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The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker

Book Summary – The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker

In Book Summaries 9 Mins Read By

Intuition heeded is far more valuable than simple knowledge. Intuition is a gift we all have, whereas retention of knowledge is a skill. Rare is the expert who combines an informed opinion with a strong respect for his own intuition and curiosity.

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In The Gift of Fear: And Other Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence, Gavin De Becker shares some great insights on how to spot even subtle signs of danger—before it’s too late, how most violent acts are predictable, the need to follow your intuition more often. Gavin De Becker is the founder, and chairman of Gavin de Becker and Associates, Gavins’ firm predicts human behavior, behavior in one category mostly: violence.

The basic premise of the book: Listen to your intuition more, and the gift of fear can save your life. In the book, Gavin shows how intuition works for you, and how denial works against you, how fear can be central to your safety, but is frequently misplaced. He also explores the role of threats in our lives and show how you can tell the difference between a real warning and mere words.

Every type of con relies upon distracting us from the obvious

Here are my favourite take aways from reading the The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker:

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Book Summary – The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware

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Life is over so quickly. It is possible to reach the end with no regrets. It takes some bravery to live it right, to honour the life you are here to live but the choice is yours. So will be the rewards. Appreciate the time you have left by valuing all of the gifts in your life and that includes especially, your own, amazing self.

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Australian palliative caregiver Bronnie Ware, documented the top regrets of her dying patients, their insights on living, their dying epiphanies and their top regrets. Having cared for and sat by the bedside of terminally ill individuals for several years, she got exposed to their unbearable pain and anguish of dying with regret. The insight she garnered from being around them led her to start a blog and eventually led to writing a memoir, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing.

According to Bronnie Ware, there are 5 top Regrets of the Dying:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.


Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

Here are my favourite take aways from reading, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware.

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Book Summary – The Power of Positive Leadership by Jon Gordon

In Book Summaries 9 Mins Read By

We are not positive because life is easy. We are positive because life can be hard

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A Leader is a dealer in hope, during adversity, obstacles, crisis, and trying times; the leader should always show optimism and positivity. The most powerful tool in a leaders toolset is what he does (example), not what he says. A leader who is positive and optimistic during trying times gives followers the confidence they need during tough times.

In the Power of Positive Leadership, Jon Gordon shares what he has learned and provides a comprehensive framework on positive leadership filled with proven principles, compelling stories, practical ideas, and practices that will help anyone become a positive leader.

Positive leadership is all about seeing and creating a brighter and better future. It’s about inventing, innovating, creating, building, improving, and transforming education, healthcare, business, government, technology, farming, design, communities, cities, transportation, and every aspect of our lives and the world we live in. Some scoff when leaders share bold ideas, imaginative goals, and seemingly impossible dreams, but ideas, imagination, and dreams are the fabric positive leaders weave together to create the future and change the world.

Here are my favourite take aways from reading, The Power of Positive Leadership by Jon Gordon:

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Book Summary – Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

In Book Summaries 10 Mins Read By

Life is a game, and the player opposite you is TIME. If you hesitate before moving, or neglect to move thoughtfully and decisively, your pieces will be wiped off the board by TIME. You are playing against a partner who will not tolerate INDECISION!

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Think and Grow Rich is one of the few books I have lost count of the number of times I have read and listened to the book. It is by far one of the most influential book have ever read as it contains lost of wisdom and insights; each look or reading of the books makes the point clearer.

Think and Grow Rich was first published in 1937 by Napoleon Hill during the Great Depression, and it has sold more than 15 million copies to date. The book was the suggestion of one of the richest men in the world at the time, business magnate Andrew Carnegie.

Think and Grow is based on the Author Napoleon Hill’s twenty years study of successful individuals in that era such as Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, George Eastman, Theodore Roosevelt, Elbert Hubbard among others. His study is distilled as 13 principles contained in the book as the “Philosophy of Achievement”. They are:

  • DESIRE : THE STARTING POINT OF ALL ACHIEVEMENT
  • FAITH: VISUALIZATION OF, AND BELIEF IN ATTAINMENT OF DESIRE
  • AUTO-SUGGESTION : THE MEDIUM FOR INFLUENCING THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
  • SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE: PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OR OBSERVATIONS
  • IMAGINATION:: THE WORKSHOP OF THE MIND
  • ORGANIZED PLANNING: THE CRYSTALLIZATION OF DESIRE INTO ACTION
  • DECISION : THE MASTERY OF PROCRASTINATION
  • PERSISTENCE : THE SUSTAINED EFFORT NECESSARY TO INDUCE FAITH
  • POWER OF THE MASTER MIND” THE DRIVING FORCE
  • THE MYSTERY OF SEX TRANSMUTATION
  • THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND : THE CONNECTING LINK
  • THE BRAIN: A BROADCASTING AND RECEIVING STATION FOR THOUGHT
  • THE SIXTH SENSE:THE DOOR TO THE TEMPLE OF WISDOM

SUCCESS REQUIRES NO APOLOGIES, FAILURE PERMITS NO ALIBIS.

Here are my favourite take-aways from reading Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill:

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Book Summary – Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

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It ain’t what they call you; it’s what you answer to. – W. C. Fields

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In Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert, shares some great insights on how to live life as a creative, the ups and downs, dealing with fear, overcoming self-doubt, avoiding perfectionism, and giving your self the permission to be creative by doing great work every day.

The book has six sections: Courage, Enchantment, Permission, Persistence, Trust, and Divinity. Elizabeth followed up the book with her Magic Lessons podcast, where she interviews famous creatives such as Neil Gaiman, Brene Brown, Sarah Jones, among others.

Here are my favorite take aways from reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert:

What is creativity?
The relationship between a human being and the mysteries of inspiration.

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Book Summary – 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam

In Book Summaries 9 Mins Read By

In 168 hours, there is easily time to sleep 8 hours a night (56 hours per week) and work 50 hours a week, if you desire. That adds up to 106 hours, leaving 62 hours per week for other things.

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Author Laura Vanderkam, in her book 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, shares some great insights on how we have more time than we think we do have and how our time can be maximized by focusing on our priorities.  168 Hours is the story of how some people manage to be fully engaged in their professional and personal lives. It is the story of how people take their careers to the next level while still nurturing their communities, families, and souls.

We all have the same amount of time, the homeless man, the billionaire, the teacher, the blogger, the investor, all of us have the same 24 hours daily, 8,760 hours yearly, 168 hours weekly, 1,440 minutes per day, and how we spend it determines how fulfilled our lives become. Our indoctrination growing up has shaped the way we look at time and changing that programming can and should lead to putting your destiny in your hands.

Here are some of my favorite takeaways from reading 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam:

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Book Summary – The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

In Book Summaries 9 Mins Read By

small, seemingly insignificant steps completed consistently over time will create a radical difference.

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As someone that has participated in 10+ Marathons, I know first-hand the value of commitment and consistency in achieving any worthwhile goal like running a marathon; it requires having a daily routine of running with the end in mind. Darren Hardy, former publisher of Success Magazine, In this book, shares insights gleaned from interviewing and interacting with highly successful people. The Compound Effect is the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices.

The premise of the book is that Success is the progressive realization of a worthwhile goal. Succeeding in any field requires putting in the work, and seeing the compounding results over time. Success requires putting in the work daily and consistently over a long time, small, seemingly insignificant steps completed consistently over time will create a radical difference.

Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = RADICAL DIFFERENCE

Here are my Favourite Take Aways from reading, the compound effect by Darren Hardy:

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Book Summary – The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker.

In Book Summaries 8 Mins Read By

The Effective Executive: they concentrate on one task, if at all possible. After picking what needs to be done, set priorities and stick to them.

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In Effective Executive, Peter Drucker shares some very great insight for becoming an effective executive such as organizing and managing your time, choosing your contribution to the organization, amplifying your strengths, setting the right priorities, and making effective decisions.

I highly recommend this Peter Drucker classic as it contains lots of anecdotes, insights, and practical examples on doing the right things effectively and making the right decisions daily.

Here are my favourite takeaways from reading, Effective Executive by Peter Drucker:

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Book Summary – The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga

In Book Summaries 9 Mins Read By

All you can do with regard to your own life is choose the best path that you believe in. On the other hand, what kind of judgment do other people pass on that choice? That is the task of other people, and is not a matter you can do anything about

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The Courage to Be Disliked follows a conversation between a young man and a philosopher as they discuss the tenets of Alfred Adler’s theories. Adler, a lesser-known twentieth-century psychologist whose work stands up to Freud and Jung, believes in a liberating approach to happiness in which each human being has the power and potential to live a happy and fulfilled life without worry about the past or future.

Their dialogue spans five nights, and the reader is invited to journey alongside the youth as he grapples with, fights against, and is ultimately moved by the profundity of Alder’s wisdom.

The Courage to be Disliked is inspired by Socratic dialogue, a literary genre derived from Plato’s dialogues in which Socrates is a main character who, through conversation, seeks to answer questions on the meaning of life.

When you’re 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking about you.
When you’re 40, you don’t give a darn what anybody thinks of you.
When you’re 60, you realize that nobody has been thinking about you at all!

Here are my favourite takeaways from reading “The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness“. Some great insights such as your past does not determine your future, Happiness is a choice, how we fabricate anger, a competitive mindset can affect your mental health and the courage to be disliked leads to long-lasting happiness.

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Book Summary – Rising Strong by Brené Brown.

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We can not rise strong when we are on the run.

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In Rising Strong, Brené Brown shares great insights on how acceptance of our struggles make us more whole in the long run than hiding them. The “Rising Strong” process requires courage, reckoning with our emotions, rumbling with our stories, and living the process, which is revolutionary and leads to wholeheartedness in our lives.

Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague. Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives. Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness.

Here are my favourite take aways from reading Rising Strong by Brené Brown:

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Book Summary – I Can See Clearly Now by Wayne Dyer

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You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist. – Friedrich Nietzsche

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Wayne Dyer, in this book, takes the reader on an adventure of his life experiences, the aha moments, his growing up days, the insights gained, and all the things he wished knew, but he sees it clearly now. He shares significant events from his life and note lessons he ultimately learned and wisdom he garnered through introspection.

Wayne Dyer was an American self-help author and a motivational speaker. His first book, Your Erroneous Zones (1976), is one of the best-selling books of all time, with an estimated 100 million copies sold to date.

If we stop for a moment, it is possible to perceive a pattern in our lives; the motivators that have influenced us become more obvious. We are able to see life unfolding from both ends at once , coming into the present moment. But until we have got to a certain point of realization, this is not possible, because everything is still seen as a series of  apparent causes and effects— RESHAD FEILD

Here are my favourite take aways from reading, I Can See Clearly Now by Wayne Dyer:

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Book Summary – On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

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Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open. Your stuff starts out being just for you, in other words, but then it goes out. Once you know what the story is and get it right — as right as you can, anyway — it belongs to anyone who wants to read it. Or criticize it.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is a memoir by American author Stephen King that describes his experiences as a writer and his advice for aspiring writers. Stephen’s books have sold more than 350 million, he writes horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels.

The On Writing book contains a lot of nuggets, insights, and strategies for becoming a great writer. In typical Stephen King fashion, the book is a straight to the point, no BS take on getting things done by writing great stories and using your imagination effectively.

Here are my favourite take ways from reading On Writing by Stephen King:

Writing is seduction. Good talk is part of seduction.

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Book Summary – Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence.

In Book Summaries 7 Mins Read By

The bottom line is that we think we work to pay the bills—but we spend more than we make on more than we need, which sends us back to work to get the money to spend to get more stuff to . . .

Title: Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence
Author(s): Vicki Robin (Author), Joe Dominguez (Author), Mr. Money Mustache (Foreword)

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I have recently been fascinated by the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement. I am on a quest to read and execute as much of the teachings as I can and in turn become financially independent and retire early. The Book: Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence, is a very great resource with lots of insights and action steps on becoming more Financial Intelligent.

Here are my Favourite Takeaways from reading, Your money or Your Life:

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Book Summary -The Leadership Gap by Lolly Daskal.

In Book Summaries 11 Mins Read By

 Leaders are encouraged to see themselves not as failures who who need to be fixed, but as successful people finding their potential to be even better.

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Lolly Daskal draws on her experience studying human behavior in the context of business, she created a unique methodology based on seven leadership archetypes—the rebel, the explorer, the truth-teller, the hero, the inventor, the navigator, and the knight.

The archetypes provide an accessible construct for deeper awareness and  personal growth. Understanding which role you embody—when and why—has tremendous value for a leader who seeks to optimize performance.

 Seeing yourself in each of these archetypes will help you leverage what you do brilliantly well and, by contrast, learn where and why you tend to fail. There are real “leadership gaps” that impede the success of even the most talented executives.

Here are my favorite takeaways from reading, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness by Lolly Daskal:

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Book Summary – On Writing Well by William Zinsser

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This blog is an experiment on writing well, hence I am always on the lookout for ways to improve my writing skills. My quest to develop my writing skills lead to reading this insightful book: On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser.

The Book contains lots of insights and time tested advice for aspiring writers and students of the game.

Here are my favourite take aways and action steps from reading On Writing well:

The professional writer must establish a daily schedule and stick to it… writing is a craft, not an art, and… the man who runs away from his craft because he lacks inspiration is fooling himself. He is also going broke… if your job is to write every day, you learn to do it like any other job. – William Zinsser, On Writing Well

Writers Write

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