3 Sunday Musings from 3 books I’m reading (May 2nd)

Hey

Here are this week's 3 musings that happen to come from three books I’m currently reading.

1) “The Slight Edge: Turning simple disciplines into massive success & happiness” by Jeff Olson

This book is easily in my top 10, and reading it for a second time, it’s taken on a whole new meaning for me.

Whether it’s a fitness goal, business goal, or dating goal—this book is probably the best on setting and achieving goals. In fact, it’s helped me in terms of my podcast, my writing as I’m finally feeling better to write consistently, and my marathon/athletic endeavors.

This book goes into great depth about why people struggle to achieve the goals they’ve set, why people give up, why they get overwhelmed with their lack of progress – and how you can fix it.

First thing first, what is the slight edge?

It’s consistently repeated daily actions + time = unconquerable results.

This book does an excellent job of explaining and demonstrating the effect of time compounding easily. This can be both good and bad depending on the small daily habits you practice.

Here are two quotes that are helpful reminders to me

• “The right choices you make today, compounded over time, will take you higher and higher up the success curve of this real-time movie called “your life.”
• “Any time you see what looks like a breakthrough, it is always the end result of a long series of little things, done consistently over time.”

How easy is it to read 10 pages per day? How easy is it to take 3 minutes in the morning to meditate/chant/practice some mindful breathing? How easy is it to get 30 minutes of activity daily?

But how easy is it not to do those very things?

Very easy as well.

That’s the thing: the little daily actions that will make us healthier, happier, smarter, and wealthier are also very easy not to do.

And here’s especially why (and this trips many people up at the beginning of their fitness and business journey)—results are invisible in the beginning.

Damn...what a potent statement (made stop and really ponder).

Show up consistently, commit to the long haul, and be oblivious to your feelings at the beginning.

2) "Perfectly Hidden Depression: How to Break Free from the Perfectionism That Masks Your Depression” by Dr. Margaret Robinson Rutherford, PhD

I’m not close to finishing this book yet, as I’m doing the journal prompts in the book. But it’s already looking like a strong winner. On a side note, I’ll be recording a conversation with Dr. Rutherford in a few weeks and will release that conversation in June.

Nevertheless, Perfectly Hidden Depression (PHD) isn’t a diagnosis you’d receive from a doctor or therapist. It’s a syndrome or a set of characteristics that suggest a specific problem when they appear together.

People expect depressed people to be sad and have no energy. They expect to notice their listlessness or agitation or their increasing sleeping.

But people with PHD don’t display this. No one suspects anything is wrong, yet they’re silently falling apart inside, trying to keep everything together on the outside.

I’m not a doctor, nor do I have any intentions of ever playing one. Still, I suspect many entrepreneurs and high achieving go-getters suffer from PHD, more so than the typical mental disorders that are typically labeled on people.

I claim to be a “perfectionist,” but I’m opening up more to the idea that this is just a convenient mask. 

Maybe you’re in the same boat as me. Regardless, it’s an interesting book for those into psychology.

3. "You Can’t Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought: A Book for People with Any Life-Threatening Illness—Including Life” by Peter McWilliams

If you’re looking for a book to help put your own problems in perspective and let go of things that have been bothering you for years and years, along with things getting in the way of your success—this book is a strong candidate for that.

I was recommended this book as I had some blocks and tendencies for self-sabotage in a few areas of my life.

I’m not completely done with this book yet as it’s an easy but hefty read, especially if you implement some of the exercises, which you should.

I’ve had some major epiphanies reading this book and will definitely be rereading this book (maybe yearly).

If you get one of these books, let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

That’s it for me this week. Have an awesome Sunday!

Stay awesome, be limitless, and go be superhuman

- Julian