Poke the Box by Seth Godin

I am not sure how this book ended up on my shelf, it was probably on one of my "Dave Ramsey Recommends" buying sprees.

Poke the Box is all about getting started and executed on your ideas. For me it is kind of like having a personal cheerleader. This book picked up my spirits at a time when I was feeling down, now I hope I am able to put some of it to good use.

This is a short book, I read it in 2 sittings while taking lots of notes.

Here is a quote from the book that describes how I often act when it comes to many projects.

" The person who constantly asks questions, interrupts, takes endless notes, and is always in your face isn’t just annoying — she’s self-sabotaging, a form of hiding. This hypergo mindset is just as safe as the more prevalent kind of under-shipping, because if you’re the kind of person who’s always dreaming and riffing, of course you can’t be held responsible for your work. First, because you’re crazy, and second, because you’re too busy doing the next thing to be held responsible for the last one."

I hope to put what I read in the book into practice and break out of the hypergo mentality.

Here is my favorite quote from the book:

" Today, not starting is far, far worse than being wrong. If you start, you’ve got a shot at evolving and adjusting to turn your wrong into a right. But if you don’t start, you never get a chance."

From the publisher:

We send our kids to school and obsess about their test scores, their behavior and their ability to fit in.

We post a help wanted ad and look for experience, famous colleges and a history of avoiding failure.

We invest in companies based on how they did last quarter, not on what they’re going to do tomorrow.

So why are we surprised when it all falls apart?

Our economy is not static, but we act as if it is. Your position in the world is defined by what you instigate, how you provoke, and what you learn from the events you cause. In a world filled with change, that’s what matters — your ability to create and learn from change.

Poke the Box is a manifesto about producing something that’s scarce, and thus valuable. It demands that you stop waiting for a road map and start drawing one instead. You know how to do this, you’ve done it before, but along the way, someone talked you out of it.

We need your insight and your dreams and your contributions. Hurry.

I rate this book a 7 out of 10 and recommend it to anyone who needs a push to get started.