This book is much more conversational than a lot of its peers. It’s almost like a friend philosophizing about life while sitting around having a beer. Having said that, I do think it’s quite insightful unlike most drunks sitting around talking. It’s a book that should make you think about how you think about life. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be all that actionable unless you stop and really put in the time to think on what has been said.
There’s no real game-plan, just ideas, but the ideas are often good. For example, it asks, “what are you willing to struggle for?” It’s such an important question, much more important than “what do you want?” People want all sorts of things, but are rarely actually willing to struggle for them. I know plenty of young kids who want to be sports stars, but I know a whole lot less who push themselves to new limits on a frequent basis to get there. It’s the struggle that tells the world what you really want, not just what you say you want and it’s the struggle that really defines us.
People without struggles are not really happy. It’s the people that overcome challenges through struggle that gain happiness. That’s another related topic from the book. It even references the story of Buddha and how a life without struggles does not make one happy. There are quite a few random anecdotes thrown in from the author’s life as well as other people.
Overall, it’s a book that I’d probably read or listen to again. There are some concepts that may be slowly sinking in and another pass through may help them solidify in my mind. I’d also recommend it to others as a reasonably quick read. However, it’s not a book that will greatly affect my life after only the first read.