Question from a reader --
Hi Sebastian, I want a very specific book recommendation, can you help me on this please?
I want to be a champion, I have this desire and conviction I will be I just don't know in what exactly but I want greatness.
What I want to know is, which books inspire greatness on you, which books light your fire, which ones intensify the burning desire and you think could do the same to me?
Thanks a lot man
M from Brazil.
Heroes by Carlyle
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
Any great biographies, contemporary or past: Benjamin Franklin, Howard Hughes, Ted Turner, and Arnold Schwarzenegger come to mind immediately.
Other advice -- pick an overarching lens from which to do your work for the present moment.
Most of the things worth doing -- developing skills, making good contacts, becoming more intimate with people who are a good fit to be in your life, putting theories into action and seeing the results, and developing a track record of success -- is nearly impossible to do if you don't have some focused outlet.
I call that having a "lens" to work through. I didn't, for years. It set me back tremendously. Now, the primary lens I work through is GiveGetWin -- it means I can channel every new idea I see into making the organization more successful, it constantly gives me a list of questions I need to be finding answers to (which is especially helpful when people ask "what can I do for you?" -- something most successful people will ask if they like you), it gives me a way to connect with a lot of people I admire and work with them, it develops skills, and we're changing the world.
The easiest way to get a very solid lens would be to join a well-run existing organization, and devote yourself to making it more successful. That could be an on-campus organization if you're studying, a nonprofit, or a trade association. Working for a company is slightly dangerous in this regard, since steady paychecks are "more addictive than crack cocaine" according to Felix Dennis (oh, his book is worth reading too).
You could also decide, for instance, to make your lens writing, and then write a minimum of words each day and publish or submit a minimum number of times each week. Then, when asked what you do, "I'm a writer on XYZ topic." You get a list of questions to answer, and skills to improve.
When you're ambitious, you need a lens to filter things through and do work through. Pick one. It doesn't have to be something you marry forever, but do make sure it's going to get you some gains even if you change course later. (Casually doing a consumer-facing internet startup will likely yield no tangible results at all; thus, it's a poor lens unless you're willing to devote to it for a considerable period of time.) If you're going to pick one quickly, make it something that you can make a positive contribution and then leave and things will be OK -- hence, the existing organization recommendation. You want to stack up results, skills, and resources, and you need something to explain to others on what you're doing right now. Ideally it's somewhere to perfect yourself, get great lessons, meet tons of people who are relevant to your life, and contribute to the world at the same time.
Does that help some? Figuring out a lens could drive you crazy, but don't let it. Much better to pick something and work through it for six months until finding something better, than to try to find something perfect and having the search take the next 10 months. Feel free to shoot me an email when you decide how you're going to work on this, I'd love to hear about your decisions here.
SM
Shameless plug: We are accepting volunteers at GiveGetWin. Email sebastian@sebastianmarshall.com or me@danieltern.es if you're interested. Tons of skills and brilliant people to interact with. But even if nonprofit work isn't your thing, do make sure you pick a lens to work through if you're ambitious.