Week in Review: Little Bets, Opportunities Everywhere, Combining Ideas

For regular readers, you know by now, that this is round two of Sarah Arrow’s 30-Day Blogging Challenge. I developed consistency in my blogging after participating in the challenge last year, but things went to hell in a hand basket when my brother died while on vacation. Life throws all of us curve balls in life. Some navigate around these obstacles better than others. I am not wonder woman, so I gave myself the time to grieve. Now I am blogging for 30 consecutive days, hoping to get back my groove.

Monday – Over 25 Bookish Quotes and Ideas to Inspire You: In any given year, I read a lot of books. I usually take detailed notes, extract the five big ideas, and often flag quotes, phrases and thoughts that move me. In this post, you will find some of those thoughts and ideas.

Tuesday – 7 Lessons from Little Bets by Peter Sims: Little Bets by Peter Sims is a must-read for entrepreneurs and business owners. Contrary to what some people say, great ideas do not come to you fully formed, you have to work to develop them. Take comedian Chris Rock, who is highly successful at his craft, one would think that developing a routine is a cinch. Not so, it takes six months to a year to get his act to a point that he is ready to perform before a much larger audience.

Wednesday – Opportunities Everywhere – Think Differently: Do you hold yourself back because of fear of rejection? We all do, so don’t sweat it. I finally read Growth Hacker Marketing because I wanted to understand the concept of growth hacking, and the book supports the idea that opportunities are everywhere. Recent experiences have taught me that I have to make it a habit to step outside my comfort zone if I expect massive success. If you are working on a project that you’d like others to learn about, step outside your comfort zone to try something new. Instead of sticking to the same ways of doing things, think differently, and adopt a new way of doing things. Remember that opportunities are everywhere.

Thursday – Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak: This is not a review, but more a reflection on Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I read this book as an adult, actually last year, but it didn’t quite move me like other children’s books I read as an adult. But fantasy books such as Where the Wild Things Are have the potential to stir the imagination. It’s worth the read, simply to see where your imagination takes you.

Friday – How to Combine Ideas: If you look at the greatest innovations in the world, they are built on existing ideas. Nothing happens inside of a vacuum. In this post, I look at combining ideas, which is a big part of the Read the World Challenge. Before reading a book, have a compelling reason for doing so, and as you read, make sure that you take detailed notes. While reviewing your notes, reflect on the five big ideas from each book. At some point, start to connect ideas from the books you read, what emerges may surprise you.

Please take the conversation to my  Facebook page. You can still join the Read the World Challenge – it’s a new kind of reading challenge.

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