Review About Greatnes Guide
This book is an intellectual nourishment, while some of these jolts of wisdom may on the surface seem like common sense, it is good to have memory refreshed by reading them again from someone else's perspective. Concepts are often grasped more easily when viewed through a different lens. This book offers familiar concepts, but delivers them in a different way. Either way I found this book a great kick in the pants on some things I know I should be doing but haven’t been.
The snappy and hard-nosed content of the book sparkles with the clarity of crystal and the wisdom of the ages. Reading “The Greatness Guide” makes you feel as if you are sitting and talking with Robin in a coffee shop over a lazy Sunday afternoon. As a dynamic writer he is always in touch with his reader. By weaving powerful real-life storytelling and numerous timely great quotes to convey wisdom of the ages, Robin Sharma has done a fantastic job of communicating 101 bold yet simple truths in an easy conversational writing style. Robin distills the lessons that he has learned in life. There are lots of anecdotes/stories about leaders, some well known celebrities (Mick Jagger, Bono, Steve Jobs, Jennifer Aniston, Bon Jovi, Puff Daddy) and some lesser know celebrities like an eye surgeon, a wise tailor.
The focus of each lesson is quality, not quantity. The chapters are brief, self-contained stand-alone lessons in their own right. This allows the reader to tailor their own personal plan using what works for them. The book is written in such a manner that you can read a chapter at a time, or, you can read the chapter that appeals to you.
While we innocently are reading about this interesting raven and his adventures, we find a mirror for our own life adventure. Below are some of the nuances, which have become dear to me.
The basic courtesies are being neglected not because we are too busy, its just that we losing human connection. Smile is the quickest way to connect to someone but most often forgotten. Often we awkwardly stand in the lifts / queues staring at the same old floor which has not changed in last so many years but we fail to acknowledge the person next to us. Simple gestures like a Thank you and Please help to show that you appreciate, as FRANKIE BYRNE says “respect is love in plain clothes”
On the lighter side, Mr. Sharma seeded my thought process with a very fresh twist, quite similar to the famous L’Oreal Tag Line -“I am worth it.” The stress was to commit to First class. Greatness, is state of mind, to become extraordinary you got to start feeling one; it is more like “EMOTIONAL BLUEPRINTING”. So the idea is to invest in the best you can afford cause “Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten." It does not imply senseless addiction to material things, just be serious for standing for the best. A small way to show that you care for yourself, which sprouts another powerful thought - why is that we don’t do things that mean so much to us. Why does that ‘tomorrow' never come? Are we just being plain blank complacent or do we lack the drive to do things that our heart so desires? Why do we put things off for later?
So love thy self, get into the best physical health, take up a hobby or drink coffee with Gandhi (aka reading a book by someone is almost like having a conversation with the author, which allows some of their brilliance to rub off on us). Sometimes, its so important to put yourself first, we all got to learn to say ' NO ', sometimes you just got to stamp your foot down and prioritize. “How would others care for you when you don’t care for yourself enough?”
Extrapolating the same thought to daily life, Mr. Sharma stresses on the need to PLAN. So this is an invitation to all the readers, on behalf of Robin to join his 5’o Clock Club and MAKE TIME TO THINK. A planned day can do wonders Peter Drucker, said it so well: “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” Being thoughtful and strategic is the first step. Clarity precedes success. By thinking more, one gets better sense of their priorities and what needs to be focused upon… better decisions and wiser choices. In all “think time” can provoke bigger ideas and some big dreams.
So the need of the hour is to plan your day, set your goals, pen down a list of 101 things that you want to do before you die or you want to get done with today and you would be amazed to see that before you know you have started to work towards achieving them. As you live your hours, so you create your years. As you live your days, so you craft your life
Book is a series of musings about everyday life experiences and situations that one can learn lessons from. For example, how many of us ask what we want? It happens rather often during meetings when your manager says so who is game for this new work? Guess what just happened? Yes right in front of our eyes we lost the opportunity that just came our way, cause we didn’t speak up, and cause we just didn’t ask. Each day, life sends us little windows of opportunity, which ultimately define our destiny. “Run towards your fears” and seize those “cubic centimeters of chance” (opportunities) when they present themselves is advocated by Robin strongly.
Just an example of one of his many nuggets is Leadership - and success - begins on the extra mile. A very simple example to prove this point would be, why show leadership by going out to jog on a cold frosty morning? Well not because running miles on a frosty morning is fun. But because it’s wise. Leadership is shown by the manager who finishes a report that has taken the very best from him, then goes back to it a little later to polish n improve it just to get that ‘wow’. “ Ordinary people don’t spend much time on the EXTRA mile. But who ever said you were ordinary?
Most of the learning from the book can be applied to daily life and leads to an evolutionary process within the person. Simple yet powerful mantras like Goal setting, Grabbing opportunity, No ask No gain, Pushing the Envelope, Lead without title, Be a rock star at work, Grace under pressure improves not only the quality of ones life but helps one contribute better to the organization.