Recent Reading

I've been doing quite a bit of reading lately. I'm trying to read for 30 minutes every evening before Igo to sleep and for at least 30 minutes on each morning that I don't go to the CS.  As a consequence, I've been getting through quite a few books.

I'm currently in a non-fiction mood, with a preference for financial self-help books or business/biography type books.

I paid a visit to our library the other day and amongst other books, I got out Michelle Mone's autobiography 'My Fight to the Top'. It was pretty inspiring stuff.  She's definitely a gutsy lady and quite a force to be reckoned with. I enjoyed her account of her early life in the poorer parts of Glasgow and the eventual creation of her bra business Ultimo with her then husband. It's good to read a book about a woman doing well in business.  I think I might look out for more in this genre.

Following this, I've been reading this book that I bought from the CS a few weeks ago.

I started reading it on a very quiet day, whilst I was sat by the till and in between customers coming in and it got me hooked, so I just had to buy it.  It is full of anecdotal accounts from fifty of the richest men in various cities and towns across the US.

I find it really inspiring to read how people created successful businesses and then maintained that success and even took it to another level entirely.  There are some amazing stories in this book of hard work, determination and the rewards that these bring.

Towards the end, it summarises the advice of the various millionaires and billionaires with regard to the most important things to do to create and maintain a successful business. I'm almost finished reading this book and it has definitely been an enjoyable and interesting read.

One thing I took away from this book is that most wealthy people don't retire, they continue working because they enjoy it.  It has made me look at the notion of retirement with new eyes. We don't necessarily need to give up working, indeed, many people can't afford not to work past retirement age. The idea that we can do as we please and continue to make money if we so wish has, however, helped to ease the pressure a little in relation to financial planning, although this is still very high on my agenda at the moment.

My next read is going to be this book that I bought on eBay last week.

I think it was a book recommended by Tim Ferris at the end of his book the Four Hour Week, which I read recently and posted about. Anyway, I just love reading about overconsumption.  It always fascinates me and inspires me to declutter more and buy less, which is no bad thing.

Aside from reading, intermittently, I've also been listening to the odd podcast, and in particular a recent one by James Altucher in which he interviews Tony Robbins, the infamous US author and life coach to big business and the rich and famous.

I've also been watching some video interviews with Tony on YouTube.  He's a very popular guy across the pond and his work is very inspirational, hence why he's a billionaire on the back of it and makes sure to give back to those less fortunate.  Now, if he were to write an autobiography, that would definitely make very interesting reading indeed.

Talking of Tony Robbins, I watched an interview with him on Gary Vaynerchuk's channel on YouTube.  The host was severely criticised by many viewers for constantly interrupting him and not letting him speak, but when I watched it back, it didn't seem as bad as it was suggested. 

Anyway, I found this video on Gary's channel which just about sums up how I feel at the moment.

Disclaimer: There's the odd four letter word in this rant, so please don't watch this if you are likely to be offended.

What do you think?