Don't be materialistic, Brag, ReadingWe will continue to be held back if we don’t shift our focus from the WHAT to the WHY and HOW.

Bonus: Massive book list at the end of the post. 

Last week I read an awesome post by Tai Lopez (who reads a book a day) on his Facebook page where he said, “It’s a funny world. People bragging about how big their house is or how nice their car is. How about bragging about how big their library is?”  He had one guy reply and suggest that we don’t brag at all.

It got me thinking about what bragging really is.

(click here or on the play button below to hear this post)

Don’t we live in a materialistic world full of brands trying to steal our attention? In the over-informed, hyper-aware, constantly-connected world we live in, we are inundated with images, videos, and “stuff” telling us how great people and products are. I think bragging, but more so promoting is a necessary part of life. I am a huge fan of personal branding, and being known for something. What do you want to be known for?

“It’s a funny world. People bragging about how big their house is or how nice their car is. How about bragging about how big their library is?” – Tai Lopez

How many images do we see of celebrities or even people we know who just brag about the things they have? All around us, people try and posture to be bigger than they are. As Jim Rohn would say, “They built their houses on the sand, not on the rock.”

Wouldn’t it be great if those you admired showed you the resources they used to acquire those things, rather than the things themselves?  That was why I was so interested in Tai’s post. Aside from the ones who get accidentally rich and famous, how do REAL successful people get to where they are?

For me, I always love studying the things successful people do.

  • The books they read 
  • The habits they have
  • The ways they interact with others
  • Their spirit, intention, and presence

Often, I am amazed by just how much goes into success and how so many “unsuccessful” people think it is easy. Success can’t and shouldn’t come overnight, and those who build long-term habits, consistently, will reap the benefits. And that the most successful people are not materialistic.

I probably buy about two to five books a week. I buy some for my Kindle app, but mainly I LOVE getting real books for my shelves. Usually I will buy one to read on my phone or tablet right away, while I wait for the second one to come in the mail. Then I make time each day for about 30 minutes to an hour (more if I can) and focus on reading.

Leaders are Readers.

Have a look at this Forbes post on Why Leaders Must be Readers and see for yourself

Also look at this Harvard Business Review Post called For Those Who Want to Lead, Read. It  says “Business people seem to be reading less — particularly material unrelated to business.”  That’s a big lesson, often overlooked.

  • Read about the world
  • Read about people
  • Read about history
  • Read about science
  • Read about spirituality, nature, and everything!

What should you read? Well, everything! Over the past few years, I have learned an amazing lesson…

Read it before you need it.

Let me tell you a quick story about needing some reading.  I recently signed on a new client who is a huge, billion dollar multinational manufacturing company.  Last month, I traveled across the continent to do a workshop for them on complex selling, neuroscience, and personal mastery. As part of the initial discussion prior to getting them on board, we talked about enhancing the corporate capabilities, including operations and manufacturing. This is vitally important in selling in today’s markets because sales is no longer an isolated function and we wanted to get a number of cross-functional departments heads involved. To increase the overall performance, we need to look at all parts of the whole, so we had a very systemic conversation about sales as part of the larger organization.

Rewind about a year ago…my mentor, who is a world-renowned expert in systems thinking, organizational complexity, and project management (including massive manufacturing), gave me me books to read. These books were on project management, systems, statistical process control, and even nature!  So I read them and actually really enjoyed them. I had no idea I would these concepts, but fast forward back to today and the language I use in discussions is now much more robust than it has been in the past.

So read it before you need it. 

What are you reading? Are you focusing on just one area? Are you limiting yourself and missing opportunities?

For all my single friends out there. One of Tai’s best pieces of advice he gave me from last year is that if you are struggling with dating, you probably should read more. Have something to say.

In sales, as in life, here is what I say; “It’s not that they’re not interested, it’s that you’re not interesting. Get interesting.”

My Book List: Books that are Currently Inspiring Me

Here is one of the slides from a recent presentation:

Joe Girard, Reading List
My recent reading list from a presentation

Take a look at this list and do yourself a favor. Buy one or two of these books and start reading today. Download the kindle app for your phone or tablet and just get reading while you wait for your other shiny new books

This Year’s Reading List: (Books I have read or am currently reading)

Upcoming Reading List (Books I have just bought or plan to buy):

I was going to write some of my thoughts on these books, but if you are serious about taking the next step, you should check them out for yourself and see which ones resonate with you personally!

Here are some other lists to check out:

Well I hope that list gets you inspired to take action and get reading. It made me want to dive more into my books! Also, I will be relaunching this site very soon with a killer new look, so stay tuned…

Joe Girard
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    1 Response to "Materialistic? Brag About Your Library of Books, Not Your House or Car"

    • 6 Reasons Why You Should Build Trust in Selling - Joe Girard
      November 29, 2014

      […] people. Learn more than what is required way before you need it and be interesting (read my post on bragging about your library of books). If you can go into a customer situation and clearly articulate not just your solution, but how it […]

      Reply

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