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Are business/self-help books a waste of time?

GravyBoat

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How I see it:

Action Taking
Action Faking
Mental Masturbation
Entertainment
Detriment

In order of relevance to your goals.

Reading books falls under "Mental Masturbation" category. It's still better than some things you could be doing, but nothing replaces action taking.

A base level is necessary and good. But you're on book 80 man.

You already know this. Go take action. You'll learn way more than reading your 81st book.
 

Bruno Calisso

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Depends, I like to keep my library minimalistic, I try to mantain only the best of the best for each topic, if it's not good I'll try to get rid of that book. From the moment your library gets too big it will be harmful. Keep it simple. Have 15 business books? Keep only the best 5. Repeat this in all other topics. You'll have a smaller library but it will feel golden knowledge.
 

TJ Danka

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So today I was looking at my bookshelf with over 80+ books on it, and was thinking to what I've learnt from it and I look at it and think I haven't really accomplished anything from all this reading. Sometimes I think because these books are not tailored to your situation they won't help you, thus pointless reading them. What was your guys opinion on it?

Books are great tool to learn new skills and change your whole mindset about a particular subject, especially business...
 

TJ Danka

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Man, you are wrong on so many levels. Life is more than just motivation and facing difficult decisions (even though books can help with both of those). And it has nothing to do with 'positive BS about how everyone can be an entrepreneur'. It's about education - and yes, experience is one of the best sources of education, but don't be so quick to say that books can't change who a person is or what their actions are. It's just wrong. Just because they haven't done anything for you or you have nothing to learn from books (which would be a lie), it doesn't mean that books are as meaningless as you paint them to be.

It's sad to see negative comments about books/education on a forum or community that would cease to exist without.... you guessed it - a book.
Spot on! This platform wouldn't exist without a book...Books are a great educational tool. I worked more than two decades in a job I hated. It's TMF that gave me the courage and tools to quit my 9-5 job and get into business. As MJ said, you read a book that helps you solve the problem you're currently facing...right now I'm focusing on enhancing my technical and selling skills, so I'm into those kind of books...
 

Kruiser

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So many great points in this thread!

Here are a few of my thoughts:

1. True, if you aren't acting on anything you are reading, you are wasting your time.

2. But it doesn't need to be either/or, either reading or acting. I think audiobooks are so helpful in this regard. It probably doesn't make sense for you to skip prospecting to read a book (unless it is a book on how to prospect and you don't have a clue how to do it). But maybe it does make sense to listen to an audiobook while you are doing some errands.

3. Books, yes, self-help books, have profoundly improved my mindset over the past few years. But I still have a lot of room for improvement and have a tendency toward pessimism and negativity. By continuing to put positive and uplifting stuff into my mind, I resist my mind's negative tendencies and continue acting and growing.

4. Reading books, including self-help books, is more than about "learning how to do stuff" or "getting yourself to do stuff." Having success but lacking fulfillment is a real thing. Just last week (I think), a new INSIDERS member was looking for advice because he was feeling a bit meaningless and lost after he'd hit fastlane success. Tony Robbins talks about this all the time and has some ideas on what to do.

5. Also, as we act and improve, we change and we are not the same person we were when we first read the book. There are a handful of books I've read several times and each time I've read them have seemed like an entirely new book. Because I've changed between the readings.

6. Sometimes I don't really grasp a thing (and act on it) until I've heard it 12 times from 6 different angles.

7. For me, it is a matter of constantly adjusting and finding finding the right balance between acting, inputting good info, and being silent. I've fried my brain by taking in too much information. I've "just done it" when I should have learned more. And I've let my thoughts spiral into negativity when re-visiting a booked that I found insightful would have helped.
 
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Ismail941

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Just wanted to add this:

Reading books is great.
You should streamline what you do even if its reading.
What I mean by that, streamline = categorize

Shelf 1: Financial Books
Shelf 2: Mindset Books
Shelf 3: Health/Fitness Books
Shelf 4: Business Books
Shelf 5: Sports/Athlete Books etc
Shelf 6: Your Desired & Current Work Field/Niche - Technical Books etc

When you do this, it becomes a piece of cake what to do next without even thinking.
 
D

Deleted68316

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So today I was looking at my bookshelf with over 80+ books on it, and was thinking to what I've learnt from it and I look at it and think I haven't really accomplished anything from all this reading. Sometimes I think because these books are not tailored to your situation they won't help you, thus pointless reading them. What was your guys opinion on it?
Yes man, they are a waste of time.

I opened the forum to reply specifically to your message.

Self help is crap.

Think about this: what if instead or reading all that bullshit (like I did as well) you read the classics of literature.

I'm talking about books that really teach you about life sometimes better than life itself:
- Balzac ( lost illusions)
- Tolstoj
- Dostoevskij
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Cechov
- and so on

What if, man?

That's what I ask myself everyday.

Self help is synonymous (most of the times) of hugliness.

We, all of us, need beauty. Classic literature (like music) is real beauty.

Stop reading that shit right now.

Start with beautiful literature.

What a shame man.

Think that today everyone is crazy about money and we all read Warren Buffet books. The synonymous of hugliness, Coca Cola, and belly fat.

I'm sorry about these people, man. You need to understand that it's not their fault. Society puts pressure on them. It makes them who their are not. They become gurus often without them wanting to. They just get involved because they may hope that are able to help someone and they surely do from time to time.

Like them, also a self help book needs to be marketed. Then, from what it is (a normal reading) becomes what it is not (a "book that will F*cking change your life" and if it doesn't it's your responsibility).

Just read beautiful books, and you'll be fine.
 
D

Deleted68316

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Also, notice the F*cking gap.

No one talks about classic literature.

How is that possible?

That's real beauty. Why people don't even consider it as a category in their posts? Why no single book of classic literature is mentioned in the recommended reading lists?

Do you think they don't help people to make money?

That's wrong. Completely wrong.

Those books are not only pillars of beauty we need to take care of, but they are also filled with:
- history
- social dynamics
- personal dynamics.

Do you want to die without reading a few of those books at least (but you have every book Buffet)?
 
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