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signing out so many books on my mother s card and I ve always
been proudly bookish. I only started keeping track of numbers
when I lived in Japan, but from 2001 I ve been reading 100 books a
year, give or take a few. As you saw in an earlier chapter, I did that
by committing to read 50 pages in the morning and 50 pages in
the evening. And I ve watched my writing improve exponentially
because of it.
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Readers are Leaders
I read very widely, and each subject I research has a way of
leading me towards something else.
Reading is obviously personal, but I think everyone should make
an attempt to read the classics the great books are  great for a
reason. They ve stood the test of time. They pass on the wisdom
of our entire civilization. And all of Western literature can be
seen as a dialogue with each major author and idea that came
before.
I think it s also important to read history, to understand our place
in time, our development and our triumphs and tragedies. Read
biography to understand the course of a life, to get inspiration
from those who ve done great things, and to put our setbacks and
struggles into perspective. Read psychology to understand human
behaviour, your own weaknesses (and how they can be exploited
or used against you), and the patterns we get caught up in. And
read philosophy to understand different systems of thought, and
the evolution of our understanding.
I also read business books, because my online business is a key
element of my lifestyle and I want to learn how I can serve our
customers and my readers more effectively.
All that and more.
I believe reading intelligently is one of the best time investments
you can make. It ll pay you back a thousand fold. It s also my
favourite hobby.
But even I have to admit that books aren t everything. I m a
recluse for sure, and I prefer to figure things out on my own.
But solo practice couldn t possibly have taken me the distance I
wanted to go. It s also the slow route to the top.
If you want to get on the fast track, you have to take advantage
of the experiences of those who came before you. Get yourself a
mentor. That s the next step.
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Sometimes You Can t Make It On Your Own
SOMETIMES YOU CAN T MAKE IT
10
ON YOUR OWN
 ve been very fortunate in my life to have had access to a
few tremendous mentors. My first mentor in particular has
Ibeen my most important teacher, my research collaborator,
a tireless advocate of my efforts and an honest critic of my
work, and one of my closest friends.
In many ways I stumbled into this situation accidentally. Rick and
I trained under the same martial arts teacher. When I moved away
to university I looked for a city where I could continue my studies
under someone well ahead of me on the path. That took me to
Rick s.
Unlike other places I d trained, the atmosphere at Rick s was
open and encouraging. There was a big shelf of books next to the
training area that acted as a sort of group lending library, and we
were encouraged to help ourselves. (Five years later I was the
only student in the group to have read every single book on those
shelves.)
Rick was the first person to take me aside and offer me honest
feedback not just on my training but on life in general, my
character and abilities, the directions I was considering, and the
places I could go. He also exposed me to new ideas and new avenues
of research, some of which only came to fruition a decade later,
and many of which I m using now to create the lifestyle I only
dreamed of as a struggling undergraduate. The encouragement I
received was invaluable. And the honest feedback, while difficult
to hear sometimes, put me on the fast track to my goals.
Over the years of our work together, I developed from a student
into an equal collaborator, thanks largely to Rick s encouragement
and teaching. And he s still the first person I run my ideas by when
I want honest feedback on my work.
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Sometimes You Can t Make It On Your Own
I consider myself extremely lucky to have found someone nearly a
decade older than me and 10 years ahead on the path who was
willing to act as a mentor. And I ve since learned to seek out other
knowledgeable advisors in other areas of my life.
When my partner and I first started selling information products
online, we joined a mastermind group run by Craig Ballantyne, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]