last few months I have spent many hours listening to webinars.  I would like to evolve into doing presentations using webinars.  So in order to learn the mechanics of how to develop a webinar and properly execute it I have been studying numerous successful webinar presenters.

One thing that I have noticed is that all of them offer a small bit of education followed by a sales pitch.  It feels like the presenter stops teaching and moves into a sales pitch.  The transition is often abrupt and you see the catch.

I understand that the presenters are interested in making money.  Their time and effort have gone into producing a product that satisfy a need.  BUT their sales pitch often seems desperate and pressured.  That is what I believe requires a lot of work in order to continue educating while selling.

Today's question is:
"When you stop teaching and start selling your idea?

365QOD- Day1386

Types of Actions

"It is all about action."- Anonymous

I believe that actions come in two flavors: Active and Passive.  Let us define each type.

Passive actions are the ones that make you feel good.  Reading a new book is a passive action.  You are learning something good and maybe even changing you way of thinking.  So in a sense passive actions are no different than thinking.  It makes you feel good to be doing it.

Active actions produce a fruit.  That is the bid difference.  You can not produce a fruit by passive actions.  Actions must be taken in order for something to be produced.  

So we should only take active actions?  Not quite!  I believe that we should spend 20% of our time in passive actions where we learn new ideas, skills, techniques, etc.  But once that phase is done you must leap forward and execute the actions in order to move you forward.

80% passive followed by 20% active would not work as well.  It might not be enough fruit that is produced and you might give up on the execution.

Today's question is:
"Do you use a 80/20 passive active mix?"

365QOD- Day1385

Communities

"Information can be downloaded and illegally shared.  Communities are the next wave.  Relationships can not be replicated, downloaded, copied, and have a real value"- Steve Fox on Eventual Millionaire

This statement was an eye opener.  Lately I have been working on creating information products.  So this statement made me stop in my tracks and rethink my strategy.

I believe that Steve is trying to teach us that we need to build a community first.  By giving away free products and growing your group then one can create a trust relationship.  This relationship can over time become a bridge to selling your products to the world and group.

The community does not eliminate people downloading, copying, and redistributing your products without paying BUT it gives you a fan base of support.

Today's question is:
"Do you have a community?"

365QOD- Day1384

Apportunity

"Definition: an app opportunity"- source unknown

I recently heard this word used.  Catchy?  I think it is catchy.

I believe that right now we live in a world that is ripe for executing an idea quickly.   If the idea can be envisioned and created in software then an app can be designed.

What app are missing that I would create?  I believe that we are overwhelmed with data and an app that helps people manage all data inputs into their life better would be wonderful.

Today's question is:
"What type of an app would you create an opportunity to help many people?"

365QOD- Day1383

Creating a Time Budget

"Time is more important than money"- my belief

I really believe that time is more valuable than money.  I can convert time into money by working.  Similarly I can never convert money into time by hiring someone else to do something that I need to do instead of me.

But, to me, a loss of money can be replaced by working harder and smarter.  The same analogy does not work for time.  No matter what i do I can not get time back.

With this in mind, I do believe that when we work on an idea we need to create a time budget.  If you have 2 hours per week then in a year(assuming two weeks off) you have 100 hours.  Ten hours a week translate into 500 hours in a year.    And 20 hours per week translates into 1000 hours per year.

The math is simple but there is a big difference to committing to a 1000 hour project vs. a 100 hour project.  The 1000 hour time budget would give you adequate time to "put a dent in the universe" and your idea.

Today's question is:
"Do you create time budgets?

365QOD- Day1382

Wild Expectations

"You will not live a life beyond your wild expectations until you have some wild expectations"- wisdom

Most of us play it safe in life.  If you play it safe then it is unlikely that you will live a life beyond your safe expectations.

What I find interesting is that the quote advises that we should have wild expectations in order to move beyond the plateau that we often find ourselves on.  If we dream of reaching another level then we can push ourselves to that level.  Without that pull towards that level we will stay content and stay there.

You can not stay "reasonable" in order to have wild expectations.  They have to pull you as if they are a magnetic force.   Break the box and think of a new BIG box with a red ribbon on top.  Dream wildly!

Today's question is:
"Do you have wild expectations?"

365QOD- Day1381

Crickets and Maggots

"The food source of the future will be very different than today."- my conclusion

Recently I have read and seen some interesting stories.  In one of the stories the farmer farms maggots and then they are used to create animal feed.  Many companies are watching this start up because it is believed that in the future we will have food shortages due to the ever increasing number of people on the planet. 

So maggots for animal feed.

The second story I watched was another company that grows crickets and then uses them to create a flour.  This slightly earthy tasting flour can then be used instead of regular flour.  This is not uncommon in many cultures that insects are a part of the diet.  

So crickets for people.

Today's question is:
"If you were not told that there is cricket flour in your cookies would you eat them?"

365QOD- Day1380

Purchase vs. Subscription Based Revenue Model

"A $12 fitness band? Yep and it looks good"- USA Today October 28, 2014 story

I am in the market for a fitness band so this story caught my eye.  Most fitness bands are $100+ and  this story talked about how Pivotal Living is taking the subscription model to this new problem.

I believe in the near future we will be self-monitoring more and more.  Daily will be given a review of the sensors that will be embedded in our clothes, part of our watch, shoes, etc.  We will be drowning in our data.

So this story is telling me that there is someone out there that is realizing this and approaching the problem as a $1 per month subscription model instead of the purchase the device model.  Kind of like my phone post yesterday, Day1379.

By the way I am looking forward to the release of fitbit.com Surge tracking device.  I believe that it will be what most of us will use.  

Today's question is:
"What else in the future will adopt this subscription model?"

365QOD- Day1378

Purchase vs. Buy

"You need to pay $34 dollars per month for next two years."- the words of a salesman

I recently had to upgrade my phone.  My Note 1 finally stopped working properly and I had to replace it.  The phone purchase this time around was very different than three years ago.

It seems that the phone companies are very content to let you purchase the phone instead of a monthly charge.  So for example, instead of paying 299 plus a monthly uptick of 25 dollars for 24 months I could keep my current plan and simply pay $34 per month for 24 months.  So the two year contract price was 299+24*25= 899. The purchase price is 34*24= 816.

I am very skeptical of cell phone companies.  So why would a company allow me to not have a contract and pay less? Competition from other carriers?  It has to be.  I still think the 800+ dollar price is way too high BUT that is reality. 

Today's question is:
"Would you get in a contract of you do not need to?"

365QOD- Day1377

Learning to Code in Prison

"Can you teach a locked up dog a new trick?"- my question

The other day I read a story about a new program in California to teach San Quintin prisoners how to code.  The idea is that when they do get out they will have a skill that would be valuable in the Silicon valley.

I hope that the program is successful.  It made me think about a couple of ideas.

The prisoners are locked up and then go to class.  Most of them do not have a job or outside interferences that would get in the way of them learning the material.  It is strictly their desire to learn and their natural abilities to learn.  The experiment completely eliminates lack of time as a variable to learning.

This brings me to the point of this post.  If time was removed from your concerns what would you be able to learn if you could focus?  Your answer is probably anything.  But why do we not block out time for that learning to take place?  You don't have time!  Is anyone asking for your attention at 4 a.m. or 11 p.m?

Today's question is:
"What would you learn if lack of time was not an issue for you?"

365QOD- Day1376

Your Attitude vs. Your Team's Attitude

"Attitude is everything."- a stone on my desk many years ago

You as the leader will either have a positive or negative attitude.  Your team will sense this and adopt it.

Your team will also have an attitude and it can be positive or negative.  The team attitude will be equal to yours OR the most negative member of the team.

This is where the title comes into play.   Your attitude must be greater than your team's.  It has to be in order for the team to be effective.  If you as the leader is negative then the whole team will be dragged down and the results will suffer.

You might not be the CEO but to your team you are the face of the organization.  If there is an image then you are the image of the company.  You might not agree with that statement but your team perceives you as the company representative. 

Today's question is:
"Is your attitude greater than your team's?"

365QOD- Day1375

Habits and Goals

"GOSPAL"- name of a goal achieving technique

Many posts ago I wrote about the GOSPAL technique.  It involves:
G- Goal
O- Objectives
S- Strategies
P- Planning
A- Actions
L- Learning

It seems complete.  But the other day I listened to an author discuss how he feels that habits play a direct role in achieving goals. DING..DING..DING bells went off in my head.

I immediately knew that I need to add an H for Habits to the equation.  But where should it go?
GHOSPAL vs. GOHSPAL vs. GOSHPAL vs. GOSPHAL vs. GOSPAHL or GOSPALH

Will the habits necessary to achieve a goal be clear after you have identified the goal?  How about after you have identified the major objectives you have to hit along the way?  What about after strategy?  Or even after you have planned the optimal path?

After some time thinking about it I concluded that it has to be either after Strategy: GOSHPAL.  Once you have identified the Goal and the Objectives and determined a few alternative Strategies that can be used to accomplish the objectives it should be clear to you if you need to develop any new habits in order to achieve the goal.  These could be small habits that you are missing that without can not guarantee success.

Today's question is:
"How do you determine which habits you need to develop?"

365QOD- Day1374

Mass Market Passion

"Don't do what you are passionate about, do what the massive market loves and then you will get to do what you love"- Unknown

I have written about passion before.  As a matter of fact one of the labels that I have used in my posts is passion.  This quote puts a heck of a spin on the idea.

Should we "sell out" and do what the market wants instead of what we want?  Well, I am torn about the idea BUT after some thought I concluded that the originator is correct. 

If you produce what you are passionate about and no one buys it then you are getting  result that is telling you to do something else.  Yes you can tweak it to get a better result but maybe you never get to the level you wish to get to no matter how much tweaking you attempt.

The quote says start with what the market needs, satisfy it, and then when you have fulled your pockets go after your passion.  This way you will  have the resources to pursue it without money being an issue.  In a sense this strategy takes money off the table by trading time for it.  Wait! that sounds like a job.  LOL

Today's question is:
"Would you be willing to satisfy the market before yourself?"

365QOD- Day1373

Getting Results

"The Result"- title of my first book

In last three posts I explored some equations of success and productivity.  I was even able to derive a new form of the success equation that merges the two concepts.  In the end the equation was an explanation of the rate of success.

Today I want to clarify a connection.  It would seem that the skills and action are separate.  They are and they are not.  I have often found that the two help each other. 

I defined skills as the science behind an area of knowledge and Action as the external application of these skills.  That is very black and white. The reality is rather gray.

What I have learned in my life is that
Massive Action leads to massive improvement in  Skills
Massive Action => Greater Skill

And once the action and skills are both improving together then we get a result.  As we take more actions and pick up more skills we get better results. Ultimately there is no difference between what we define as result and what we define as success.

In terms of an equation:
More Action => Greater Skill Improvement => Improving Results==> Ultimate Success

Today's question is:
"Do you take Massive Actions?"

365QOD- Day1372

Productivity and Success

"Can these be combined?"- My question 


In the last two posts I wrote about Success and Productivity.  I summarized these two with these two equations.
Success= Skill*Action
Productivity= Wisdom * Action

Immediately one should note that Action is common to both.  It is obvious that without Action one can not be productive or successful.  So what happens if we solve the second equation for Action:
Action= Productivity/ Wisdom

and plug that result into the first equation to obtain a new relationship:
Success= Skill * Productivity / Wisdom

Interesting!

What does this equation teach us?  To increase our chances of success one needs to obtain greater Skills and then to be Productive applying them.  As the first two equations taught us their effect is greater the greater they are together.  

So what effect does wisdom have being on the bottom?  It would imply that the smaller the wisdom the greater the success and the greater the wisdom the smaller the success.  This threw me for a loop.  How can that be?  Well I started thinking about the effect of wisdom on initial success and ultimate success.  

Initially wisdom is in short supply so any success seems great.  This often occurs when one is learning a new skill and trying to apply it.  The results are better than expected.

But as one obtains success wisdom also increases.  Then the formula suggests that success is small.  Which makes sense that the success as we get more successful occurs in smaller doses.  

All this makes me rethink that the final formula is in terms of rate of success:
Rate of Success= Skill*Productivity/ Wisdom

Today's question is:
"What is your rate of success?

365QOD- Day1371

Productivity Is a Function Of?

"Productivity= Wisdom * Action"- Unknown

The other day while running I was listening to an eventual Millionaire program and one of the interviewers this sentence.  I immediately fell in love with it and knew a post had to be written.  So let us break it down.

Productivity is a function of Wisdom and Action.  That makes sense. 

The first part of the formula is Wisdom.  Initially I stopped and thought about that.  It is not something that you just put first as something that should lead to productivity.  

But then I had to think of my own definition of what is wisdom.  As I have written before I define the attainment of wisdom to be the highest level.  First level is data that we collect.  Once the data is processed it becomes information (level 2).  And then once we understand the information we get to the knowledge level (level 3).  Wisdom (level 4) then becomes the ultimate level at which we can apply the knowledge.


But as the equation tells us Wisdom need to be complimented with Action.  Like Skills about which I wrote yesterday wisdom is an internal understanding of the science of the area you are trying to be successful in.  But without Action you will not see results. 

So the combination of Wisdom and Action is where the magic occurs.  If you can raise your level to at least a 8 or a 9 in each of them you will not only be very wise BUT you will be applying that wisdom at a high level.  The ultimate result has to be success.

Today's question is:
"What are your Wisdom and Action levels in your area you want to be successful in?"

365QOD- Day1370

Success Is a Function Of?

"Sucess= Skill * Action"- Matt Morris

The other day I was listening to a program that Matt Morris has and he used this sentence.  I immediately fell in love with it and knew a post had to be written.  So let us break it down.

Success is a function of skill and action.  That makes sense. 

The first part of the formula is Skill.  Once you have identified the area in which you want success then you have to be honest with yourself to pick up the skills needed tor success.  How do you go about identifying the skills you will need?  Well, you can always poll experts around you for the quickest result.  But once you have identified the skills it is up to you to get them ASAP.

But as the equation tells us Skills need to be complimented with Action.  Skills are internal understanding of the science of the area you are trying to be successful in.  But without Action you will not see results.  I am an expert in many subject areas that I do not apply.  I know a lot about them but I do not apply them in my life.  

So the combination of Skills and Action is where the magic occurs.  If you can raise your level to at least a 8 or a 9 in each of them you will not only be very skilled BUT you will be applying that knowledge at a high level.  The ultimate result has to be success.

Today's question is:
"What are your Skill and Action levels in your area you want to be successful in?"

365QOD- Day1369

Extra $1000 in Residual Income Per Month

"I need to be a millionaire to retire."- a common belief

Suppose you had a million dollars.  You would want that to last forever.  That way when you die the money could be passed on to your kids.  

But unfortunately most Americans will not get to enjoy that state.  So can we come at the problem from an opposite angle?

Suppose we did have a million dollars.  Most advisers would recommend that you do not take more than 4-5% out per year.  So let us use 4.8%. In other words, 1000000*0.048= 48000. You will get 48k per year for your ability to save a million. 

48000 is 4000 dollars per month or lets keep it simple at 1000 per week(I know that there are 52 weeks in a year but suppose you do not work 4 weeks per year)  So if we could figure out how to get 1000 per week of residual income to come in then we could retire as if we had 1 million in the bank.

Now we are getting somewhere.  How do we get to earn 1000 per week in residual income?  Well, you have to look at your strengths, passions, motivations, and products that you can offer.  Notice I did not say services because we are not looking for a part time job.

Unfortunately the answer is unique to you and only you.  You only know the talents that you have and could use to derive the products.  The best resource on this topic is the book Millionaire Maker by Loral Lingermeier.  

Today's question is:
"How can you generate 1000 per week in residual income?"

365QOD- Day1368

Crazy Cool

"I need an android app that is the same as garage band."- my need

Several years ago I got addicted to creating songs with GarageBand.  GarageBand is a really cool program that is standard for apple products but it is not available for sale on Windows and android platform   Believe me I have searched for many years.

So today I did a search and came across Music Maker Jam.  It is the first app that I can say I love and it is close to GarageBand.  It allows me to create music without being able to play an instrument by using loops and placing them strategically to create a song.  

This capability has allowed me to create songs and enjoy them.  Nothing like making a song that sounds great and having others say that it is good.  It is creativity at its rawest.  There is something about music that makes it different than painting or writing.  People can quickly judge it whether it is good or not.

One thing that I do not like about the app is that it gives you four styles of music for free but then each additional style is over $3.  That is a rip off.  So I am not completely pleased but understand that they need to make money.  $3+ seems like such a high price per download.

Today's question is:
"What tools are you missing that you would love to have?"

365QOD- Day1367

Reusable

"What can I do with this empty milk gallon jug?- my question to myself

I recently read an article in Entrepreneur that shows how Coke ran an experiment.  They funded a contest in which  and people came up with 16 different re-purposing of a 16 oz coke bottle by simply changing the top.  Brilliant!

Who cares?

Well, I am not a tree hugger.  But when you can do good then why not.  If a coke bottle can be re-purposed as a spray bottle by simply changing the top then that bottle does not get thrown away and gets to be used over and over again.  Why not!

I believe that milk jugs are one of those things that we buy and then toss.  Hopefully, the city has a recycling program and it does not go strictly to a trash dump.

I would love to tell you that I have come up with a brilliant solution.  I have not.  If you have one then let me know...

Today's question is:
"What household items that we trhow away can re re-purposed?"

365QOD- Day1366

Becoming the Person You Want To Be
 
"It is not the money that creates significance.  It is the person you become in order to become a millionaire that matters."- Matt Morris

I believe that everyone should have the goal of becoming a multi-millionaire.  A million is not enough any more.  It is a wonderful goal.  Before you say, "It is not for me." I want you to realize that maybe you might be wrong.

By striving to become very wealthy you are forcing yourself to raise your level.  You can not just get by and become a multi-millionaire.  But you must be smart about it also.  

I believe that by becoming a multi-millionaire we would be able to help others a lot more than by cowering in the corner afraid of the challange.  It is not easy but I believe that it is a worth while goal.  You can not help others by being broke.

What I love about this quote is the idea of becoming a better person.  You can not become that without providing a service or a product that many people love and use.  You can not be of service to one and learch that level.
You have to strecth yourself to raise your level in order to get results at that level.

Yes, it takes an effort to become a person of significance.  The money is not the goal.

Today's question is:
"Is being a mufti- millionaire a goal of yours?"

365QOD- Day1365

Compressed Learning

"Compressed Activity- the effort you put in a compressed time will pay you more than the same amount of effort over long time"- Matt Morris

In Post 1364 I talked about the art and science of learning how to do something.  I pointed out that the science part is easy but that the art portion is difficult and often easily missed.  And in my opinion it takes both to make our knowledge complete.

So why compressed activity?

Well, I believe that if you focus on something intensely then you can learn at a quicker pace than if you stretch it out.  Learning a language in intense study for a few months produces better results than someone who dabbles with the language over a decade.

The natural question is what is too quick?  I believe that as we learn we tend to forget.  The only way to retain the gains is to repeat what you have already learned.  Without that repetition you will eventually decay and forget completely.  Well maybe not completely but almost to a frustrating point that you know that the learning has been reduced.

The key is to relate it to previous learning.  For example, when a student is learning for their second belt(usually yellow or orange) they still need to practice the white best form(first level).  And this continues until you can do them both equally well.  

So how quick?  If you can  not remember portions of the previous level then you are moving too quick and not truly learning.  There is no speed guideline but you have to recognize that you are the best judge whether something is sticking.

Today's question is:
"Do you believe you can learn in compressed time frame?"

365QOD- Day1364

The Art and Science of Success

"The science is in all of the books you read.  However, no one can teach you the art part.  You must apply it over and over.  This is the way to determine the nuances"- Matt Morris


There is an art and science to success.  I believe that we can learn quite a bit by reading books.  The quickest way to learn is to read first, attend a lecture, and then do some independent work applying the concept.  

What I love about this quote that it cautions us to realize that we might learn the science from books and lectures but that the art can only be mastered by applying.  I have seen this over and over in my life.

When I used to teach courses I would lecture and explain a concept to the student.  They managed to get their homework done but they did not really understand the concept inside out.  They failed to see the art.

So what happened next is kind of scary.  Before a test the student would feel comfortable that they understand the concept and when they looked at a problem they would simply say,"Yup, I know that. (Next problem) Yup I know that..."  During the test they would be challenged and I can almost hear them, "Nope I don't know that. Nope I do not know that.."

Today's question is:
"How do you train yourself to truly know the science and the art of your task?"

.

365QOD- Day1363

A Reading journal

"I read. I write. I remember"- my formula

While listening to the Eventual Millionaire Podcast episode with Matt I learned an important lesson.  I have read many books and captured a few notes from them.  If I was lucky they inspired me to create a blog post or two.

That is not enough!

Matt Morris talked about how he reads every night about 10 pages before he goes to sleep.  That does not seem that different than a lot of people.  He even used to highlight the books he reads.  But then he went an extra step. 

Matt decided to actually take notes and write his thoughts in a journal as he was reading the book.  His approach was to take the book and pretend that he is going to train others on the message of the book.  

Brilliant!

I have been thinking about doing this but my efforts were half-hearted as best.  So the confirmation that someone who is successful is doing exactly what I thought of doing is inspiring.  

What is also cool about the journal is that in one journal you might get many book thoughts.  If you are focusing on an area it will become your "book" on that topic.  Very cool!

Today's question is:
"Do you have a Reading Journal?"