Books I Read in October (#21-22)

In the month of October, I listened to two books on CD as I drove back and forth from Alabama to Tennessee. Daniel has subscribed to a monthly CD book club and we have been listening to books independently on our drives. It is nice to be listening to some of the same works as we can discuss them when we are together.

My first book on CD for the month was Outliers by Malcomb Gladwell. I actually read this book years ago and it is my second favorite book by Gladwell – the first being Blink. On this second reading, I realized that there are a lot of things about my own life that make me an outlier. It is fascinating to me to hear different stories that support Gladwell's ideas of what makes an outlier. 

The things that stuck with me the most from my previous reading and my more recent reading are 1) It takes 10,000 hours of practice for anyone to become great at something; 2) Other factors/lucky breaks separate the good from the best; and 3) something as random as when you were born could determine your outcome in this life. As always, I enjoyed all of his stories from The Beatles to Bill Gates. I find it all to be fascinating food for thought. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

The second book I listened to this month was EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey. First off, it was interesting and odd to read this book since I had the opportunity to interview for Dave Ramsey's company several years ago. Listening to him talk about how to get hired was a bit of an ego check for me. Afterall I only had one interview with his company and according to this book it is a 15-step process. However, once I got over the fact that things didn't work out for me, I discovered that this book teaches some wonderful principles; many of which can be applied to relationships like marriage or parenting. 

As I listened, I also found myself identifying with the fact that many of the places I have had the opportunity to work didn't apply these same principles and in hindsight I have a better understanding of why my working experience always seemed to be lacking. 

I currently work part-time from home and I really enjoy what I do. I hope that one day I can rejoin the workforce and work in an environment that treats their employees the way that Dave Ramsey purports to treat his. 

I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to become a better leader at their current company; or anyone who just wants to grow their small business.

I liked that both of these books on CDs were read by their authors. 

Thursday Things (Things I Have Learned Since Graduating from College)

Things I Have Learned Since Graduating from College

Ten years ago, I graduated from college. The path my life has taken is not one I would have ever expected. Here are a few things that I have learned along the way...

1. You can plan all you want but your life probably isn't going to turn out how you envisioned.

2. Getting a degree an education matters more than your actual field of study. Case in point: I have a B.S. in Fine Art {I don't think I have met anyone with this particular degree} but I have managed to work as a graphic designer and a teacher and now I am a mom who freelances from home.

3. You will spend the majority of your life doing your "job." If you happen to be one of the select few who gets to do what they absolutely love every day, awesome. For the rest of us, figure out what you are passionate about and make sure you spend some of your free time pursuing that passion. This will go a long way towards making your life more fulfilling.

4. Make sure you have someone in your life who will encourage you – your spouse, a close family member or friend. Everyone needs a cheerleader for when the going gets tough.

5. At some point, it's going to get tough. Bad things happen... People will mistreat you... you may lose your job... or have to move... you may experience a divorce in your family... sickness... death... All of these things are a part of life. These experiences will probably be very painful. Accept them and keep moving forward.

6. Don't dwell in the past. Live your life today. Don't hold grudges or be bitter. That kind of attitude is toxic. Along these same lines, recognize when you make mistakes. Don't keep reliving those mistakes. Make a change in yourself and do the best you can to be a better person. Try to treat everyone you meet with love and respect.

7. Figure out your finances. Get out of debt asap. As the Dave Ramsey mantra states: “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” 

8. Never stop learning. 

9. Develop a hobby. Volunteer. Learn how to cook or paint or cross stitch. Go take a hike. Start running or train for a triathlon. Develop a love of books or movies. Do something that is just for you. You need at least one thing that is yours alone. Your happiness should not be wrapped up solely in another person or another person's hobbies. Along with this, don't compare yourself to those around you. Blogs, Facebook and Pinterest make it look like everyone else lives amazing lives and has it together. Believe me, they don't.

10. Be thankful every day. There are no guarantees of tomorrow. Don't waste your life wishing you had someone else' life. The grass is always greener where it is watered... get out there and water your own grass.

Dave Ramsey

Last Thursday I had the privelege of attending a Dave Ramsey, Total Money Make-Over Seminar in Birmingham, Alabama. My husband and I have read some of Dave Ramsey's books and when we lived in Tennessee, we would periodically listen to or watch his show. 

 

We had never heard him live, so we were unsure of what to expect. Right before the 3-hour seminar started, by husband leaned over and whispered that he hoped this wouldn't be a bunch of motivational mumbo-jumbo.

This turned out to be one of the best seminars I have ever sat through. Dave had us laughing the entire time. He has this way of walking around on stage and making you wait for the punch line. The entire audience related well. He spoke to the difference between husband's and wives when it comes to money. I found myself periodically nudging my husband. With clips of baby steps from "What About Bob" thrown in for good measure, it was hard to miss any of his points.

From a design perspective, I didn't feel that Mr. Ramsey had the best slides, but he had something better - a powerful message and a charismatic way of delivering. If you have never heard Dave Ramsey speak, I would highly recommend him. He is a great speaker and he has a topic that most American need to hear - he conveys a good "one-size-fits-most" message to people trying to get out of debt.

Atlanta, Birmingham, Dave Ramsey & Trek Bikes

This note is a condensed version of the last 3 days for me and Daniel.

Thursday we left Charlotte at noon to head to Birmingham to meet friends and hear Dave Ramsey speak. We hit Atlanta at 3:30. How a city can have traffic on a Thursday at 3:30 is beyond me. I am glad that where we live in Charlotte does not require us to sit in traffic for ridiculous amounts of traffic for ridiculous amounts of time on a daily basis.

Birmingham was nice. It was great to see our friends, Marshall & Hillary. Dave Ramsey was a great speaker. If you have never heard him speak, I would highly recommend him. While I do not agree with everything he has to say, he does offer some stellar "one size fits most" advice on finances. Someone told us that they thought Dave Ramsey was a bit of an extremist. Since most people in America are in debt, I think there is a need for extreme measures for us to conquer this mountain of debt we all continue to build.

Friday morning we had breakfast with our friends and then booked it home. Once again, Atlanta traffic sucked. We made a short detour to see a bike dealership which involved wandering through Atlanta neighbors hoods instead of sitting on I-85 but it still was bad.

We made back to Charlotte with 1.5 hours to spare before Daniel's Dad & Grandma rolled in. We frantically cleaned for 1.5 hours and were still vacuuming when they pulled in the driveway. Talk about an exhausting day!

Today we got up and I cooked a country breakfast of sausage, eggs, bacon & biscuits. This is what Daniel's grandma always cooks for us, so I figured it would be nice to make it for her.

Then we headed toward Belmont where we dropped Daniel's dad off at the Belmont Abby College and then we cruised over to the US National White Water Center where TREK was offering free mountain bike demos. We had 45 minutes to test Gary Fisher bikes on the 7 miles of mountain bike trails. The bikes were full suspension and rocked. I dont know if mountain biking on my crappy, cheap mountain bike with no suspension and terrible shocks will ever be the same.

We need to go spend an ENTIRE day at the white water center so we can kayak, rock climb and mountain bike - now that would be a fun day. We just need to drop $5000+ for 2 really awesome bikes... what would Dave Ramsey say???