Articles tagged “book review”
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Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI: The 1968 Warning We Ignored
A 1968 encyclical predicted hookup culture, fatherlessness, and the objectification of women decades before any of it happened. Here's what I pulled from it.
Winning by Timothy Grover: The 4 Rules That Changed How I Operate
Tim Grover's Winning reorganized how I train, work, and spend my time — no balance, all selfish focus. Here's what actually stuck four years later.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: 4 Ideas That Changed How I Operate
I was oblivious to Naval until his Joe Rogan appearance flipped something in me. Here are the four ideas from this book that actually changed how I make money, spend money, and treat my body.
The Miracle Equation by Hal Elrod: 4 Ideas That Changed How I Operate
Hal Elrod was declared dead in a car crash and later fought cancer, then wrote a book about faith plus effort. Here are the four ideas from The Miracle Equation that changed how I run my day, my team, and my bad moods.
3 Book Reviews: Execution, The Secret of the Ages, Man's Search for Himself
Three old books, back to back, on why I chased the wrong goals for two decades, why my self-talk was the problem, and why I was a terrible leader before I understood what leadership actually is.
The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey: The Ideas Worth Stealing
I bought this book five years ago and let it collect dust. Here's what actually changed how I run my business once I finally read it — and why I still don't think you need to.
The Power of Agency: The Idea That Actually Changed How I Respond
After 800-plus books, I rarely find a genuinely new concept. Agency was one.
Love 2.0 by Barbara Fredrickson: The Chapter That Hit Me Hardest
Mid-triathlon training and buried in transactional sales calls, I hit Barbara Fredrickson's chapter on longing and got goosebumps. Here's the one idea I pulled from Love 2.0 and how I track it every morning.
Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount: Why I Never Skip My 9-to-10
Ten years into real estate, this book put a name on the one habit that keeps me from going broke: protecting the hour I prospect like nothing else exists.
Atomic Habits by James Clear: The 3 Ideas That Actually Changed How I Work
James Clear's Atomic Habits didn't just give me better routines — it forced me to ask who I'm actually trying to become. Here's what hit different on my second read, from motion vs. action to why I switched back to physical books for good.
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor: Success Comes Second
I picked this up mid-Ironman training when I couldn't figure out why I felt flat despite doing everything right. Here's the formula it flipped for me.
Organize Tomorrow Today by Dr. Jason Selk: My One Must
Dr. Jason Selk's book on planning the day before taught me productivity isn't busyness, it's doing your one must.
Solving The Procrastination Puzzle by Timothy Pychyl: The Real Reason We Delay
A 105-page book that explained why I put things off even when I know better — and the one shift that's put more homes on the market for me this year.
Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins: The 4 Ideas That Actually Stuck
After 700 books in eleven years, David Goggins' Can't Hurt Me is one of maybe three that actually changed how I run my business — here's the 40% Rule, the real estate lesson, and why I stopped sugarcoating my own excuses.
Atomic Habits by James Clear: The Ideas That Actually Changed How I Operate
I didn't need more motivation — I needed a better system. Here's what from Atomic Habits actually stuck, and how I use it in a real estate business and a triathlon block.
The Amazon Way by John Rossman: 4 Rules I Stole for My Business
I've been on an Amazon kick lately, and this one isn't the biography — it's the operating manual. Here are the four principles I'm actually running with.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield: How I Beat the Resistance
I read this book years ago and didn't get it. I reread it once I actually had something to lose, and it explained exactly why I wasn't making my sales calls.
Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff: Why Control of the Frame Wins the Deal
This one sat on my shelf for four months before I picked it up to fix our pitch. It's the most notes I've taken on a book in a while — here's what actually changed how I sell.
The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer: What I Took From It
Singer built a billion-dollar company, got indicted by the feds, and never once fought what was happening to him. Here's the acceptance practice I pulled out of it and started using.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: 4 Ideas I Actually Use
Mark Manson's book sounds like a joke title. It's not.
Disrupt You! by Jay Samit: The Bannister Method for Breaking Barriers
I picked this up expecting a skim and a catchy title. Instead I got an explanation for why I've never fit the mold — and a three-step method for staying ahead before someone else takes my job.
Your One Word by Evan Carmichael: The Word That Changed How I Run BPI
Evan Carmichael says skip the daily question and pick one word instead. Here's the word I landed on, the Steve Jobs story that stuck, and how it reshaped my real estate brand.
Relentless by Tim Grover: The 3 Levels That Changed How I Compete
I picked this up after seeing two strangers reading it on the subway. Grover's breakdown of good, great, and unstoppable rewired how I think about talent, discipline, and who actually wins.
The ONE Thing by Gary Keller: The 3 Ideas That Actually Changed How I Work
This sat in my Amazon cart for two years until someone I respect told me to read it. Here's what actually changed how I run my day — and my company.
Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance: The 3 Lessons I Took From It
I invested in Tesla back in 2009 when it was nowhere near what it is today. This book explains exactly the kind of person it takes to build something like that.
177 Mental Toughness Secrets by Steve Siebold: 4 Ideas I Actually Use
This book sat in my Kindle for eight months before I opened it. Here are the ideas on confidence, strengths, and honesty that changed how I operate.
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari: Why Everything We Value Is Made Up
This book didn't just inform me, it rewired how I see money, rejection, and status. Here's what actually changed the way I operate.
Bold by Peter Diamandis: The Mindset Behind Going Big
Diamandis and Kotler's playbook for turning an impossible vision into a global business — and the XPrize story that convinced me mindset beats money every time.
Ask by Ryan Levesque: Why I Was Wrong About This Book
I picked this up expecting a book on clever sales scripts. What I got was a system for building products around what your audience actually wants — and a landing page framework I use now.
The Sell by Fredrik Eklund: What I Stole for My Business
I almost didn't read this one because an agent told me it was slow. I was wrong — here's what actually changed how I dress, sleep, and sell.
Miracle Morning for Real Estate Agents: The SAVERS Routine I Actually Use
I don't usually like fictional self-help books, but Hal Elrod's real estate spin-off got me doing SAVERS before sunrise — and rethinking how I go to bed, too.
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: The SAVERS Routine That Fixed My Mornings
I was having a month of groggy, unmotivated mornings until this book gave me a structure to actually fix it. Here's the SAVERS routine and why I'm sticking with it.
I Wish I Knew This 20 Years Ago: One Idea Worth the Read
Justin Perry's self-published debut isn't packed with new material, but one line on string theory sent me down a rabbit hole worth the price of the book alone.
The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz: What Actually Stuck
Four million copies sold and a beat-up used copy from Amazon taught me more about confidence than most business books on my shelf — starting with something as dumb as walking 25% faster.
What Got You Here Won't Get You There: An Honest Review
I picked this up expecting a game-changer and got a solid rehash instead. Here's the honest take, plus the one idea on listening that actually stuck.
Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk: The Real Lesson Is Give Before You Ask
I've followed Gary Vaynerchuk for years before finally reading his first book — the one idea that actually changed how I run Instagram and Facebook for my business: give value first, ask second.
Supercoach by Michael Neill: The No-Wrong-Decision Rule That Changed My Business
Michael Neill's Supercoach debunks goal-setting and happiness myths I'd bought into for years — and gave me a decision-making rule I now use every day running my real estate company.
The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle: 3 Ideas That Changed How I Coach My Agents
Daniel Coyle spent two years inside the world's talent hotbeds and found greatness isn't born, it's grown. Here's what I took from it for my real estate team and my own habits.
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: Why You Can't Break a Habit, Only Replace It
I picked this up after The Willpower Instinct flipped my thinking on discipline. Here's the cue-routine-reward loop I actually use to get up at 5:30am.
Thoughts Are Things by Bob Proctor: Why I Can't Recommend It
I bought this the second I saw Bob Proctor's name on it, full price, no questions asked. Here's why it still let me down, and which of his other books actually changed how I think about wealth.
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker: Your Income Is a Mindset
I had no idea you could be wealthy in your mind before your bank account catches up. This is the book that convinced me your "money blueprint" decides your income before any action does.
Mind Power by John Kehoe: How Your Subconscious Builds Your Results
I used to think 'think yourself into success' was garbage. This book — and a knee injury that proved it — changed my mind.
Quantum Warrior by John Kehoe: The Belief-to-Result Chain
Kehoe's follow-up to Mind Power goes deeper into why your subconscious runs the show. Here's the chain I now use to diagnose my own results, from my body to my bank account.
Winning by Jack Welch: What Actually Applies to a Small Business
My brother gave me this for Christmas. It's built for 30,000-person companies, not a 50-person shop like mine, but four ideas were worth stealing anyway.
Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker: Why I Stopped Fixing My Weaknesses
A 58-page HBR classic that changed how I think about hiring, delegating, and what I actually bring to my own business.
Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz: Why Self-Image Is the Ceiling
I almost skipped this one because the title sounded like Law of Attraction fluff. Instead I found the actual mechanism behind why talented people underperform — and changed how I talk to myself because of it.
If I'd Known Then What I Know Now by J.R. Parrish: 3 Ideas Worth Keeping
A quick, stage-by-stage life playbook from a 55-year-old looking back. I didn't need most of it, but the dating chapter and one line about growth changed how I think about relationships.
Sell or Be Sold by Grant Cardone: What Actually Stuck
Grant Cardone's Sell Or Be Sold is more pump-up speech than playbook. Here's the honesty lesson and the fear framework I kept, and why I'd spend my money on his other book instead.
Takin' Care of Business by Buffini & Niego: The Three-Legged Stool
A broker friend handed me this book when my pipeline was all cold leads and no repeat clients. It fixed how I think about referrals, service, and the boring third leg most founders ignore: finances.
Work By Referral by Brian Buffini: Why I Stopped Chasing Deals
Six years into real estate in NYC, nobody had taught me how to actually ask for referrals. This book gave me the exact system — the gift, the card, and the ten names I now call.
A Better Way to Live by Og Mandino: 4 Rules I Actually Use
Og Mandino wrote 17 rules to live by in 115 pages — the ones on not cluttering your days and treating people like it's their last day changed how I say yes to real challenges.
The Greatest Salesman in the World: Why I Give It 3 Out of 5 Stars
Og Mandino's classic sales parable gets great reviews online, but I don't think it's worth the price. Here's the one idea I actually kept, and what I'd read instead.