Mere Mortals Book Reviews

How can you grow a huge company while simultaneously trying to keep it as small as possible? 'Anything You Want' by Derek Sivers explains this paradox while reflecting on his time running CD Baby (an online music store). It's a mini memoir of sorts, a condensation of 10 years of entrepreneurship into 40 lessons. He details the whole process of starting, growing, delegating, managing and finally selling a company. The core themes that emerge are about establishing a compass (knowing what you want) and actually executing your ideas (getting what you want).I summarised the book as follows. "Wisdom can indeed come in bite sized pieces as each lesson is one or two pages long & the book can be read in less than an hour. Derek's personality shone through the book, which is also reflective of his business philosophy. I found it refreshing to hear the thoughts of someone who didn't get swept away by the superficial bullshit and followed his values/ethics to the end." As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(1:58) - Your Compass: Knowing what you want(3:33) - Execution: Getting what you want(5:33) - Personal Observations(8:23) - Summary(10:21) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Allow myself to put in more Easter EggsConnect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Did you know we are past 'peak stuff' and are now using less resources while still having increasing prosperity? 'More From Less' by Andrew McAfee is essentially a book about how technology is changing the world. It's an optimistic outlook of human progress as the data shows we are growing GDP while declining in the amount of resources required to produce products. Andrew believes this is primarily due to the 4 Horsemen of The Optimist: technology & capitalism supported by good governance and public awareness. There are many counterintuitive findings and graphs showing how dematerialisation is resulting in less resource use.I summarised the book as follows. "I was constantly delighted by Andrew's findings even though I was already aware of most. The book is realistically optimistic and makes you want to play in the game of life. He does highlight where things can go wrong with capitalism and constant innovation so it is not all rosy, there is still work to be done. I would definitely recommend to read this in conjunction with 'The Infinite Game' by Simon Sinek as I think these books compliment each other quite nicely."As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(1:24) - Dematerialisation: Regressing from peak stuff(5:32) - Counterintuitive Findings & Nuanced Reasonings(10:39) - Personal Observations(14:33) - Summary(16:14) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Decrease meat consumption a tad moreConnect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

I just can't wait to get on the road again. 'On The Road' by Jack Kerouac is a classic of American literature and is frequently listed as one of the best books of the 1900's. It is a non-stop adventure that blurs the line between fiction & non-fiction. Sal Paradise (the author) provides a 1st person account as he crosses back and forth across the US with his mad friend Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady). Kerouac became the voice of the 'Beat Generation' and the frantic energy and madness of travel is truly highlighted within.I summarised the book as follows. "It has a strong start but the longer it went, the more it dragged on. I found myself disliking the main characters and that is a death knell for me. It does do a great job of portraying the frantic energy of a bizarre time and is a snapshot of life in 1950's America. However, I felt it did do an injustice by not highlighting some of the mundane parts of travelling/partying as it really only focused upon the good times."I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(1:52) - Travel: The ups & downs of energy(4:57) - Madness: An unstoppable force if let loose(8:07) - Personal Observations(10:02) - Summary(11:12) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Don't judge madness as only badConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Chew your drinks and drink your food! 'Think Like A Monk' by Jay Shetty is his story of transitioning from a career in high finance to becoming an ascetic monk and back again. The book is split up into 3 main sections titled: Let Go, Grow & Give. These explore topics such as removing the ego, letting go of negative emotions, finding purpose and giving back to others once your house is in order.Juan summarised the book as follows. "This book was in my backlog for a while so I was keen to finally get into it. The book isn't about the lifestyle and day to day activities of being a monk but sticks to its title of the actual mindset of monks. What really won me over was the consistency of the little 'try this' sections, those activities designed to slow you down. I found it to be a great read and got benefits from trying out most of the prompts to alter my thinking patterns."To support the team and grab the book - feel free to use the following link! https://amzn.to/3jiXxPJAs always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:00) - What To Expect(7:39) - Key Takeaways(9:40) - Final Thoughts(10:59) - SummaryConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Why can chasing profits and short-term business strategies be detrimental to a company? 'The Infinite Game' by Simon Sinek is a book about responsible, ethical, long-term business practices but the thinking can be applied to other areas as well. It contains 11 chapters with mini stories at the start but is more of an expansion of Simon's ideas. The core themes of the book argue for the benefits of a long-term outlook (opposed to short-term cost cutting/boosting of profits/share price increase/etc.,) as well as the criticality of adhering to a 'just cause'.I summarised the book as follows. "There is a driven & clear purpose to Simon's words. He has powerful arguments of the benefits to long-term thinking and spending the time to work out your values (& therefore personal ethics). The book might be slightly utopian in suggesting that the 'Just Cause' is more important than revenue/profit metrics but I found it refreshing as there are already plenty of book out there about how to chase those short-term goals."As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(1:42) - Infinite vs Finite Games: Winning without winning(5:11) - Just Cause - Specific vision of a future state(8:12) - Personal Observations(13:28) - Summary(14:33) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Start thinking about ethical investingConnect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Find within a key insight into why Buddhist's believe in reincarnation. 'An Introduction To Buddhism' by The Dalai Lama is not a specially written book but a polished transcript of a presentation he gave to a western audience. The book is split into 3 parts. The first is his teaching on the 4 Noble Truths, the second his commentary on 'The 8 Verses On Training The Mind' & the third his deconstruction of Atisha's 'Lamp For The Path To Enlightenment'.I summarised the book as follows. "It's introductory but at times still felt like I needed an even more basic version. The Dalai Lama explains some of the core concepts but not in a structured way. It is easy to tell that this is a modified speech and wasn't crafted with precision. I did gain a couple of insights into the beliefs and rationality behind Buddhism, but felt lucky to acquire them as the book's writing style did not make it easy!"As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(1:50) - Dependent Origination & The Law Of Causality(6:26) - Guidelines: A hill to fight on(8:26) - Personal Observations(10:28) - Summary(11:56) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Light hearted views held strongly!Connect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

If you are up against a powerful opponent/system, maybe your perceived weakness are actually your strengths? 'David & Goliath' by Malcolm Gladwell is a collection of 9 core stories showing how an underdog beat the odds to win. The book is split into 3 parts: the advantages of disadvantages (& vice versa), the theory of desirable difficulty and the limits of power. The main themes investigate how our preconceptions can be limiting our potential and what sort of mindset is required to compete against seemingly impossible odds.I summarised the book as follows. "Malcolm Gladwell's books are engaging if you have yet to read his style but this for me lacked a real direction. He points out mistakes that some people have made in their journey but I couldn't detect how this connected to being an underdog. I wasn't bored while reading this book but it wasn't mind blowing so I probably won't remember this in a couple of years time."As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:44) - Preconceptions: ideas formed without enough information(5:44) - Underdogs: Is it ever better to be the overdog?(9:35) - Personal Observations(13:56) - Summary(15:24) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Stay clear of 'stories' booksConnect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Can you actually reason with madness? 'The Madness Of Crowds' by Douglas Murray is an extension of his own fight in the cultural wars as a journalist and political commentator. The book is split into 4 parts each of about 50-60 pages long on Gay/Women/Race/Trans. It highlights the modern absurdities of far left thinking, the historical treatment of minority groups and the implications of getting this all wrong.I summarised the book as follows. "It is smoothly written considering the density of topics and does not feel like a bludgeoning of information/stories. The shocking absurdities are told in a humorous style and is a superb analysis of the current times. It's a book of idea landmines and Douglas is running through full pelt with clown shoes on. A brave soul indeed!"As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:56) - Madness: Extremely foolish behaviour/state of wild, chaotic activity(6:21) - The Cultural War: Choose your battles wisely(9:49) - Personal Observations(15:47) - Summary(16:58) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Read 'Conundrum' by Jan MorrisConnect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Want an unhelpful book about how to meditate, then look no further! 'Three Steps To Awakening' by Larry Rosenberg (with Laura Zimmerman) is a collection of his audible teachings condensed into a short book. In it he differentiates 'awareness' into the practicing part (actual meditation practice) and into the everyday living part. The book is split into three main sections on how to meditate: whole body breath awareness, breath-as-anchor and choiceless awareness.I summarised the book as follows. "It's a short book that I wouldn't describe as neither beginner nor advanced. It comes across as very scattered and lacked a real structure. It was composed from his audible teachings and this tends to result in a book that is sub-standard when compared to those which are expressly written for the purpose of reading. The only saving grace is the Q&A sections, which actually are somewhat helpful."As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:02) - The Three Steps(4:29) - Personal Observations(5:43) - Summary(8:20) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Go to the better source!Connect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Why did Seneca consider the learning and pursuit of 'philosophy' as the most important thing that a person could do? 'Letters From A Stoic' by Seneca are a collection of 124 letters (although this version only contains 40) he sent to his friend Lucilius in the last years of his life. He provides guidance on how to think about mental pitfalls, illness, death and vices but also on nobler topics of pleasure, friendship and serenity. I summarised the book as follows. "The Penguin Classic version by Robin Campbell is an easy to read translation in modern language. It contains gems of wisdom but for me was not as genuine as other Stoic works, such as 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius. He simultaneously shows the knowledge gained from age, as well as the grumpiness! Plenty of helpful advice though on how to contemplate illness and death, particularly in Letters 77 & 78."I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:58) - Philosophy: The most vital pursuit(6:16) - Living A Good Life: The outcome of philosophy(7:51) - Personal Observations(13:08) - Summary(14:32) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Use others quotes but expand upon themConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show