Seth Godin on The Icarus Deception, pushing the limits and connecting with other humans

Seth Godin’s latest book The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? (Amazon affiliate link) is simply outstanding. In it Seth shares how the story we know of the young Icarus, who ignored his father’s instructions not to fly too close to the sun, and as a result drowned after burning his wings, has been lost along the way.

According to him, people think the story says “don’t fly too close to the sun,” but that’s not what it used to say 150 years ago. Back then it also used to say “don’t fly too low, because if you fly too low, the mist and the water will weigh you down, and you will perish.”

So, basically the message we have been fed for years has been to stay low, don’t try and fly too high. In other words, we should just stay in our comfort zone, play it safe, do not make waves and just listen to the experts.

The book is about about forging your own path, not settling, pushing beyond what is expected, and connecting with other humans. This is a truly remarkable book and I strongly recommend you to read it.

Bryan Elliot had a very interesting conversation with Seth in which they went over some of the most important concepts from the book.

Enjoy!

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Relevant posts:

1. Seth Godin on risk taking, initiative, curiosity and much more
2. Think differently
3. Seth Godin and Tom Peters on social networking, the internet and blogging
4. Seth Godin on entrepreneurship, freelancing, communities and shipping
5. The Great Books Series – Linchpin
6. 10 remarkable ChangeThis manifestos you should read

Quote of the week

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

10 remarkable quotes by Zig Ziglar

On November 28th, the great Zig Ziglar died at the age of 86. For many years, he has been a great source of inspiration to me and to millions around the world.

So, my first idea was that this week’s “Quote of the week” would be dedicated to Zig. However, after a long time trying to decide which one out of his hundreds of awesome quotes I would post, I decided to turn this into a post from the “10 remarkable …” series.

10 remarkable quotes by Zig Ziglar.

1. “Remember that failure is an event, not a person. Yesterday ended last night.”

2. “You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.”

3. “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”

4. “There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.”

5. “Timid salesmen have skinny kids.“

6. “If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”

7. “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.“

8. “A goal properly set is halfway reached.”

9. “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”

10. “Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”

RIP Zig Ziglar. Thank you for everyhting. You will be missed.

Malcom Gladwell on Meaningful Work

Malcolm Gladwell, best-selling author of outstanding books such as Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference and Outliers: The Story of Success (Amazon affiliate links), gives in this video two great examples of hard work that later looked like genius.

Bill Gates got up at 02:00 am to program as a teenager, while The Beatles played together 1200 times, far more than most bands, before they ever got famous.

The point is: Success is the result of putting your heart and mind into something to create successful, meaningful work.

Enjoy!

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Related posts:

1. Jack White on restriction, creativity and work ethic
2. Michael Phelps: Focus and determination
3. The Pursuit of Mastery

How to break habits

OK … this is it … no more excuses… And you know what? … It’s Charles Duhigg’s fault. Because in his outstanding book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (Amazon affiliate link), he demonstrates that the key to exercising regularly, losing weight, becoming more productive, raising exceptional children, and achieving success is understanding how habits work.

How to break habits

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But that’s not all! The book also explores how by harnessing recent scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.

Here is a brief introduction to some of his other findings. Fascinating stuff!

Target knows your secrets

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How the military uses habits

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So … I strongly recommend you to get this book. I have been reading it for the past couple days and I simply cannot put it down. Interesting, provocative, but most important, full of extremely valuable advice.

Novak Djokovic: Nothing is impossible

Novak Djokovic is currently the number 1 tennis player in the world. In this video we get the chance to see his journey from being a 5 years old kid hanging around a tennis court located across the pizzeria his family ran; to becoming the best tennis player in the world. Great story!

Enjoy!

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Related posts:

1. This is what it takes to be the best
2. Michael Phelps: Focus and determination

How to get what you want

In this remarkable TEDx Talk, Mel Robbins, a former criminal lawyer, turned one of the top career and relationship experts in America, shares everything she knows (in less than 18 minutes) about how to get what you want.

Enjoy!

Mel Robbins – F— YOU – How To Stop Screwing Yourself Over

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Related post:

1. Comfort vs. Achieving your full potential

Quote of the week

“Being a warrior is not about the act of fighting. It’s about the ability, courage and commitment to end the war within oneself and not quit until the job is done”
Richard “Mack” Machowicz

Dan Ariely’s take on marketing frameworks

In this remarkable short video Dan Ariely, the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University and also best-selling author of the excellent book: Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions (Amazon affiliate link), shares a very valuable lesson connected with how people can become dependent to using defined frameworks to think and evaluate different situations. However, he also shows how you can actually create frameworks to help you think differently. Brilliant stuff!

By the way, I am sure you will really like his FN LN Marketing Framework.

Enjoy!

Quote of the week

Being “realistic” is too often an excuse for not working hard enough to improve. It also happens to be a significant source of unhappiness.
John Eliot, Ph.D.