Why I'm Reading A “One Word” Book
I thirst for Great Books. They’re my raison d'ê·tre. My sweet spot in life.
I’ve been reading since I was a little kid in Columbus, Ohio. Mom, a K-12 reading specialist. Dad, a university administrator and intellectual. Both were an inspiration for the voracious reader I am today.
At the ripe age of twenty-six, I was a member of the senior leadership team for a Chicago area hospital. Following that, I spent over 18 years on the speaking circuit giving presentations to association and corporate groups nationwide.
In 2010, I became one of the world’s first full-time independent journalists covering blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.
Today, I run Great Books, Great Minds, Inc. a global community fueling the “Power of Expansion, One Book at a Time.”
I breathe and bleed Great Books and Great Authors. I’m urbane. I’m rebellious. I’m sapiosexual in my love for fellow readers.
My desire is to build a worldwide community of one million authors and readers worldwide by 2030.
The Buckeye State 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:
Indianapolis, Indiana | Lombard, Illinois | Evanston, Illinois | South Bend, Indiana | Carson City, Nevada | Folsom, California | Denver, Colorado | Las Vegas, Nevada | San Diego, California are among my many stops.
I love listening to music by Marian Hill, reading Fast Company Magazine and The Economist, random conversations at edgy martini bars, and NHL hockey.
I could best be described as a Libertarian/Taoist in my philosophy.
In terms of mentors, I find inspiration from a wide swath of folks including NBA Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, Harvard intellectual Cornel West, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, NBA superstar Michael Jordan, Ohio State assistant football coach Kerry Coombs, and fashion guru Rebecca Minkoff. Love all of them for the examples they’ve set in being unapologetically themselves.
Just One
Despite having achieved a respectable amount of success, I have long struggled with an identity for my business. Little did I know that it could all be boiled down to ONE WORD.
This according to entrepreneurial guru and bestselling author Evan Carmichael and his book “Your One Word: The Powerful Secret to Creating a Business and Life That Matters.”
In his book he says:
“Following your passion, being crazy enough to try to change the world, and standing for something important is hard. So most people and companies don’t, and thus most businesses are mediocre too. They’re boring and uninspiring. You haven’t made people care enough about what you’re doing. I mean really care. Feel-it-in-their-bones care. Tell-all-their-friends-about-you care. Tattoo-your-logo-on-their-body care. Even if you get halfway to that level of care, you’ll be way ahead of your competition.”
The secret sauce to this according to Carmichael is to identify the “One Word” that defines who you are. It’s a word, he says, that “connects all the things in your life and makes you come alive.”
So I’m now pleased to say that I’ve discovered my ONE WORD. It’s……….
EXPANSION
What’s your one word? If you’re unclear, I would encourage you to begin with this book.