What are you reading?

[Term-X 7,891]

[The Skipper 20,593]

The Alchemist.

[Rmpr 8,977]

The Alchemist.

Fuck, this book is terrible! :dohL

Paulo Coelho is the only famous writers I know that gets away with grammatical mistakes. His excuse? That he does it so the numerology on the pages dont get messed up...

[SinineUltra 1,164]

Not the most original book, but so far so good. Does anyone have recommendations for any other autobiography, doesn't have to be related to sports?

[AndersonBLUE 819]

Got so many books I need to read it's unbelievable. The whole Game of Thrones list and the Ben Kane 'Legion' series. And The Witcher fan translations...

[Term-X 7,891]

"A book is a souviner of an idea" - Seth Godin

[Term-X 7,891]

[Term-X 7,891]

'Mastery' by Robert Greene



Here are some extracts from the book..

"What separates Masters from others is often something surprisingly simple. Whenever we learn a new skill, we frequently reach a point of frustration--what we are learning seems beyond our capabilities. Giving in to these feelings, we unconsciously quit on ourselves before we actually give up."

(Page 77)

"Mistakes and failures are precisely your means of education. They tell you about your own inadequacies. It is hard to find out such things from people, as they are often political with their praise and criticisms."

(Page 83)

[SinineUltra 1,164]

'Mastery' by Robert Greene

Here are some extracts from the book..

"What separates Masters from others is often something surprisingly simple. Whenever we learn a new skill, we frequently reach a point of frustration--what we are learning seems beyond our capabilities. Giving in to these feelings, we unconsciously quit on ourselves before we actually give up."

(Page 77)

"Mistakes and failures are precisely your means of education. They tell you about your own inadequacies. It is hard to find out such things from people, as they are often political with their praise and criticisms."

(Page 83)

You've got very interesting book choices, don't have the actual book but will look for an audiobook - better than nothing. Thanks!

[Term-X 7,891]

You've got very interesting book choices, don't have the actual book but will look for an audiobook - better than nothing. Thanks!

I hate those cringeworthy 'self help books', but this is the real deal, well reasoned/researched, no pseudo wishy/washy shit. Here's a few more extracts, 'typed out by myself, from my own docs'..

The key, then, to attaining this higher level of intelligence is to make our years of study qualitatively rich. We don’t simple absorb information--we internalise it and make it our own by finding some way to put this knowledge to practical use. We look for connections between the various elements we are learning, hidden laws that we can perceive in the apprenticeship phase. If we experience any failures or setbacks, we do not quickly forget them because they offend our self-esteem. Instead we reflect on them deeply, trying to figure out what went wrong and discern whether there are any patterns to out mistakes. As we progress, we start to question some of the assumptions and conventions we have learned along the way. Soon we begin to experiment and become increasingly active. At all points in the various moments leading to mastery, we attack with intensity. Every moment, every experience contains deep lessons for us. We are continuously awake, never merely going through the motions.

- Mastery (Page 260)

First, it is essential to build into the creative process an initial period that is open-ended. You give yourself time to dream and wander, to start out in a loose and unfocused manner. In this period, you allow the project to associate itself with certain powerful emotions, ones that naturally come out of you as you focus on your ideas. It is always easy to tighten up your ideas later on, and to make your project increasingly realistic and rational. But if you begin with a feeling of tightness and pressure, focusing on the funding, the competition, or people’s opinions, you will stifle the associative powers of the brain and quickly turn the work into something without joy or life.

Second, it is best to have wide knowledge of your field and other fields, giving your brain more possible associations and connections.

Third, to keep this process alive, you must never settle into complacency, as if your initial vision represents the endpoint. You must cultivate profound dissatisfaction with your work and the need to constantly improve your ideas, along with a sense of uncertainty--you are not exactly sure where to go next, and this uncertainty drives the creative urge and keeps it fresh. Any kind of resistance or obstacle that crosses your path should be seen as yet another chance to improve your work.

Finally, you must come to embrace slowness as a virtue in itself. When it comes to creative endeavours, time is always relative. Whether your project takes months or years to complete, you will always experience a sense of impatience and a desire to get to the end. The single greatest action you can take for acquiring creative power is to reverse this natural impatience. You take pleasure in the laborious research process; you enjoy the slow cooking of the idea, the organic growth that naturally takes shape over time. You do not unnaturally draw out the process, which will create its own problems (we all need deadlines), but the longer you can allow the project to absorb your mental energies, the richer it will become. Imagine yourself years in the future looking back at the work you have done. From that future vantage point, the extra months and years you devoted to the process will not seem painful or laborious at all. It is an illusion of the present that will vanish. Time is your greatest ally.

- Mastery (Page 223)

The books 'outro'..

Reversal

The reversal to mastery is to deny it’s existence or it’s importance, and therefore the need to strive for it in any way. But such a reversal can only lead to feelings of powerlessness and disappointment. This reversal leads to enslavement to what we shall call the false self.

Your false self is the accumulation of all the voices you have internalised from other people--parents and friends who want you to conform to their ideas of what you should be like and what you should do, as well as societal pressures to adhere to certain values that an easily seduce you. It also includes the voice of your own ego, which constantly tries to protect you from unflattering truths. This self talks to you in clear words, and when it comes to mastery, it says things like, “Mastery is for the geniuses, the exceptionally talented, the freaks of nature. I was simply not born that way.” Or it says, “Mastery is ugly and immoral. It is for those who are ambitious and egotistical. Better to accept my lot in life and to work to help other people instead of enriching myself.” Or it might say, “Success is all luck. Those we call Masters are only people who were at the right place at the right time. I could easily be in their place if I had a lucky break.” Or it might also say, “To work for so long at something that requires so much pain and effort, why bother. Better to enjoy my short life and do what I can to get by.”

As you must know by now, these voices do not speak the truth. Mastery is not a question of genetics or luck, but of following your natural inclinations and the deep desire that stirs you from within. Everyone has such inclinations. This desire within you is not motivated by egotism or sheer ambition for power, both of which are emotions that get in the way of mastery. It is instead a deep expression of something natural, something that marked you at birth as unique. In following your inclinations and moving toward Mastery, you make a great contribution to society, enriching it with discoveries and insights, and making the most of the diversity in nature and among human society. It is in fact the height of selfishness to merely consume what others create and to retreat into a shell of limited goals and immediate pleasures. Alienating your self from your inclinations can only lead to pain and disappointment in the long run, and a sense that you have wasted something unique. This pain will be expressed in bitterness and envy, and you will not recognise the true source of your depression. Your true self does not speak in words or banal phrases. Its voice comes from deep within you, from the substrata of your psyche, from something embedded physically within you. It emanates from your uniqueness, and it communicates through sensations and powerful desires that seem to transcend you. You cannot ultimately understand why you are drawn to certain activities or forms of knowledge. This cannot really be verbalised or explained. It is simply a fact of nature. In following this voice you realise your own potential, and satisfy your deepest longings to create and express your uniqueness. It exists for a purpose, and it is your Life’s Task to bring it to fruition.

- Mastery (Pages 309-310)

[BleedsBlue 1,549]

Crime and Punishment.

Half way done but don't really feel like finishing it.

[syxxeR 23]

after one month break from book 4, i started with "A song of ice and fire - A dance with dragons (book 5)".

book 4 was kind of boring (for me), too many boring characters or characters i did not care about . i hope book 5 is better.

[Bluesky1 1]

I am currently reading The Citadel, by J. Cronin.

I have not finished it yet, but it is a great book. A true classic.

[Steve 10,227]

Quality read thus far!

[nyikolajevics 2,422]

The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contact Killer

I just finished it, it was amazing..It's about a polish-american man who killed dozens of people. The author had spent several hours in the jail interviewing the serial killer.

[Stingray 9,441]

The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contact Killer

I just finished it, it was amazing..It's about a polish-american man who killed dozens of people. The author had spent several hours in the jail interviewing the serial killer.

The live interviews are on youtube as well ... Psychopaths are way rrrrrr

[BlueLion. 21,491]

[Madmax 9,219]

Blackwater by Conn Iggulden. Nothing much to say; a very quick read but mediocre. Tries too hard to shock at the end. 3/5.