Hooked on Wisdom

08.27.10

Hooked on Wisdom

I've been hooked.  

Check out this little diddy from the great Dr. Suess...

From:  One fish Two fish Red fish Blue fish

We took a look.

We saw a Nook.

On his head

he had a hook.

On his hook

he had a book.

On his book

was "How to Cook."

We saw him sit

and try to to cook.

He took a look

at the book on the hook.

But a Nook can't read,

so a Nook can't cook.

SO...

what good to a Nook

is a hook cook book?

While I may not be in dyer need of cook book advice, I am certainly in desperate need for wise counsel concerning areas of life I have rarely (or never) traveled before myself.  

For me, books have been insightful nuggets of wisdom that equip me with present day battle strategies and innovative ideas.  They allow me to be exposed to wise counsel learned through the experience of the author... sometimes accumulated over the course of many years!

Kind of like a microwave oven cooks pizza rolls during the Super Bowl half time, reading books has "mircrowaved" life lessons and true wisdom into my mind and belief matrix that would otherwise have taken many many trials (and errors).

Proverbs 4:5-7 (New International Version)

 ⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding;
       do not forget my words or swerve from them.

 ⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
       love her, and she will watch over you.

 ⁷ Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
       Though it cost all you have, ^[a] get understanding.

Solomon says it here!  "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom!"

I set a life area goal this month (August) to read two books, that would stretch and grow my mind.  I wrote this goal down.  I told people about it.  I claimed this ground in Jesus name.  

And he showed up.

I've never been a HUGE reader, but I'm so addicted to wisdom lately... its sick.  

This month, I've torn through:

Drive- Daniel Pink

Good to Great - Jim Collins

Escape from Cubical Nation - Pamela Slim

and am roughly half way through Tribes - Seth Godin

(synopsis & details on each of these books should be found in the Amazon window to the right of this blog)

I've learned to motivate people from within, by connecting them to autonomy, mastery, and a purpose.  

I've learned to lead from vision, and have a clearly defined "Hedgehog concept" that will guide our path in future business decisions (Including the investment of that new/greatest/shiny technology)

I've learned the entrepreneurial war-strategy of former Corporate Prisoner of War... and also the step by step guide to setting up a solid infrastructure to any and all businesses.

And now I'm learning how to identify "my tribe" of intrinsically motivated people moved by the same cause & purpose I am... and then how to lead them.

When I wrote down the goal to read two books this month, I was averaging about a book every 3 months.  The change in mentality and motivation is amazing.  Transforming. 

 

The lesson learned: WRITE YOUR GOALS DOWN!

Now taking this leap of faith (reading), I have discovered that wisdom is far more accessible than I had originally thought.  I'm hooked.  

Like an addict to a crack rock, I HAD to get my hands on more!

Here's what just arrived from Amazon.com:

Unleashing the IDEAvirus - Seth Godin

Visioneering - Andy Stanley

The Principle of the Path - Andy Stanley   (Thanks Elisa for your example and endorsement of this book.)

All Marketers Tell Stories - Seth Godin

Purple Cow - Seth Godin

The Dip - Seth Godin

Permission Marketing - Seth Godin

The LIKEability Factor - Tim Sanders

Making Vision Stick - Andy Stanley

Never Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi

Linchpin - Seth Godin

They way I see it, when I get through these books, I will have microwaved the equivalent of about 243 collective years of research, understanding, and experience into my mind...  talk about a TIME SAVER! 

Additionally, I have about 10 books on order from the library (free) so that I won't have to take another mortgage out on my home... :)  

God is good.  He is wise.  He wants us to gain wisdom.

And I'm hooked on it.