Will By Will Smith and Mark Manson

 WILL, By Will Smith and Mark Manson

TITLE: Will

AUTHORS: Will Smith and Mark Manson

Amazon Link: Will by Will Smith

Self-made man to the point of near self-destruction is a sentence that I can use to describe Will Smith in his autobiography.

 

As a kid, Will Smith lived in a world full of fantasy, imagination, and performance which he attributes to his later life as an artiste.

Will takes us on a journey- from growing up in the hood in Philly to living large in Los Angeles. He introduces us to his friends Jazzy Jeff, Charlie Mack and Ready Rock some of whom have stood by him through it all. Even to this date.  

'I've often wondered if it was me…..being Baptist in a Catholic school than being Black in a white world' is statement enough that he lived in two conflicting worlds. Often, his friends will tell him off for being a child of the two worlds.

A lot is revealed in this autobiography: Failed love relationships, a fallout with old friends, run-ins with authorities, joys of having firsts in the entertainment industry, transition from the recording studio to the movie studio, and so many others.

For the lovers of audiobooks, Will does a good job of giving every character a different voice or accent just for your pleasure.

 

'It is impossible to be unhappy when you are grateful' -Gigi- (Will's grandmother)

Amazon Link: Will by Will Smith

THE DAILY LAWS

 TITLE: The DAILY LAWS: 366 Meditations on Power, Seduction, Mastery, Strategy                 and Human Nature

AUTHOR: Robert Greene

Amazon Link:  The Daily Laws

Recently released (October 2021), 'The Daily Laws' gives day-to-day teachings on different aspects of life; be they in our workplaces, homes, relations et cetera. From 1st January to 31st December, get to learn a lesson every day to be applied in these different life scenarios.

Each teaching (law) contains a summary from his previous works -48 Laws of Power, 33 Strategies of War, Mastery, Art of Seduction, or Laws of Human Nature.

If one has read any of his works, you'll agree that Robert Greene is a prolific researcher of history, with his engaging examples of historical figures both past and current. Unfortunately, with The Daily Laws, it seems he toned down on this (Sad….. my opinion).

Just like all his works, prepare to read it from cover to cover, then put it in the reference section of your library.

-We have learned the rules so well that we can now be the ones to break or rewrite them-

COFFEE CAN INVESTING

Title: COFFEE CAN INVESTING: The Low-Risk Road to Stupendous Wealth

Authors:      Saurabh Mukherjea

                     Rakshit Ranjan

                     Pranab Uniyal

Amazon link:  Coffee Can Investing 

Let us assume you’ve just won a lottery, maybe you’ve received an unexpected inheritance, or just some financial windfall has swept your way….. What do you do with the money? What will be your investment vehicle? Real estate? Commodities? Stocks? Mutual funds?

Well, it all depends on your goal.

Investing your coin can be a daunting issue. As much as it is personal, several books have been authored to try to sell you the 'perfect' investment plan.

Coffee Can Investing is one of the many investment books in the market trying to make sense of the various investment options available.

The authors make a good case for Stocks as a better investment option far from what most people believe to be. Most investors, mainly in India where most of the study was done, would rather go for real estate or commodities such as gold.

Once you are sold to the idea of Stocks, the big question is; For how long should you hold on to the stock? This question is tackled when the authors outline the seven basic mistakes individuals commit at the start of their investments journey.

Downside: Since the book is basically written for the Indian market, one might be confused with terms such as lakh, crore e.t.c This is the Indian numbering system used instead of thousand, hundred thousand, or millions.

The authors assume the reader is well versed with basic economics terms such as B2B, B2C, ROCE, P/E ratio.

Coffee Can Investing is available on Amazon and Audible at  https://amzn.to/3083mKk 

The Power of Positive Thinking

 Title: Power of Positive Thinking

 

Author: Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993)

Amazon Link: Power of Positive Thinking

 It is hard to imagine that when the book was published, in 1952, Norman Peale was heavily criticized. People all around him criticized him for ‘unproven’ conclusions, including fellow theologians.

 

But as we know today, modern theologians and pulpit preachers or those delivering the ‘gospel of prosperity’ have heavily borrowed from him. Get to read books by televangelists Joyce Meyer, T.D Jakes, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar among others and you'll see my point.

 

Norman V. Peale gets the reader to use the power of positive affirmation and visualization to achieve things short of miracles in their lives. He has outlined examples he has encountered in his life that these virtues have proven to work.

 

As a Christian, Pastor Peale has always referenced to God and numerously quoted the bible. But if that’s not your preference, you can always substitute ‘God’ with the Universe, Infinite Intelligence, Supreme Mind, or Chakra. 

 

My Opinion: A good read, still applies in today's life, but a new edition will be more relevant in the 21st century.

 

Conclusion: Do the things you fear, and the death of fear is certain

                                             -Ralph Waldo Emerson-

The book can be purchased in either hard, soft or audio formats. Follow the link below

https://amzn.to/3o9xNIf

                                                                 

 

 

 

Never Split the Difference

 TITLE: Never Split the Difference:

             Negotiating as if your life depended on it.

AUTHOR: CHRIS VOSS

www.blackswanltd.com

Amazon Link: Never Split the Difference

Being a former FBI agent with over 15 years experience under his belt, Chris Voss has manage to negotiate hostage situations in the US, Philippines, Ecuador, Haiti, Colombia among other countries.

In Never Split the Difference, he takes the experiences learnt in hostage situations & war zones and gives an intricate way on how these can be applied: be it in hostage negotiations, in the boardroom, within the home among others.

Each chapter begins with a real life hostage situation he handled and how he, and his team, managed to pacify the situation. At the end of the chapter, Voss gives the lessons to be learnt and real life examples he and others (mostly his students) used in order to gain an upper hand against a counterpart.

Some of the techniques he recommends include: Mirroring, labelling, calibrated questions and the 7-38-55 rule.

Spoiler Alert: ' No deal' is better than a bad deal 😊

The Millionaire Next Door

 Title: 

Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy

Authors: 

                Thomas J. Stanley Ph.D

                William D. Danko Ph.D

Amazon Link: Millionaire Next Door

From a glance, can you tell whether a person is a millionaire? Do they leave any clues behind to create such assumption? If yes, is it their status in society? The car they drive? The company they keep or perhaps where they reside?

Authors Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko give a detailed account of their research on who the real millionaires are, more especially first generation millionaires; and their lifestyle, methods of acquiring phenomenal amounts of wealth (read money) and, how they can pass it on to the next generation.

Book Comparison: The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason

My opinion; The Ultimate book on investments and wealth creation and accumulation. Nothing else compares.

Get this amazing book from Amazon or Audible by clicking on the link below.

https://amzn.to/3GRK5xk