Flip This Wholesaler

Happy Thursday Guys and Gals!

Did you all get a chance to finish up the book?  I actually read it through once really fast, and then went back through it a second time and paid closer attention.

I think going forward it would be cool if everyone came up with one or two of their biggest take-aways from each book that we read- what you learned, how you can implement what you learned, etc. . I know I just kind of sprung that on you, so if you don’t have an answer right now, no biggie. Just make sure to keep it in mind while reading next month’s pick!

For those of you who didn’t get a chance to read it- I’d definitely put it on your reading list for the year.  Most of the ideas and principles were ones that I had heard of before, but it’s always good to get a refresher.  The following paragraph sums up the book quite nicely, I think (it comes from Chapter 9, and is one of my faves)…..

“If you are willing to work on yourself long enough and hard enough, you can form and shape yourself into the kind of excellent person you are designed to be.  No matter what you have done or not done in the past, at any time you can draw a line through your previous life and make the decision that your future is going to be different.  You can begin thinking different thoughts, making different choices and decisions, taking different actions, and developing different habits that will lead you inevitably to the successes that are possible for you……”

Good stuff, eh?

The part of the book that resonated the most with me was the chapter on personal effectiveness- specifically the part about overcoming procrastination, getting your most important tasks out of the way first thing each day (eating frogs, as he refers to it), and working more efficiently.  These are things that I struggle with on a daily basis, but am continually working to improve on.

To help me with my frog eating, I went out and bought a new ginormous dry erase board that I use to write out my 3 most important tasks of each day. I set it up against the wall across from my desk, so it’s constantly staring a hole right through the side of my face.  Then I’ve been attacking those three items relentlessly before I move on to the other less important stuff.  Seems to be working so far.  It’s definitely a great feeling to knock out the heavy stuff first thing in the morning.  Should I use the word stuff one more time in this paragraph?

What about you guys- what did you think of the book?  Any parts in particular that you found especially helpful?  Have you been able to put any of the strategies from the book to good use?

I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to post them….

Oh, and by the way, I decided on the book of the month for February:  Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle.  I had actually never heard of this one until Mrs. Shae Bynes posted it on my Facebook wall today.  It’s by Jim Rohn, so I highly doubt that it will suck- but if it does, you can blame Shae.

Hehe.

Later Alligators!

Happy Monday Guys and Gals!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Turkey Day, and gained between 5-7 lbs like I did.  Holy crap I ate a lot!  So did Jim. Here’s a pic of my brother Niko and Jim hanging out on the patio. Jim is giving me his best “Where the hell is my pumpkin pie?” look.

I did manage to make it to the gym both Saturday and Sunday, though, so that’s a good thing.   I’m having a little contest with myself to see if I can run 3.5 miles/day until I leave for St. Louis on the 22nd of December.  That will be 24 days x 3.5 miles, or 84 miles. Unless my back starts acting up again (hopefully not), I’m confident that I can get it done. You guys can all hold me accountable, eh?

Speaking of holding one another accountable, I had a great idea over the weekend while I was working on my goals for 2010.  One of those goals is to read at least one personal development book each month.  And that got me to thinking….. Hmmmm… hows about I start a Book of the Month Club where all of us read the same book, and then report back here on the first of the month to discuss?  I figured I could do a book review once every month, but I think it would be more fun if all of us did it together, you know, as a group.  What do you say?  (Hint: you say YES!).

So, without further ado, I’d like to announce the first assignment for the Flip This Wholesaler Book of the Month Club (drum roll, please)….. Million Dollar Habits by Brian Tracy.   I actually picked this up at the  library a few weeks ago, and so far it is excellent.   If you can’t find it at the library, that link there will take you to Amazon where you can get a used copy for $4.61.   They also have the audio version available if you prefer to listen…

I think this is the perfect book to kick off 2010, don’t you agree?  You have the whole entire month of December to read through it.  Then we’ll meet back here on January 1st to talk about the book and how we plan to implement what we’ve learned moving forward.  Most likely, we will all be millionaires by the end of the year.  :)

So, what do you say?  You in or out? (Hint: The correct answer is:  I’m In!)

OK, it’s time for me to head out- houses to see, offers to make….

Later Alligators!

P.S.
If you have any suggestions for other books to read, feel free to post them.

P.P.S.
Nancy Williams- if you are reading this- I got your book in the mail this weekend…..Thank You!!! Can you please send me your email address?