“You are the same today that you’ll be five years from now except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read.”
― Mac McMillan (attrib)
The Weekend Read – 9 Things Successful People Do Differently by Heidi Grant Halvorsen
Whether it’s the time of year or the time of life but I am becoming increasingly tired of B***S**T, whether it comes from politicians, media people, sportsmen or the proliferation of dental “experts” feeding on the fear initiated by those from the acronym farms CQC, GDC, etc. More and more I am reflecting on the advice given to me by Roy Higson in Bolton more than 25 years ago “K.I.S.S.” – “Keep It Simple Stupid” or as Einstein said “Everything Should Be Kept As Simple As Possible But No Simpler.”
For the summer days a short book by Heidi Grant Halvorsen.
Dr Halvorsen is a motivational psychologist and researcher. She writes about the scientifically-tested strategies we can use to be more effective reaching our goals at work and in our personal lives. The author of “Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals“ (Hudson Street Press). She is also the co-editor of the academic handbook, “The Psychology of Goals,” a regular contributor to the BBC World Service’s “Business Daily,” an expert blogger for Fast Company and Psychology Today, and a guest blogger for Harvard Business Review. Her website is www.heidigranthalvorson.com.
This is a great little book which helps find a way to deal with goal achievement and I don’t know anyone who will not gain from reading it.
Here are some of the reviews from the Amazon website which say everything.
“I immediately put the framework into practice and processed my big 5 goals for this year through it. I’ve got a clear vision on my goals but know through effort, important actions I will succeed!”
“Simple and concise
Easy to read and understand
Very believable
I would recommend this book to everyone who wants to add value to their lives”
“The book is a very short read and easy to take in. Each of the 9 “things” is put across clearly and concisely without all the added waffle that some authors throw into similar books. Highly recommend read for anyone looking to gain some insight into how they could increase their chances of success in whatever they take on.”
You can buy it via our store on Amazon here definitely a fiver well spent.
The Monday Morning Quote #224
“Political language — and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists — is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
George Orwell from Politics and the English Language (1946)
The Greatest Breakthrough Since Lunchtime #15
From Dentistry online
Research reducing tooth decay wins prize
New idea could bring toothache relief to millions of people
An exciting development to reduce tooth decay could bring toothache relief to millions of people throughout the world, according to new research into degradable particles for tooth repair.
Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London, have developed degradable particles which are designed to enter small holes in teeth and physically block and repair decayed teeth.
Professor Robert Hill from Queen Mary, University of London, leads the team behind the research, which has recently been awarded a £25,000 materials science Venture Prize by the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers.
He said: ‘These new particles dissolve faster than existing ones and are also softer than tooth enamel. They have a more expanded open structure and this allows water to go into the glass structure faster and the calcium and phosphate ions to come out faster.’
The findings could bring relief to an estimated 20 millions adults in the UK who suffer from tooth sensitivity. According to studies into major diseases and injuries by the Global Burden of Diseases study, 35% of the world’s population are prone to tooth decay or cavities, one of the most common major illnesses.
Professor Bill Bonfield, chairman of the Armourers & Brasiers Venture Prize judging panel, said: ‘This hugely exciting development…. meets our aim to encourage innovative scientific
entrepreneurship in the UK and provide funding, which is often difficult to source, to bring new materials science research like this to market.’
The team comprises of Dr David Gillam, clinical lecturer and dentist, Dr Natalie Karpukhina, an expert on bioactive glasses and Dr Pushkar Wadke from Queen Mary Innovations.
Professor Hill said: ‘This award will enable us to get our research from the laboratory into a prototype toothpaste.’ Thanks to the Venture Prize Award, the team now have the funding to be able to translate this laboratory research into commercial products.
The Monday Morning Quote #223
The Weekend Read – Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch
Of all the subjects in business it seems that marketing attracts the most B***S***. With reference to the old cliche “BS baffles Brains”, there is nothing that experts in a field prefer to help increase their status than the mystification and subsequent confusion of a their topic.
This book is a great antidote to the self-inflation of professional marketeers who, I do not dispute, have a role in large businesses.
Full of pragmatism, common sense and relevant ideas it is above all straightforward to read and act upon. This is a great book for all small business owners and managers. My advice is to buy it, read it, re-read it whilst taking notes and then take action. John Jantsch understands that if you’re the principal of a small (or should that be micro?) business you have to be the one doing the marketing but you also have to wear many other hats so there is little time to devote to grand but impractical schemes.
An essential read.
Available from Amazon here.
The Monday Morning Quote #222
You see things; and you say “Why?”
But I dream things that never were; and I say “Why not?”
Originally by George Bernard Shaw but used by John Fitzgerald Kennedy in his address to the Oireachtas Éireann 50 years ago this week.
Frequently used as “Some men see things as they are and say, why; I dream things that never were and say, why not.”
The Weekend Read – Wilful Blindness by Margaret Hefferman
Wilful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril
In her latest book, Heffernan argues that the biggest threats and dangers we face are the ones we don’t see – not because they’re secret or invisible, but because we’re wilfully blind. She examines the phenomenon and traces its imprint in our private and working lives, and within governments and organizations, and asks: What makes us prefer ignorance? What are we so afraid of? Why do some people see more than others? And how can we change? Examining examples of wilful blindness in the Catholic Church, the SEC, Nazi Germany, Bernard Madoff’s investors, BP’s safety record, the military in Afghanistan and the dog-eat-dog world of subprime mortgage lenders, the book demonstrates how failing to see—or admit to ourselves or our colleagues—the issues and problems in plain sight can ruin private lives and bring down corporations.
The book explores how wilful blindness develops and then goes on to outline some of the mechanisms, structures and strategies that institutions and individuals can use to combat it.
Essential reading for anyone involved with healthcare particularly the NHS – its publication in the same month as the Francis report into North Staffs is presumably coincidental – you’ll learn more from this book than the report.
Available from Amazon.
The Monday Morning Quote #221
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”
Thanks to MBS
The Weekend Read – Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield & Shawn Coyne
Steven Pressfield’s first non-fiction book was “The War of Art” and is essential reading for anyone with a tendency to procrastinate who needs help them get out of their own way. His most recent “Turning Pro” takes the battle against “Resistance”, as he calls it, to a higher plane.
Easy to read, with brief chapters, the book is divided into three sections. Firstly there is “The Amateur Life” with descriptions of what happens in your amateur life before you become professional or “Turn Pro”. Next is the section “Self-Inflicted Wounds” which describes the states of the Amateur and the point at which it becomes necessary to “Turn Pro”.
Finally comes “The Professional Mindset” which starts with the list of 20 qualities of a professional that were first described in The War of Art and proceeds to add to and amplify them. It includes my favourite (and the briefest) chapter with the title, “The Professional will not be Distracted”. There are but two sentences. “The amateur tweets. The pro works.”
If you wrestle with your commitment or feel that you could and should be better than you are then this book is a must read. But be warned. “Turning Pro is free, but it’s not easy, it demands sacrifice but you will find power, your voice and self-respect.“ It’s a book that I wish had been compulsory reading on my undergraduate curriculum.
Available from Amazon here.
The Incisal Edge 