User Power
Value/Post Ratio
153%
- Oct 1, 2012
- 390
- 597
- 32
The one thing that unites every poster on this forum is our love of the iconic book: The Millionaire Fastlane . One of the tenets of the book is the concept of continuous education, in many ways, our education begins when we leave school. We are here to share our knowledge, our achievements, our success, in the hope of inspiring others and picking up critical feedback to continue to pursue our objectives.
What I've noticed is that I have developed a particular taste for art. I can intuitively tell by the theme of any body of work to recognize the core values that it is designed with. Ayn Rand aptly describes this with The Romantic Manifesto:
Although TMF is not a novel, its author undoubtably infused the book with his personality, his values, his vision of reality. More importantly than the actual lessons, was the theme, one that refuses to accept compromising, one that won't sell itself short, for anything.
There was a time when I would spend reading books that opposed my primary sense of life, un-romantic ones -- if you will -- only to strengthen my arguments. To find the holes that unravel the entire body of work. Nowadays I'm exclusively interested in reading only romantic literature, to help push me further alongside my pursuit of my ambitions. Here's a few of the books, TMF and Ayn Rand aside, that carry this powerful romantic spirit and inspire to push harder than ever before:
Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim Grover. Here's a self-made man who shares the inside story on the world of the highest calibre of athletes. His rational approach, while also fearless, brought him untold success and loyal respect. He gives insights into his philosophy on excellence, and the work ethic and drive it takes to get there. He doesn't bother discussing slowlaners and sidewalkers. He breaks down Fastlaners by their speed. He calls the fastest of the fastlaners "Cleaners". Romantic and personal, here's a book you simply can't ignore or debate with.
Zero to One by Peter Thiel. Another self-made man who speaks from experience, and one who happens to be the right touches of poetic and philosophical, while being extremely pragmatic. His perspective on seeing whats hidden in plain sight, sharing his investment philosophy while opposing the typical approach, and discussions on vertical scaling, instead of a horizontal, makes for all around legendary reading. Both refreshing and insightful, it comes highly recommended.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. More stories in the trenches from those executing first-hand, this one gives a unique perspective into the decision making one is forced into in such a shaky position as a CEO and cofounder. He has almost nothing to base his decisions on, yet he managed to do phenomenally well and shares firsthand the challenges he faced, and the mindset that carried him through those obstacles. If you plan to run your own company, Ben offers superb suggestions on hiring, culture, and making the Hard Decisions.
Mastery by Robert Greene. Both Thiel and Robert draw upon the conclusion of Malcom Gladwell in Outliers, though the latter only does so indirectly. While Gladwell is an unromantic author, he does offer a powerful assertion: 10 000 hours into a craft is roughly the amount of time it takes to achieve expertise. Robert takes this notion, and turns it into something beautiful. He draws on the biographies of some truly exceptional people and demonstrates how their commitment ("Cleaners", Tim Grover would call them), and openness to growth and learning about their environment, and themselves in the process, put them in unique situations to take their crafts to a level of mastery that revolutionized their respective fields ever since.
What we have here is a combination of fearlessness, commitment to excellency, and the refusal to settle. Core attributes of any entrepreneur worth his/her salt.
The romantic spirit of these books is incredibly addicting. The Romantic Manifesto describes art as a type of food for the soul, something we need to spiritually eat, to give us fuel and energy to keep going for the future we want to build for ourselves. Like an athlete with a strict diet designed for explosive performance, so we must consciously dictate what soul foods we consume, and for the same purpose: total focus on the vision.
What romantic books have you read that have impacted you permanently?
What I've noticed is that I have developed a particular taste for art. I can intuitively tell by the theme of any body of work to recognize the core values that it is designed with. Ayn Rand aptly describes this with The Romantic Manifesto:
Although TMF is not a novel, its author undoubtably infused the book with his personality, his values, his vision of reality. More importantly than the actual lessons, was the theme, one that refuses to accept compromising, one that won't sell itself short, for anything.
There was a time when I would spend reading books that opposed my primary sense of life, un-romantic ones -- if you will -- only to strengthen my arguments. To find the holes that unravel the entire body of work. Nowadays I'm exclusively interested in reading only romantic literature, to help push me further alongside my pursuit of my ambitions. Here's a few of the books, TMF and Ayn Rand aside, that carry this powerful romantic spirit and inspire to push harder than ever before:
Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim Grover. Here's a self-made man who shares the inside story on the world of the highest calibre of athletes. His rational approach, while also fearless, brought him untold success and loyal respect. He gives insights into his philosophy on excellence, and the work ethic and drive it takes to get there. He doesn't bother discussing slowlaners and sidewalkers. He breaks down Fastlaners by their speed. He calls the fastest of the fastlaners "Cleaners". Romantic and personal, here's a book you simply can't ignore or debate with.
Zero to One by Peter Thiel. Another self-made man who speaks from experience, and one who happens to be the right touches of poetic and philosophical, while being extremely pragmatic. His perspective on seeing whats hidden in plain sight, sharing his investment philosophy while opposing the typical approach, and discussions on vertical scaling, instead of a horizontal, makes for all around legendary reading. Both refreshing and insightful, it comes highly recommended.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. More stories in the trenches from those executing first-hand, this one gives a unique perspective into the decision making one is forced into in such a shaky position as a CEO and cofounder. He has almost nothing to base his decisions on, yet he managed to do phenomenally well and shares firsthand the challenges he faced, and the mindset that carried him through those obstacles. If you plan to run your own company, Ben offers superb suggestions on hiring, culture, and making the Hard Decisions.
Mastery by Robert Greene. Both Thiel and Robert draw upon the conclusion of Malcom Gladwell in Outliers, though the latter only does so indirectly. While Gladwell is an unromantic author, he does offer a powerful assertion: 10 000 hours into a craft is roughly the amount of time it takes to achieve expertise. Robert takes this notion, and turns it into something beautiful. He draws on the biographies of some truly exceptional people and demonstrates how their commitment ("Cleaners", Tim Grover would call them), and openness to growth and learning about their environment, and themselves in the process, put them in unique situations to take their crafts to a level of mastery that revolutionized their respective fields ever since.
What we have here is a combination of fearlessness, commitment to excellency, and the refusal to settle. Core attributes of any entrepreneur worth his/her salt.
The romantic spirit of these books is incredibly addicting. The Romantic Manifesto describes art as a type of food for the soul, something we need to spiritually eat, to give us fuel and energy to keep going for the future we want to build for ourselves. Like an athlete with a strict diet designed for explosive performance, so we must consciously dictate what soul foods we consume, and for the same purpose: total focus on the vision.
What romantic books have you read that have impacted you permanently?
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum:
Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.
