No One Reads Footnotes - Really?! On My Dislike of Blanket Statements

No One Reads Footnotes - Really?! On My Dislike of Blanket Statements

I just finished another book last night: "Finish" by Jon Acuff. As I was getting through the final pages, including acknowledgements and chapter notes—yeah, I’m that person who actually reads those sections— I was reminded of a comment I received from an editor as I was shopping for someone to edit what I thought would be my first book. When she saw that I had footnotes quoting some of my sources, she authoritatively said:

“No one reads footnotes anymore.”

I was taken aback. Not just by the statement, but by her all-or-nothing position on the practice. 

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Lights, Camera, Action...Fear?! Free to Pursue on YouTube

Lights, Camera, Action...Fear?! Free to Pursue on YouTube

Getting into or starting something new can be quite a process.

First, there's the dream phase where we picture ourselves knowing or doing what we're about to learn and/or start doing. It's exciting and a little scary at the same time...and it's all just fantasy, at least for the time being.

Unfortunately, that's where many dreams remain, either playing in our minds on an infinite loop or mothballed, never to see the light of day.

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Book Review: "The Behavior Gap"

Book Review: "The Behavior Gap"

What's my rating for "The Behavior Gap"?

I gave the book a 4 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

I once heard a great saying: “Only trust the expert who can explain a complex concept in a way a five-year-old can understand.” To me, that expert is Carl Richards. In this book, Richards explores the ways in which we can be our own worst enemy when it comes to money, and his illustrated examples drive his points home with face-palm clarity.

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Book Review: "Early Retirement Extreme"

Book Review: "Early Retirement Extreme"

What's my rating for "Early Retirement Extreme"?

I gave the book a 4 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

Jacob is the real deal. He doesn’t tout himself as an expert, just as someone who has a thesis to share that he thinks might be of value to others. He’s an ordinary guy (with a Ph.D. in physics) who stumbled upon the pursuit of an extremely early retirement in the most simple way possible: by questioning the logic of the status quo. His thought process makes me think I’d greatly appreciate the opportunity to have a conversation with him someday.

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Book Review: "Think and Grow Rich"

Book Review: "Think and Grow Rich"

What's my rating for "Think & Grow Rich"?

I gave the book a 5 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

"Think & Grow Rich" is one of the few books I’ve read many times. To say it offers significant value for the money is an understatement. The author covers so many topics so densely, the material requires us to chew on the ideas and concepts presented, sometimes repeatedly.

I also find the book is effective in eliciting both reflection and action on the part of the reader. I dare anyone to say they’ve read this book and changed nothing in the way they think and/or live their lives.

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Book Review: "The Way We're Working Isn't Working"

Book Review: "The Way We're Working Isn't Working"

What's my rating for "The Way We're Working Isn't Working"?

I gave the book a 5 out of 5 Rockstar rating.

It’s an amazing book! Schwartz has done his research and has had a direct hand in helping us learn what leads to great performance. The result of all that effort is this fantastic book, which contains what he’s discovered and has applied in his own life. I could not put it down and found myself saying “YES!” out loud on numerous occasions.

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My 2016-2017 Reading List

My 2016-2017 Reading List

Another year of reading has flown by! For those of you die hards who wait for my updated reading lists, I've moved from quarterly updates to an annual summary now that I have a "Reads and Reviews" (aka "Books") section in the top navigation bar. There, you can view my reading list to date, past years' reading lists and the image of all books read since April 2013, aka the F2P "Wall of Books".

From April 2016 to March 2017, I've managed to read, and learn from, a total of 70 books. That's 287 in total since becoming truly free to pursue.

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