I suppose you've probably heard enough about finances now. I think it's time to move on to a new subject of study (I can't promise though that you won't hear more about finances though...). For a variety of reasons I've started a casual investigation of organic food. Taking Care of Yourself is just one of the several books sitting on my bedroom floor. I would really appreciate hearing about any good books on the subject that you've read.
Taking Care of Yourself covers several elements of balanced living. Andrew Weil begins with an introduction to integrated medicine (the combination of modern and traditional medicine). He argues that a comprehensive approach to healthy living is better than just popping pills. I agree with him. It's always better to go to the root of the problem rather than treat the symptoms.
He discusses many subjects such as balanced diets, navigating health food stores and exercise. I enjoyed the book, though some of the nutrient/chemical names went in one ear and out the other. But I expected that. I don't remember a lot of things from my first finance book either. With time and more exposure to a variety of books regarding healthy living, I hope to get a more complete picture of the whole subject.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson (4.5 of 5 Chunks of Cheddar)
Who Moved My Cheese? is a delightful little allegory designed to help us find happiness in a constantly changing world. It is the story of four characters. Two of them are mice and two are human. These four characters live their lives in a maze looking for cheese. One morning they discover a large room with enough cheese to support them for many days. Every morning they leave home and go to the cheese.
One day however, when Hem and Haw (the little people) arrive, all the cheese is gone and so are the mice. Dumbfounded, they spend the whole day in the empty room complaining, and expecting someone to bring them more cheese. Hem goes back again and again to the same empty room, while Haw begins to consider returning to the maze and searching for new cheese.
The rest of the story details the changing attitude of Haw as he realizes that "the cheese" never stays in one place forever. We must always be like the mice, aware of the changes taking place in the world and adjust accordingly. We shouldn't be discouraged or become angry when our sources of income or happiness dry up. We should merely anticipate change and welcome the opportunity to return the maze in search of new cheese.
I was quite impressed with this story. It addresses an issue that is quite prevalent in our society. The story is simple but deep at the same time. The book has quite a few good one-liners that I want to go back and write down. This is a short little book that everyone should read.
One day however, when Hem and Haw (the little people) arrive, all the cheese is gone and so are the mice. Dumbfounded, they spend the whole day in the empty room complaining, and expecting someone to bring them more cheese. Hem goes back again and again to the same empty room, while Haw begins to consider returning to the maze and searching for new cheese.
The rest of the story details the changing attitude of Haw as he realizes that "the cheese" never stays in one place forever. We must always be like the mice, aware of the changes taking place in the world and adjust accordingly. We shouldn't be discouraged or become angry when our sources of income or happiness dry up. We should merely anticipate change and welcome the opportunity to return the maze in search of new cheese.
I was quite impressed with this story. It addresses an issue that is quite prevalent in our society. The story is simple but deep at the same time. The book has quite a few good one-liners that I want to go back and write down. This is a short little book that everyone should read.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Haj - by Leon Uris
I was reflecting on some of the books that maybe are not ones that I am absolutely in love with but nonetheless have left a deep impression. I was in Phoenix at my grandparent's home for a vacation when I asked my grandfather for a reccomendation. He told me to read "The Haj".
And so I did.
It is a story set in the middle east from the 1920's to the 1950's told by a son in a family of the day and culture. It is a violent and sickening story that leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth. It is absolutely one of the most disturbing things I've ever internalized.
So why would I classify it as "deep impression" stuff, and why in the world would my grandfather (who reads avidly and is something of a quiet, un-voiced intellectual) recommend this book to me?
I have thought of a couple reasons. It makes you really, really think about some of the basic premises of society and what contributes to success. It also, and I think this was the big one for me, helps someone from a relatively sheltered and privileged life understand how in the world ancient hatreds and crazy-bad behaviors have managed to create the current middle eastern world. It is not just history, this background is a real factor in the world today.
So, I'm not going to really say go and read it. If you do so it will more than likely unsettle your mind.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Leadership and Self Deception - Arbinger Institute (4 of 5 Enlightened Coporate Executives)
A few weeks ago at lunch, some of my co-workers began talking about the Arbinger Institute. It is a consulting group based on the idea of combating self-deception, loosely related to Brigham Young University. Obviously, because it's never fun to be left out of a discussion, I decided to do some research.
The idea of self-deception is outlined through a conversation between a small group of corporate executives. A new manager Tom, has been recently hired by the company Zagrem. A month into his employment he is called in to speak with his boss Bud. During their conversation they are joined two other executives who provide personal stories and insight.
The idea of the box is defined as a condition in which a person's distorted perception of the world justifies their own bad behavior. One enters the box by rejecting the impulse to help someone else in need. When that happens, the person tends to see himself as a better person while their opinion of the other is lowered. If we deny these impulses consistently, we develop a permanent box, or permanent state of self deception. Collusion is defined by the event in which two self-deceived people mutually infect each other with their negative behavior.
The way out of the box is to do everything we can to follow the positive impulses when they come, while attempting to see others as people and not as objects to manipulate.
Clearly, you can see some ties between this corporate philosophy and the Gospel of Christ and the Atonement. It is no wonder that there are ties between the Arbinger Institute and BYU. I liked the book for its corporate application of the gospel. The presentation I thought was however lacking. It should have either remained superficial and short, or been long and deep. I found myself often saying, "Yes, I get it already. I'm in the box. Tell me how to get out."
The idea of self-deception is outlined through a conversation between a small group of corporate executives. A new manager Tom, has been recently hired by the company Zagrem. A month into his employment he is called in to speak with his boss Bud. During their conversation they are joined two other executives who provide personal stories and insight.
The idea of the box is defined as a condition in which a person's distorted perception of the world justifies their own bad behavior. One enters the box by rejecting the impulse to help someone else in need. When that happens, the person tends to see himself as a better person while their opinion of the other is lowered. If we deny these impulses consistently, we develop a permanent box, or permanent state of self deception. Collusion is defined by the event in which two self-deceived people mutually infect each other with their negative behavior.
The way out of the box is to do everything we can to follow the positive impulses when they come, while attempting to see others as people and not as objects to manipulate.
Clearly, you can see some ties between this corporate philosophy and the Gospel of Christ and the Atonement. It is no wonder that there are ties between the Arbinger Institute and BYU. I liked the book for its corporate application of the gospel. The presentation I thought was however lacking. It should have either remained superficial and short, or been long and deep. I found myself often saying, "Yes, I get it already. I'm in the box. Tell me how to get out."
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko (3.5 of 5 Resoled Pairs of Shoes)
A few months ago I reviewed The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley. After finishing this enlightening book, I discovered that it was actually the sequel to The Millionaire Next Door. With great enthusiasm I put this book on hold at the library. Well...I guess I wasn't the only one that wanted to read it. It took a couple months for me to finally get a hold of it.
While this book was interesting, I was somewhat disappointed. I quickly discovered that much of the information that I had read in the second book, was also in the first book. The primary difference between the books was their method of communicating the statistics about the habits of America's millionaire community. Next Door was full of raw data. Stanley used a more conversational approach in Mind to make the information more digestible. While the information is good in both books, I would recommend that you read the sequel.
While this book was interesting, I was somewhat disappointed. I quickly discovered that much of the information that I had read in the second book, was also in the first book. The primary difference between the books was their method of communicating the statistics about the habits of America's millionaire community. Next Door was full of raw data. Stanley used a more conversational approach in Mind to make the information more digestible. While the information is good in both books, I would recommend that you read the sequel.
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