I’m Here To Learn
Jan

In Wednesday’s post, Meet The Grinders, you well..met the grinders. What I failed to mention is that next week I will be posting their stories Tuesdays through Friday. In their posts, you will get to learn a bit more about where they came from, what they are doing now, and what they hope to accomplish this coming year.
My hope is that you can identify with their stories, relate to their struggles, and learn from their successes. I don’t consider these “guest posts” as these are not my guests, they are my teammates for the year.
I’m Here To Learn..
You may have noticed the “Read These” tab in the header and if so, you have also probably noticed that the page is blank. The idea behind this page is to build a list of reader generated resources, mainly books, that have inspired you to take action, open your mind, or experience some form of personal growth.
I’m a huge advocate for continual learning and educating ourselves and books are the perfect way to do this. Think of all the time we waste watching television, surfing the Internet, or playing video games. What if we took that time to read instead? And I’m not talking about Clive Cussler’s latest espionage novel, I’m talking about something we can actually learn from.
Since my interview with Penelope, I’ve read at least a dozen books on topics ranging from Buddhism to existentialism and am dedicated to learning as much as I can about myself, history, personal growth, and the world we live in. Yep, the public library (and Amazon) have become my new best friends!
I will be adding my own suggestions as well as recommended books from my small group of Grinders and plan to create a top notch personal growth book list. There is just so much knowledge to be obtained and I’ve already found some real gems thanks to reader suggestions.
So please leave me a suggestion or two in the comment section here and I will begin to compile a “running list” of books which will be broken down by month/topic.
This months recommended reading will include books about commitment, action, and goal setting.
Got a good one in mind? Let me know!
And by the way, I will read all books prior to adding them to the master list. I’m doing this for two reasons:
- I don’t want to recommend a book without knowing if it’s going to be valuable to my readers (or if it flat out sucks).
- I will be using affiliate links and don’t want to capitalize off of a shitty book. Believe me, this is not money motivated here (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), because there is virtually no money to be made selling books via Amazon.
For example, here’s a snapshot of my earnings from Amazon for the last 3 months:
As you can see by the whopping grand total of exactly 2ยข earned in Q4 of 2011, my intention is not making money with this..but it doesn’t hurt because you never know when somebody is going to buy this right after the $6 book… Hey, it could happen!
The Value Of A Client
In an unrelated topic, I wanted to share something that happened a few nights ago. I’ve recently taken on two new personal training clients, a husband and wife, and met with them for the first time on Wednesday.
What I really love about training people is the personal interaction and hopefully (but not always) the personal connection I have with them.
It’s a pretty amazing thing when someone is totally committed to improving their health, and in turn their quality of life. It doesn’t happen as often as you would think, but it certainly does happen.
This couple for example is completely committed to doing whatever it takes to improve their overall health and to living longer and better lives. And they are doing it together and completely have each others backs. SO important!
Anyway, what I found most inspiring about our conversation was during the discussion of their health histories, the wife started talking about her sister who had passed away at age 43 from a health related illness. And as she shared this story, tears welled up in her eyes and I felt her pain. In that look, she communicated to me how important it is for her to live and live well.
In that moment, I remembered why I do this, what makes me who I am, and why I’m here. Moments like these that are shared are indescribable and capable of changing lives.
I’ve trained hundreds of people in the last 14 years and rarely have I felt this kind of connection to someone’s mortality.
I know this may sound a little nuts and I’m probably not articulating it very well, but it was a remarkable feeling and for a short time, I felt really alive.
And that’s certainly worth more than the hourly rate I’m being paid…
Next Week
As I mentioned, next week you will hear from The Grinders and get to know them better through their stories and I will also be posting about my goals on Monday.
After that I will be going to a Tuesday/Thursday posting schedule (for all those keeping track ๐
I’m also going to try to keep my posts under the usual 2,000 words and will try to keep it entertaining. And please tell me you got the Billy Madison reference here!!!

Keshav
Loving these personal stories!!
Steve
My aim is to start sharing a lot more of life through personal experiences…
Keith
The first book on my list would have to be my Bible, I have a Life Application study Bible, it has been my driving force lately and I am telling you from experience, it works!
Direction, not intentions, determine destination.
Steve
Well, we can’t do any better than THE book!
Laura Rupp
Well done trainer – to hear someone else’s story and be able to participate in their journey. Very powerful indeed, not to mention motivating for you!
I have a couple book suggestions that have been instrumental in my self-discovery, on an individual level in terms of personal growth but also as an entrepreneur. They are not the direct source of my work and action. But, as you know, understanding yourself on a deeper level is where the action and commitment start.
All-time favorite book for inspiration is “Callings – Finding and Following an Authentic Life” by Gregg Levoy. This book is a personal, emotional, and spiritual work that supports our search for transition in life and bolsters our courage to do so. I can’t recommend this book strongly enough if you want something to support you on your journey.
Next, found great value in “The War of Art” by Stephen Pressfield. Every person, whether in a changing role or not, plays out some form of personal resistance and this book makes it easy to understand why we do this and offers good insight to taming the voices in our head that try to hold us back.
Really, really like “Drive” by Daniel H. Pink. There is so much wisdom in this book about where our motivation comes from and why the former carrot-stick method of trying to get people to do things just does not apply to the modern-day world of work. Very good book for realizing the strength and value of intrinsic motivation.
Last, but not least, getting an objective look at myself through the Birkman Assessment provided the clarity I needed to see how I operate, what motivates me, what gets in my way, and what work makes sense for me. It is the foundation of my coaching work and consistently shows people how to move forward. It offers the validation and lack of personal judgment that help when you are in your head too much or just plan confused!
There’s a weekend’s worth of reading for you! But, you asked. Looking forward to seeing other recommendations and finding good resources. Thanks Steve!
Steve
Laura,
Well, I’m definitely working on understanding more about myself and look forward to reading your suggestions. “Callings” sounds very interesting and I will probably read that one first. I actually skimmed through “The War of Art” and wasn’t impressed. I have “Do The Work” and really like it, so maybe I need to revisit his other one again.
While not the Birkman Assessment, I have done a Myers Brigs type test (which you already know), which I found helped me understand some things about my traits.
Thanks so much for these suggestions ๐
Ruth - The Freelance Writing Blog
Wow Steve, the whole tone of this post is different to what you’ve written before. It’s upbeat, action-oriented, POSITIVE! Love it!
I would recommend The Four Agreements by Miguel Angel Ruiz. I need to read it again, but it was transformative.
Steve
It’s a new year, my friend. Things, they are a changin…
Will have a look at your book suggestion….I’ve never heard of it.
Harriet
Awesome, it’ll be really good to read stories of your fellow grinders! Always good to read stories of other hard workers!
Steve
There will be plenty of hard work this year, Harriet!
Paige | Simple Mindfulness
I have to agree with Ruth on The 4 Agreements. I would add Conscious Living by Gay Hendricks (changed my life), The 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss, Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez & Vicki Robin, The Millionaire Messenger by Brendon Burchard and The Art of Living by Epictitus.
Can’t wait to see how the year unfolds!!
Steve
I loved The Millionaire Messenger! It’s actually one of my favorite books..his message hit me right on the head.
And for a while I was really on board with The 4HWW, but am having a hard time with the practicality of his suggestions. As far as inspiration, the first half of his book is phenomenal!
Steve Rice | True Spiritual Awakening
I agree with Ruth and Paige…”The Four Agreements” is a must-read (multiple times). “The Mastery of Love” is also a profound one (by don Miguel Ruiz as well). I listened to the audio book dozens of times and it transformed the way I experience relationship.
I’m a personal development junkie, so have a HUGE list of books, but one of my favorites is the classic “As A Man Thinketh” by James Allen (plus, it’s short!).
Made up of 7 essays, I found I could read one each day of the week…and I did this for nearly a year. It transformed my thinking.
Great stuff, Steve…enjoy your new outlook.
Steve
Steve,
It seems “The Four Agreements”is a favorite. Now I have to read it!
I own “As A Man Thinketh” and love the message although it a bit difficult to get through his writing style..
Danny @ Firepole Marketing
Hey Steve, I’ve got a few books to throw into the mix:
“Mindset” by Carol Dweck
“Brain Rules” by John Medina
“The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family” by Patrick Lencioni
“Carrots and Sticks” by Ian Ayres
“Uncertainty” by Jonathan Fields
“The Monk and the Riddle” by Randy Komisar
You can get through these in a week or two, right? ๐
Ruth - The Freelance Writing Blog
Checking all of these out Danny!
Steve
Danny,
Other than the Jonathan Fields book, I’ve never heard of any of these. 2 weeks tops ๐
Greg
The best information I have consumed recently has been related to my job (web design & marketing). Most of my unhappiness in the past has been career related, so becoming an expert in my field and a linchpin at my company has made a huge difference.
Self-help books are great, but for me they only provided a temporary high. Becoming a master of my craft is what really keeps me happy and motivated.
Just my two cents ๐
Steve
Good point Greg, but if we can actually apply what we learn from reading, it doesn’t have to be temporary. And good for you for taking initiative and mastering your craft. Very few will do that..
Greg
Agreed. I love motivational books and blogs because I always feel so inspired to take action after reading them. But the thought of taking action is much more pleasurable than actually doing it. It wasn’t until I actually put the self-help obsession aside and started doing some tough, frustrating, sometimes boring work to improve my professional skills that things really started to turn around more me.
Steve
That’s so true. Doing the work is often not fun and can become a grind, but that’s how we get where we want to be. Doing hour long self help exercises, reading volumes upon volumes of books, and writing out clear and specific goals are not the most pleasurable ways to spend our time, but they work.
Also, I love the thought of doing so many exciting things, climbing mountains and reflecting on my life, traveling to Rome and becoming immersed in another culture, or becoming a motivational speaker and traveling the country. Thinking about these things is so inspiring, but the actual DO part of these things is the hard part.
Jay Adams
sounds like the personal training is where your heart is and one area where you can make an impact in other people’s lives. I gathered that you have an hourly job as well? if so, that’s mainly a means to an end so you can capitalize on what you do well. just my $.02 worth!
Steve
Jay,
As much as I like personal training, it’s not what I want to do. The interaction I had with my clients was more on a personal level versus a fitness level. I would much rather be training than working my day job for sure but the pay isn’t comparable. I’ve actually tried to earn a living with training alone and it’s just too inconsistent with a family to support..
Benny
Steve I just had to say, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Having said all that, I’m almost done with the Barefoot Executive. Good book. I wouldn’t say great. Mark Cuban has a book out and it was like $3 online and I just started reading that.
If I think of any more, I’ll let you know.
Steve
Benny,
You had me here..I thought you flipped on me and were letting me have it. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the movie but got it after reading the “points”..
Again, you are the only one who got this movie reference…..
Scott Cofer - The Self Improvement Guy
Cheers to you Steve for defining your direction on this blog. It is quickly becoming a “must read” on my list.
I think you’ll find that going through the self development process over the next year will rapidly make you an expert on the subject … which will greatly improve your value in the online space. I look forward to watching the process unfold!
Reading suggestion … “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson. One of my staples, and he’s recently started an online community around the book as well.
Best to you,
Scott
Steve
Hey Scott,
I completely agree. My goal is to become a life coach (or at least try my hand at it) and this year is going to make or break me. As I begin to follow through on my word and reach my goals, I think I will be in a good position to help others.