…..When The Thought of Books Awakens You.

It’s 2:36 a.m. and I can’t sleep. In short, my mind is percolating around all of the amazing feedback that I received from this email I sent on Thursday about my book mastermind group idea. 

Thank you so much if you took the time to respond. And if you were among those who haven’t had a chance to offer your feedback, there’s still time. 

The broader narrative of my message this morning centers around a fundamental belief of mine, namely,  that the Lone Ranger mindset is a myth. In other words, those who are living world-class, elite lives mentally emotionally, physically, spiritually, and financially are surrounded by supportive people and positive role models. 

Sadly the Covid-19 pandemic has had a chilling effect on human nature and our foundational system of community, connection, and belongingness. 

The late motivational speaker Jim Rohn often asserted that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. He believed that when it comes to relationships, we are greatly influenced, whether we like it or not, by those we hold closest to us. It impacts our way of thinking, our self-esteem, and our decisions, he noted. All of this comports with research that has shown that we are more affected by outside environmental factors than we think. 

Masterminds are peer-to-peer mentoring groups used to help members solve their problems via input from the other group member. These loops can prevent us from making decisions in a vacuum that can often result in us driving over a proverbial life cliff. 

This concept was first popularized in 1925 by author Napoleon Hill in his book The Law of Success along with his 1937 book Think and Grow Rich.

The idea that I am intent on pursuing with your ongoing input is a series of book mastermind groups to help you apply practical ideas from books towards your highest life and business aspirations.

I am calling these online and in-person communities “Great Books, Great MasterMINDS.  

Accessible to “Great Books, Great Minds'' premium members, each of these exclusive groups will comprise 4-6 people who will pursue a niche book theme. Facilitator-led, the aim is to foster a sense of community, connection, belongingness, and mutual support to users worldwide using books as currency for personal and business expansion. 

My fundamental belief is that books are the new “Universal Currency of Personal and Business Expansion. It’s here where I believe “Great Books, Great MasterMINDS” can have a transformative impact on your life through: 

• Lively and highly focused facilitated discussions with other expansive thinkers seeking to integrate the deep, practical book wisdom into their lives.  

• Accountability tribe and niche reading community that offers us connection, belongingness, and support as we pursue our highest aims. 

• Guides and other collateral materials that offer a breakdown of digestible learning points distilled from the books. 

• Opportunities to engage in exclusive VIP discussion groups with bestselling authors for a deeper learning immersion 

• The emergence of organic synergies with others can lead to long-term relationships, collaborative opportunities, and partnerships. 

Curious as to why I am pursuing Great Books Great MasterMINDs at this stage of my life. For a bit of context, here’s a little backgrounder on my life journey to date…

I just turned 59 in June. And despite having been a lifelong student at the University of Hard Knocks, I’ve had an amazing life. 

As you might have already guessed, I have an unquenchable thirst for great books. They’re my raison d'ê·tre. My honey nectar. 

I’ve been reading since I was a little shaver raised in Columbus, Ohio. My mom was a K-12 reading specialist; my dad was a university administrator and intellectual. Both have passed on but have imprinted a legacy of reading into my DNA.

At the ripe age of twenty-six, I became a member of the senior leadership team for a 288-bed hospital in Chicago. I then spent a number of years as a journalist and speaker. 

Today, I run Great Books, Great Minds, a passion project I launched in January of 2020 which aims to “Ignite a New World of Human and Business Expansion One Book at a Time.”  My massive vision is 1 million subscribers for our member-supported digital community by 2030. 

In terms of me, I’m urbane. I’m ambitious. I’m rebellious. Columbus is where I was born. Yet I consider the iconic city of Chicago my adopted hometown. I’m uncommonly nomadic, with a long history of having lived everywhere but nowhere. 

I enjoy listening to music by Marian Hill, reading Fast Company Magazine and The Economist, and having random conversations at edgy martini bars, and NHL hockey. And yes, I am a proud graduate of THE Ohio State University and Buckeye Nation! 

My vicarious tribe of author mentors who I am currently deriving inspiration and self-expansion daily includes John Lee Dumas, author of The Common Path to Uncommon Success; Jessica Zweig, author of Be: A No-Bullsh*t Guide to Increasing Your Self Worth and Net Worth by Simply Being Yourself; Benjamin Hardy, author of Be Your Future Self Now; Alan Weiss, author of Million Dollar Consulting; and Jason Gregory, author of Effortless Living: Wu-Wei and the Spontaneous State of Natural Harmony. 

Before I close, let me address a common objection to participating in “Great Books, Great MasterMINDS. 

It’s called TIME. 

Several of you have stated that because of the hamster wheel busyness of life, you simply don’t have time for much reading, let alone a bi-weekly book mastermind group. 

Just so you know, I’m hearing ya. 

But here’s the good news. In capturing your feedback, I have already started to bake in some solutions that will allow you a more efficient reading experience in your daily life. I’ll be revealing this in the next message you’ll be receiving from me on Monday. 

In the meantime, please keep your thoughts coming in the comment section below. They are invaluable in my quest to serve you in achieving your expansionary, lifestyle freedom aspirations through the power of books.