I find it necessary to ignore both the cover art and the title of this book. And also a lot of the inside.
If you go look at the cover you will know what I mean.
Here’s what I like:
“I allowed myself to become obsessed with success again with the same innocence and energy I had as a kid. Rather than denying my obsession with success, I gave myself permission to embrace it.”
“There are billions of people on this planet living in daily emotional turmoil, knowing they are living and operating below their potential. No one feels sorry for you. No one is going to help you.”
“I started studying other obsessive types who were super successful and stopped seeking advice from those who were settling for average lives, average results, average money, average everything and who were never obsessed with anything except defending average, that’s when I began to really live.”
“Those who suggest you should settle for less than your potential are doing so because they are trying to make sense of a decision to settle for less in their own lives. The super successful will never tell anyone to do less, to settle, or to be satisfied. Those who have actually made it big would never tell you it’s a pipe dream and will always encourage you to do more.”
“Remember: People who try to persuade you to give up are not trying to help you. They are trying to make sense of why they gave up.”
“The people in your life are either a good influence or a bad influence. There is no gray area. If you don’t know what side they are on, you should not spend time with them. I won’t and don’t. Fill your time up with the ones who are supportive.”
“When you are clear on your purpose, you will never burn out. The only thing that is going to ultimately renew you is getting reobsessed with your purpose. This is why so many successful people do not see work as work.”
That striving for balance is a waste of time:
“The whole concept of having balance in your life is ridiculous. I am not trying to balance my life—I am trying to blow it up.”
That working toward goals I care about (big-enough goals, inspiring, purposeful) doesn’t burn me out—it feeds me and energizes me:
“Success feeds me. Winning feeds me. Production feeds me. Reaching my potential feeds me. I make lists of the things that make me stronger and those that don’t, and I use those to feed the beast and starve anything that causes me doubt.”
And that asking other people to validate these facets of myself is not helpful or necessary. It’s in me or it isn’t. Validation doesn’t make me stronger or happier, but seeking it can certainly make me feel weaker and unhappier.
“…it is ultimately up to you to set rules for yourself. Develop the capacity to break down and analyze each area of your life so that you can dominate those that are most important to you. Turn them into vital fuel for your obsessions.”
Highlights: 📖 Cardone - Be Obsessed or Be Average
