Category: Book Reviews

Awakenings

I’m taking a detour to promote the new book that can be bought on Amazon for only $14.99. Reading the stories of struggle and triumph could give you ideas about tactics to use so that you can flourish on and off the job.

The book above features the first-person accounts of 28 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia who have recovered. Plus, credible information on AOT, ACT, marijuana use and psychosis, treatment and medications used.

My recovery story is featured at number 5 in the book. It’s the shortest in length recovery story. The other stories have longer pages.

The other survivors went through years and years of hell and heartache. Getting the right treatment right away can result in a better outcome quickly. Yet for those of us who struggle long-term this book shows that hope for a better life is possible at any time in your recovery.

There are as many versions of recovery as there are people living in recovery. Like a thumbprint our lifestyles are unique and can be full and robust in their own way.

The point is not to compare yourself to other people. The grass might be greener on the front lawn over there. Inside the house it’s a hot mess where you can’t see it.

In coming blog entries I will talk more about coping with pressure on the job.

Gold Stars: Boon or Boondoggle

I checked the above book out of the library.

What if we took the off ramp on the high-stress mainstream highway?

What if you joined me in living life Left of the Dial?

The New Alt-American Dream is alive and well.

For those of us with the courage to veer off the beaten career path there’s joy, meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in serving others. More on this in the coming blog entry.

Right now the myth to bust:

We should stop inculcating in teenagers that they must get on the freeway to success early in life with high SAT scores and pedigrees from elite colleges.

No young person should have to know by 18 what they want to do with their life. Play and fun is warranted. Not doing community service solely to get into the right university.

In here I reviewed the book Late Bloomers about how those of us who didn’t take this “conveyor belt” ride to early achievement have traits that enable us to succeed in our older years.

Recently I read Project 333. The author of that book wrote that she spent 20 years in a marketing job. Racked up credit card debt buying clothes she never wore with tags still attached.

Courtney Carver stayed in that career because she thought the job was what she had to do to prove her worth in society and get ahead. Along the way she was diagnosed with MS–multiple sclerosis.

Too often we’re afraid to do what we really want. We succumb to chasing fame or fortune so grind away in a “money pit” job.

Or the ideal work would come with a lower salary. That’s why in my career guide Working Assets I talk about getting a second source of income while you clock in during the day at a job you like.

In the next blog entry I’ll talk about a beautiful job for dreamers who want to do what they dream of.

The Power of Potential

This book on How a Non-Traditional Workforce Can Lead You to Run Your Business Better should be required reading.

The author lists four issues:

You hire based on interviews. You think great talent is the secret to a great business. Your managers are “good enough.” You fire your worst employees.

The four wins he details instead are:

Every employee feels safe. Accountability is a tool for growth. Your work has purpose. Customers love their experience.

The author and his father chose individuals with autism as their target employees and built a business around this workforce.

The father and son operate two high-profit car washes in Florida that employ only individuals with autism.

In the author’s note up front:

“If you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism.” The quote originates from Stephen Shore, an Autistic self-advocate and professor of special education at Adelphi University.

This holds true for individuals with mental illnesses.

What bugged me about one 3-star review of my first memoir Left of the Dial was that the critic insinuated that recovery was not possible for the majority of people with schizophrenia.

In fact, individuals diagnosed with and living with SZ are a diverse crowd. In a way there’s a spectrum in how the symptoms of the illness manifest in each person.

Not everyone hears voices who has SZ. Others have only paranoia or delusions.

The four wins for the car washes that have autistic workers hold true across disabilities and business types.

Coming up I’ll devote a blog carnival to writing about how having a mental illness can be an asset on the job.

Earning by Learning

Though I’m an Advocate for mental health and other social justice issues I think Conscious Capitalism shouldn’t be written off as a viable economic engine for businesses and workers and individuals alike.

The founder of the Container Store wrote the book Conscious Capitalism. If I remember right he coined this term.

Another author has written a scathing expose of Nike. His book allegedly corroborates that Nike’s sponsorship of student athletes caused the rise of rapes on campus.

Going back years ago Nike was also excoriated for their sweatshop scandal involving workers who sewed their clothes.

Taking this as it might be and has been I was compelled to read the book in the photo despite the fact that Nike isn’t infallible.

Greg Hoffman the author is a biracial man whose father is Black and mother is white. His adoptive parents were white and encouraged his love of art and sports from an early age. After meeting both birth parents and their families it clicked where he got his innate art talent from: His birth sister was a graphic designer too. And his grandmother was an artist who painted.

No–I don’t like to single out people along the lines of their race. Yet the facts of who Gregg Hoffman is and what he stands for deserve a call-out. He rose from being an intern at Nike to becoming their Chief Marketing Officer. In a 27-year career with the company that spanned breakthrough product campaigns.

The number-one principle Hoffman espouses is that through storytelling you can build a brand by making customers feel they are a part of the story. Treat them as humans and appeal to their emotions to create a fervor for your product.

One of the Nike campaign videos that I viewed circa 2017 left a lasting impression on me. The message of the video played into having empathy for your customers.

As a brand marketer (and as an ordinary human being) you need to step outside yourself to understand the experiences of others.

The video in question provoked a lot of people’s ire. Colin Kaepernick is narrating the idea that the dreams of your youth should not be abandoned when you become an adult.

The theme of the video was Dream Crazy.

The last thing Kaepernick says in the video is: Don’t ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they’re crazy enough.

Those last two sentences inspired me to dare greatly.

I recommend you buy Emotion by Design or check it out of the library.

In the coming blog entry I’m going to tell my story. I was crazy enough to think recovery was possible at a time when everybody thought it wasn’t.

The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management system I instantly fell in love with. Its creator Francesco Cirillo is an Italian from Italy.

Pomodoro is Italian for tomato. The Pomodoro Technique sounds so much better than The Tomato Technique.

The author was a student studying for an exam in 1987 when he first used a kitchen timer like the tomato design one on the book cover.

You time-box the tasks you have to complete each day into multiple “Pomodoros.”

Set the kitchen timer for 25 minutes to allot for one task. At the sound of the timer going off at 25 minutes take a five-minute break.

Schedule each Pomodoro in 25-minute intervals.

This is a genius time management system. Up soon I plan to buy a kitchen timer for this purpose.

The timer will tick while you’re working and that’s okay if you are the only one in the room. Or if you work in an office where you can close the door.

In the book Cirillo gives tactics for using team Pomodoros.

25-minute intervals are the perfect length of the Pomodoros.

There’s no reason to warm a chair 10 hours a day at your desk at work. The trick is that you should be productive within a normal seven-hour workday.

The Pomodoro Technique is perfetto as Italians would say.

It’s the perfect solution to getting things done with more focus power and energy.

Dream first Details Later

Ellen Bennett wrote Dream First Details Later:

Her memoir and how-to-succeed in business guide.

The founder and owner of Hedley and Bennett she sells cook’s aprons (for chefs and at-home cooks).

The higher quality aprons cost $85 to $125.

A chef at Providence in Los Angeles she was frustrated with the ill-fitting poor-quality aprons the restaurant owner was going to buy.

“I have an apron company. I’ll sell you better aprons,” Bennett told him.

That was the right-then start of her own apron business.

She chronicles the evolution of Hedley and Bennett from first thought to ultimate sucess.

The trick is that most start-up businesses fail because the products being sold no one wants to buy. To become a Next Millionaire Next Door, you should be able to see a need in the market and capitalize on filling the need.

Today according to Sam Conniff Allende in Be More Pirate creating a business plan is Out. Drafting a Pirate’s Code is In.

A one-page business plan is all you might need. See the book The One Page Proposal by Patrick G. Riley for details. I’ve used this book to create a one-page sales pitch.

See the lovely Hedley and Bennett aprons for sale.

Coming up a review of another great book. It didn’t get listed in the book directory in the forthcoming print copy of Working Assets. Owing to the fact that the career book was already in production.

Click on the Career Resources header at the top of this blog for an updated list of books that are in the forefront.

Be More Pirate

The book below was a game-changer for me:

It’s shelved in the business section at the library. I recommend buying a copy and marking it up. Though I have a photographic memory so remembered the key integral points the author talked about.

Be More Pirate is the guide for taking on the world and winning. There’s no other book like it.

At the end of the book, I created my own Pirate’s Code using three of the author’s articles first and four of my own at the end. Each article contains one or two sentences that reinforce the ethic of that article.

My Pirate’s Code has these 7 Articles:

  1. Take Happiness Seriously.
  2. Embrace Diversity to Raise Your Game.
  3. Make the Citizen Shift.
  4. Celebrate Individuality.
  5. Commit to Truth-Telling.
  6. Use Storytelling to Create Empathy.
  7. Break Bread Together.

Toward the end of Be More Pirate the author told the story of a Black musician circa 1982 who started to have dinner with Klansmen. The three men gave the musician their white robes. Interacting with the Black man they realized the folly of their hate and no longer wanted to be a part of the Klan.

Whether predictably or not the NAACP castigated the Black musician for breaking bread with the enemy.

The fact is not all of us will have 1Million Instagram followers willing to do our bidding and buy the products we’re selling or the propaganda we’re peddling.

One person who is able to change the lives of only 1,000 individuals or 100 or even only 10 is making a veritable difference in the scheme of things.

I will end here with the 5 rules of How to Be More Pirate to encourage you to buy the book:

Pirates draw strength from standing up to the status quo.

Pirates bend, break, and ultimately rewrite the rules.

Pirates collaborate to achieve scale rather than growth.

Pirates fight for fairness and make enemies of exploitation.

Pirates weaponize stories then tell the hell out of them.

The One Day One Job Approach

Five months ago, I read The Pretty One by Keah Brown. Her first-person account of living with cerebral palsy. How because she couldn’t walk fast crossing the street drivers in cars honked their horns at her.

One part of the memoir stood out to me. Kean Brown exposed the insanity of how able-bodied people rush-rush-rush places every day filling their lives with nonstop activities.

This week I decided to conserve my energy for doing only the things essential to maintaining my well-being.

This daily living habit I term the “one day one job” approach.

Even when I’m not at my job I consider the tasks I need to do “jobs.”

My one job might be posting this blog entry. Or doing the workout routine.

I’ve learned this life lesson about not taking on herculean tasks that derail my focus and energy.

It’s precisely because living with a disability gives us challenges that we are uniquely qualified to “opt out” of the busywork insanity.

Without feeling shame or regret for not living up to these impossible demands that the majority of Americans make on themselves.

I say let people who have a vested interest in living under the cover of what’s “normal” burn themselves out running around without stopping every day.

Easily 12 years ago I read a book by Leo Babauta. In it he talked about limiting the focus of your life to your “5 Commitments.”

My 5 passions are art music fashion books and exercise.

One other tactic I adopted is to KISS–Keep It Simple Sweetheart.

In 2003 I wrote in an online article: “If it doesn’t fit, I won’t commit.”

We have all the time we need to get done everything we need to do.

Taking the time to do what’s integral to our health and happiness. Discarding the things that numb us or distract us or divert our attention from our 5 commitments.

This is something to think about:

Daring to let go of the busywork.

Risking “missing out” when attending those events would not add benefit to our life.

Taking joy in being present and centered on the things we choose to do.

The Bullet Journal Method

Today I’ll talk about how a nifty little product saved my life: The Bullet Journal.

The creator of the Bullet Journal Ryder Carroll had multiple learning disabilities. His invention was born out of his need to manage his workload.

A fellow Visionary Carroll sought to control his life and overcome the obstacles he faced.

The detail about Ryder Carroll having learning disabilities impressed me the most. He “turned his trials into triumphs”–the topic of a book I’ll review shortly.

I tell you: “No you can’t” is not an acceptable answer. In the first place why should we place the direction and outcome of our lives in another person’s hands or control?

Ryder Carroll invented a product to help himself. Then he crowdfunded the journal to sell it to others.

It cost me $31 total to buy the official hardbound Edition 2 of the Bullet Journal with the blush-color cover.

Every year or when the stock runs out a new color is introduced for the cover.

Keeping the Bullet Journal saved my life. I had checked out of the library the Ryder Carroll companion book The Bullet Journal: Track the Past Order the Present Design the Future.

The purpose of keeping and using the Bullet Journal is to align your actions with your values. It’s “A mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system.”

The Bullet Journal Method book is available in over 20 languages. If you sign up for the Bullet Journal emails you get 15% off your first journal order.

There’s true empowerment to be had in this story.

I’ll end here with what resonates with me the most:

Ryder Carroll was not afraid to risk acting on his vision to help others by selling a product he invented first to help himself.

Executing a plan despite fearing what others will think of your vision is the only way to live.

It’s not easy to dream of doing something that you’re told can’t or shouldn’t be done. Having the courage to follow through with doing this thing is vital to your happiness.

T.S. Eliot is quoted: “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

The older I get the more determined I am to go after my goals with gusto.

Using the Bullet Journal, I think I can achieve what I set out to.

See these links:

Bullet Journal Website

Plans vs Goals vs Resolutions vs Intentions

Identity Compass

One for All – All for One

I reviewed the book Betting on You in here before. In this book the author talks about the right way to be a “slacker” on your job.

Elsewhere I’ve read that there cannot be justice for one person without justice for everyone.

Banding together in the workplace to exercise your rights is called for.

Have any of you like I have had your physical health savaged working 5 days a week at a job during the pandemic?

Entering the 3rd year of the COVID outbreak is no joke.

In a coming blog entry I will talk about the life lessons we can learn from surviving on our jobs without getting economic reparations for risking our health.

This ties into what I’m writing in a book about money health for peers.

So much of what sparks joy in our lives doesn’t come from a Prada purse or Jimmy Choo shoes.

Working to spend money on things isn’t the way to live. Living to spend time with those we love is.

At the start of 2022 in this blog I will also talk about doing Spring Cleaning in January to clear the cobwebs of thoughts out of our heads.

As well as how editing the contents of our closets can not only spark joy.

Weeding the old and outdated the outgrown and no longer useful elements of life will pave the road forward for success in 2022.