Can Books Help Solve a Problem?

This Author Believes So

Seeing “Great Books, Great Minds” flourish to new heights has been top of mind for me of late. With this, I have been seeking out books that help me address any roadblocks I may encounter on the road to success.

Currently, I am at the tail end of completing  MJ Demarco’s stellar book UNSCRIPTED: The Great Rat Race Escape: The Great Rat-Race Escape: From Wage Slavery to Wealth: How to Start a Purpose Driven Business and Win Financial Freedom for a Lifetime and can’t recommend it enough. 

The book is a fictional story about a couple, Jeff and Samantha Trotman, and their series of missteps as well as sage lessons in launching an entrepreneurial venture together. Throughout, it provides an ocean of wealth-building strategies and principles for becoming what the author calls “Unscripted,” a rare breed of entrepreneurs who discover freedom from a miserly “save, pray and wait” existence.  

For me, this book has been immensely useful in helping me come to grips with the raw realities of growing and sustaining a business. It offers great practical examples of the principles and strategies highlighted. 

In combing through the book, I was particularly struck by Chapter 66, where the author poses a question he frequently gets in his live forums and seminars.

“What’s the next best book I should read after reading Unscripted?” 

MJ Demarco writes:

“When people ask me what book I’m reading, they expect to hear the latest bestseller or the current month’s trendy book pushed by the mainstream. That is never my answer because I’m busy solving problems.”

Emphasis….. “Busy Solving Problems.” He continues: 

“Instead of mindlessly reading books for the sake of reading them, read them to solve your front-facing problems. Whatever problem stands in your way—the book with the solution is the book you need to read! Read the book that moves you up the mountain. You can’t climb mile two until you climb mile one.”

Well, I’m definitely guilty as charged when it comes to reading books for the sake of reading them, often 6-8 at a time. 

Says Demarco: 

“If you’re not facing problems (yet), the same concept applies. Read whatever moves you forward on life’s journey. If the book isn’t a business builder, make it a character builder. For me, such books are on world history, health and nutrition, and meditation.”

The point that Demarco is trying to get across is the enormous return on investment that a particular book can have, all at an affordable cost. So in the spirit of his message, these three books are at the top of my reading consciousness at present

The Ultimate LinkedIn Sales Guide by Daniel Disney

LinkedIn has long been my “go-to” social media platform for building my “Great Books, Great Minds” subscriber base. The return on investment for me in using this site has been off the charts. Yet this book through its easy-to-implement ideas and solutions has helped me achieve next-level results. 

The Influencer Code: How to Unlock the Power of Influencer Marketing By Amanda Russell

My biggest worry as it relates to “Great Books, Great Minds” is that my digital newsletter will get lost in a sea of noise amid cluttered email inboxes and social media posts. Amanda Russell in proclaiming that  “content is no longer king” points readers to a model focused on “relationships of trust” versus “transactions.” 

As she says in her own words: “The goal of influencer marketing is to utilize the pre-existing trust an influencer has built up in their community.”

Be Your Future Self Now: The Science of Intentional Transformation by Benjamin Hardy. 

I have long been a fan of Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s work and this new book certainly doesn’t disappoint. His book has been useful in helping me overcome my propensity for short-term thinking. 

His message: 

“As a rule, 80 percent of us are primarily driven by fear or avoidance, while 20 percent of people are driven by approach and courage. In addition to being driven primarily by fear, the average person is mostly driven by short-term goals such as distracting themselves with social media instead of working, getting to the end of the workday, getting to the weekend, or paying the bills” 

Ben’s admonition: Set a roadmap for your future and then work backward. He adds: 

“The quality of connection you have with your own Future Self determines the quality of your life and behaviors now. Research shows that the more connected you are to your own Future Self, the wiser decisions you make here and now.”