Five (5) Benefits of Reading Good Books #LeadersAreReaders March 2023

John Wesley was a man who had a great passion for reading. Most of his reading time was on horseback (so don't complain about your environment!). He rode a horse up to 9 miles per day, and during those times he consumed thousands of books such as on science, history, medicine, and one book above all that he always brings along was his Greek New Testament. He told the younger ministers of the Methodist societies to read or get out of the ministry! He was once quoted as saying, “Reading Christians are growing Christians. When Christians cease to read, they cease to grow.” Let me share with you briefly five (5) benefits of reading:

< Reading Is the Main Source of Inspiration > Most of my thinking, writing, and teaching for LEGASI.tv comes from reading books. They inspired me to create YouTube videos, encouraged me to share my findings on the podcast, and enlarged my understanding of the Scripture for Bible studies. Good books especially have helped me to think about things and frame some great thoughts that I would never have come near without them.

< Reading for Intellectual Growth > I always experience the thrill when I read some gems that were opposite and/or invite me to see matters from different perspectives. Books make me think, polish, re-imagine and re-examine my beliefs. They test my wits, provide fresh ideas, and challenge my assumptions. They help me to express my thoughts in words.

< Reading to Keep Yourself Updated > J. Oswald Sanders writes, “Read… to acquire new information, to keep current with the time, to be well informed in his or her own field of expertise." I think you can get more updates on social media. But what makes books unique is that the information that you'll get is generally better in quality, thoughtful, and selectively beneficial.

< Reading Is Having Fellowships with Great Minds > To read good books is like hearing the authors speaking to us. Their words reflect their thinking. Their minds project on every page. It is like a conversation with the authors. Do you want to have a fellowship with A.W. Tozer, Charles Surgeon, Adrian Rogers, J.C. Ryle, Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, etc.? Then read their books!

< Reading Books May Change Your Life >  I am convinced that the right books by the right authors in the hands and hearts of rightly motivated people could turn their world right-side-up! (Not upside-down, that’s negative!) Some books, especially spiritual classics, can literally change your life!

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #BenefitsOfReading #IntellectualAndSpiritualGrowth #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my other book reviews/summaries, CLICK HERE

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Reading Releases a Trapped Mind #LeadersAreReaders December 2022

There was a little girl who was dealt a bad hand in life. When she was one and a half years old, a childhood illness took away her sight and hearing. The poor girl was trapped inside her mind. She hadn't learned to speak, so she uttered gibberish and animal-like sounds. She always went into unprovoked fits of rage, smashing dishes and physically attacking anyone in the room with her. Many doctors diagnosed her as mentally ill. They recommended putting her into an asylum for the rest of her life. But, thankfully, her parents refused.

When she was 7, the family hired a young woman to tutor her. For weeks the tutor tried to communicate with her by spelling words into her hand. She could feel the tutor's fingers on her palm, but the symbols or gestures didn't have any meaning to her. She was still trapped... Then one day, she was holding a cup under a gusting water spout. The tutor kept spelling the word W-A-T-E-R into her hand. Suddenly, the little girl understood the letters represented an object! In that flash of recognition, the door to the world flew wide open for her. She ran around the room, grabbing objects at random, begging the tutor to spell the name into her palm. As a grown-up girl years later, she wrote, "Spark after spark of meaning flew from hand to hand." That day and beyond, she was free and no longer trapped inside her mind. She became a voracious learner!

The rest, as any good story has to end, is history. Her name is Helen Keller and her amazing tutor is Anne Sullivan (read Keller's The Story of My Life). Like Keller's breakthrough, reading can help us to break out from our mental prison. Reading - and writing too - has the power to transform us by connecting the dots of information, imagination, and possibilities. At times when we felt trapped inside our minds, unable to understand or express our thoughts and feelings, reading and writing are great ways to a breakthrough. Victor Hugo once said: "To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark" ✨

#ServeToLead #ReadersAreReaders #FreeYourMind #ThePowerOfReading #HelenKeller #AnneSullivan #Breakthrough #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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The Mindful Man: Words from the Earth (2018) by Caspar Walsh, Book Review

The Mindful Man: Words from the Earth (2018) by Caspar Walsh

In my opinion, the concept of mindfulness is not unique to Buddhism and/or Hinduism. It is an ancient eastern practice that evolve and may or may not be called 'mindfulness' that you can also find in other religions, teachings, and traditions. As for Christianity and the Old Testament Jewish religion, the closest, almost similar practice that I can think of is Meditation in Biblical terms. But here is the main difference: Mindfulness focuses on self, which is good if done properly (yet limited in its scope) but Biblical Meditation focuses on the One true God, YHWH. The basic attitude of Mindfulness is 'what's I'm doing, thinking and feeling right now' but the attitude of Biblical Meditation is 'delight in the law (or word) of the LORD day and night' (for example, refer to Psalms 1:2). Once you know the difference then, reading books like this one from other beliefs and worldviews, can be much profitable and safer for the soul.

The definition of mindfulness can be very fluid. So, let me quote the author, Caspar Walsh, to explain it for himself: "Mindfulness sums up meditation, focus, attention, and reflection in a single word. But it is also a paradox. Breaking it down suggests mind-fullness, the fullness of mind - exactly the opposite of what a beginner's mind is hoping to achieve. Mindfulness means focusing, bringing our mind to what we are doing, and paying close attention. In a wider sense, it explores the whole experience of being human. The mind is an essential tool for interpreting, translating, and finding meaning in the world around us and inside us. It is essential to living in every sense." Without God as the center focus of the mind, I can only agree with the author from the human perspective. No more. Nevertheless, it is an important aspect to consider about since most of us - men, especially - need to be self-aware of what's going on within us and around us. We are so engaged with technology, concerned about other people's lives on social media, and busy with work that we neglect self-care and what's going on with our lives. Most men are lost, purposeless, and tired. We need a guide.

For some men, Caspar Walsh's The Mindful Man can be the beginning of that journey. This book doesn't have all the answers. In fact, it has lots of helpful reflection questions and insights to consider. "The world needs mindful men, now more than ever. Men who understand what makes us tick, aware of the impact we are having on the lives of others." Elsewhere he also wrote, "We need to up our game, daily. We are the leaders we're been waiting for. In a world divided by fear and greed, it's time to look deeper into what we can do to ground ourselves, ready ourselves, to be of service to our friends, our communities, and our highest ideals... How do we become mindful men who can be trusted, respected, and called on to begin the healing? It is essential for all men to be initiated into the mature, sacred masculine. And for this, we need courage." Yes, we need the courage to examine ourselves to be better men. In this book, Walsh invites us to 'see' the ideals of a Physical Man, Emotional Man, Family Man, Brotherhood of Man, Sacred Man, and Working Man. These are the areas that a Mindful Man needs the courage to 'see' ⚡

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #TheMindfulMan #Manhood #Mindfullness #Masculinity #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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'Every Malaysian who doesn't read a book during MCO will be compound RM10,000' #1Book1Week May 2021

When I went to book fairs, I realize that people buy books with the best intentions. They (me included) honestly 'intend' to read them when they pay the cashier. But let's face it, people are busier than ever today. Things come up. Life happens. And before they know it, the day almost end, month have changed, they're exhausted. "Richard, I simply don't have time to read," I heard this statement over and over again.

Think of it this way: What if the Malaysian government passed a law (how about the highest priority of SOP?) that would give RM1 million cash to every citizen who would read 15 minutes per day for one year? Do you think most people would suddenly TAKE the time to read? Would you? Unless you're having a chronic disease of laziness, of course, you would! You would rearrange your priorities to include reading in your daily agendas and perhaps kick out or reduce your idle times in social media.

Now, notice I wrote you could TAKE more time - not MAKE more time. The truth is we have all been given by God 24 hours a day (although the measurements of time are human inventions). No more, no less. You don't have to read one book every week or even one book every month, follow your own pace (this is not a race), and stick to the discipline for at least 15 minutes per day until you get into the habit. Slowly, increase your speed and widen your read. TAKE time to read. Andrew Carnegie puts it this way: "A man's reading program should be as carefully planned as his daily diet, for that too is food, without which he cannot grow mentally."

Come to think about it, I think it's a good idea if the government imposes another MCO SOP besides the usual like using your mask, check the temperature, stay at home... Why don't add, "Every Malaysian who doesn't read a book during MCO will be compound RM10,000"? Good idea, right? ��������� #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #15MinutesPerDay #PersonalGrowth #ThePowerOfReading #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

Btw, here are my #1Book1Week for May 2021 ��� If you have read any of these books or just wanted to discuss and ask me about them, just chat with me below yeah:

1) Unplugged: How to Live Mindfully in a Digital World (2014) by Orianna Fielding. CLICK HERE

2) This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn To See (2018) by Seth Godin. CLICK HERE

3) Happiness Is A Choice: The Symptoms, Causes, and Cures of Depression (2007) by Frank Minirth. CLICK HERE

4) The Ultimate Prescription: What the Medical Profession Isn't Telling You (2010) by Dr. James L. Marcum, MD. CLICK HERE

5) #1Book1Week Monthly Lists. CLICK HERE

 
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Unplugged: How to Live Mindfully in a Digital World (2014) by Orianna Fielding, Book Review

 
Unplugged: How to Live Mindfully in a Digital World (2014) by Orianna Fielding

I'm very interested in digital psychology and the impact of digital technology on our mental health for many years now (for book and TED Talk recommendations, see lists below). And thus, the research studies and the author's personal experiences, although some of the ways she processes the information are unique, are very familiar to me. But it's good to be reminded over and over again about the dangers of digital addiction and how to overcome it. "Connectivity now permeates every area of our lives," admits Fielding, an internationally recognized designer, and curator, "Technology has enabled us to do things that ten years ago were unthinkable. It has also completely changed many of the elements that historically formed the foundation of how we lived and interacted with each other, increasingly adversely affecting the most essential and fundamental elements of being human."

Granted, every one of us thinks about technology differently and our level of relationship to it is based on our context, purpose, and personality. Let's talk about the most familiar digital technology: social media on the smartphone. For example, I don't see any intrinsic value in Twitter because either the post is too trivial (mean useless to know) or abridge (mean too short to care). But for my friend, Peter, Twitter is just right because he only wanted to know the main headline of the news. I also see Instagram as non-beneficial for me because the Algorithm is specially designed for users to post as frequently as possible and looking at mosaic photos of myself is just weird (plus, I'm not that attractive). But for a businesswoman like Sarah, Instagram is a haven for potential customers, or Jilian, a social media model, Instagram is just the right tool to showcase her beauty and beauty products. However, I love YouTube and Spotify the most because they contain wide treasures of knowledge, information, and entertainment. I spent most of my time here as opposed to any other social media. So you see, the way we choose to connect with our social media is not one-size-fits-all. But do you know what is our similarity? To some degree, all of us are ADDICTED to social media - and generally speaking, to digital technology. Like it or not, "we are living in a culture dominated by digital excess."

At the beginning of the book, Fielding outlines 12 signs of digital overload. Let me share the 6 most frequent signs, in summary: 1) Checking your digital device first thing in the morning, getting up during the night to check for messages, and regularly using some form of digital device in bed; 2) Checking your smartphone while at a meal with others; 3) Spending little time outside and often eating at your desk; 4) Getting distracted easily even when offline and finding it hard to focus fully on one task; 5) Being with family members but spending most of your time at home on a device; and 6) Wanting to stop using your smartphone and finding that you just can't, having tried repeatedly but unsuccessfully to control your internet use. If you can identify with most of these signs, then, this may be a good indicator that it might be the right time for you to unplugged, undertake a digital detox, and reboot your life. I believe it is not about letting go of digital technology altogether - in fact, if we want to progress in life, we must embrace it - but making sure that it doesn't control our lives. Fielding equips: "Unplugging is not so much a disconnection as a fine-tuning of our inner search engine. Practicing moderation by finding a workable balance between our digital connectivity and our real-life connections is the key to establishing a new digital protocol where we can be fully present in our lives while using our digital devices as the tools they were designed to be."

There are lots of tips, suggestions, and very useful digital detox ideas outline in this book. It is never mean to be taken literally but you must try it for yourself first (remember, our context, purpose, and personality are different) and modify your practices along the way. Think big, start small, go deep. Perhaps, you can join me in reading books!  #1Book1Week ��� I know you can if you read this till the end ��� It is possible! ��������� #Unplugged #DigitalDetox #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

 Book and TED Talk recommendations:

 1) Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success In a Distracted World (2016) by Cal Newport. CLICK HERE to read my review. Watch his TED Talk too.

 2) Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive In a World of Distraction (2018) by Christ Bailey. Watch his TED Talk too. I didn't manage to write a review for this one.

 3) Six Books on the Effect of Technology & Social Media. CLICK HERE to see my recommendations.

4) TEDx Talk: What You Are Missing While Being a Digital Zombie by Patrik Wincent https://youtu.be/TAIxb42FjwE  

5) TED Talk: Connected, But Alone? by Sherry Turkle https://youtu.be/t7Xr3AsBEK4 

6) How about documentaries? Let me suggest two - Disconnected (2017) directed by Salem Habbous https://youtu.be/MkIiMP--1h8 & The Social Dilemma (2020) directed by Jeff Orlowski on Netflix

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Minimalism: The Japanese Art of Declutter to Organize Your Home Life (2018) by Kiku Katana, Somewhat REVIEW

 

Minimalism: The Japanese Art of Declutter to Organize Your Home Life (2018)
by Kiku Katana

One of my habits while reading a book is that I also take time to listen to the author’s interviews and/or talks on podcasts and YouTube and, if available, I listen to the audiobook. In this way, I can absorb more information, catch what I might miss when I’m just reading it and figure how the author thinks or the reasoning process. Also, it helps me to know what is his or her main points (if you can find the author’s TED Talks online that would be superb!). If I’m very interested in the subject, I explore other authors or speakers that cover the same topic. Because of this habit (or rather discipline?), I can somewhat figure out either the author is original – in a sense of the way the author expressing the thoughts or ideas not the actual subject itself, for “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) – or just straight-up plagiarizing.

So, what do I think about Kiku Katana’s Minimalism? Well, to put it mildly, she falls in between. Before this book, I’ve read Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Fumio Sasaki’s Goodbye, Things, and Kiku draws heavily from these two books. It is not word-for-word or even thought-for-thought similarities but more like paraphrasing ideas and techniques. Although it is very familiar, repetitive, and not-so-original for me, I find that this book is helpful: 1) as an introduction if you haven’t read any of the minimalist books (one of the definitions of a minimalist that I like is someone who “keeping things very simple”); 2) to remind us that we are living in a very consumeristic society that wants more and so we must examine ourselves and control our impulses to be passive consumers; and 3) the approach to extend the philosophy holistically in our lives not just our dealing with things or stuff is seem unique to Kiku for she also talks about health, finance, and food consumptions. Other than that, it is similar to other books (and most of the popular authors are from Japan, the same culture). Understandably, the subject of minimalism is not that broad and straight to the point. If you ‘get’ the philosophy, then, the execution is a matter of context, purpose, and experience.

I own only less than a dozen of plain t-shirts, use a plastic cardholder as my wallet, I don’t watch TV, no wall decoration in my place so far, almost non-active in social media except for LEGASI.tv, only leave essential apps on my phone, no debt except one, etc., I’m not calling myself a minimalist because a) I might change; b) I’m a maximalist when it comes to physical books and motorcycles; c) It should become a lifestyle not just following the trend; and d) although the term ‘minimalism’ (and even ‘essentialism’) first use as an art term*, I found out that the modern-day teachings of it are rooted from the Zen Buddhism (the practice, however, are ancient). This requires discernment. One of the mottos of minimalism is: “Less is more.” But as Christ-follower, my motto is: “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). If it seems like I go with the minimalist mentality, it is because it will lead me to contentment 😊💪

#1Book1Week #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain #Minimalism #Essentialism #GodlyContentment #Lifestyle

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Spending Money Mindfully

Orrin Woodward said it right: "You can have a Masters degree in making money, but you will still wind up broke if you have a Ph.D. in spending it." #ServeToLead #MoneyWise #BeMindful

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Five (5) Ways To Protect Yourself From the Influence of Social Media

I love social media! It broadening my social connections (see, I'm connected to YOU), it has become my main source of self-eduction and my ways of getting information. However, as you also know, social media has good and bad side effects. Its risks cannot be overlooked. Here are five (5) ways for me to protect myself from the heavy influence of social media. I hope it can help you too! #ServeToLead #SocialMediaInfluence #ProtectYourself #GrowingLeader

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To learn the 15 Laws of Growth, go to > http://bit.ly/The15Laws 

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Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes (2013) by Maria Konnikova, Book Review

Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes (2013) by Maria Konnikova

Let me help you to grasp Konnikova’s big idea in a very simple way. I try. Here it goes... Maria said that there are two types of brains that we let control our thinking. There is a ‘Watson Brain’ (who is Holmes’ sidekick) and there is a ‘Holmes Brain.’ Now, when we fall under rule of our Watson Brain, we usually think very emotionally, and we rely on correlation (or association) instead of causation (or connection). When we think something relates to something else we automatically think that one causes the other, we are under the control of Watson Brain. Under Watson Brain, we also fall victim to biases and fallacies. And Watson Brain is also fast. It runs on stuff like fight-or-flight. Because it depends so much on emotion, Watson Brain is also very subjective and greatly influence by feelings.

On the other hand, someone who think like Sherlock Holmes is very logical and precise. They find causation. They find out which thing causes the other thing instead of just standard correlation. Holmes Brain also very deductive. One reason many people don’t think like Holmes, says Maria, is because it is more cognitively costly (more brain power requires). It literally takes more energy to think like this. Holmes Brain is also very objective. In summary, Watson Brain are too dependence on emotions, correlation-thinking, influenced by many biases and fallacies, and very subjective; Holmes Brain is tending to be more logical, causation-thinking, deductive analyse, cognitively costly and often objective. “You too can think like Sherlock Holmes,” writes Maria, “you just have to train your brain.” You can train your brain through deliberate thinking and mindfulness. This come with time and practice.

Let me explain three important things that Maria mentions in this book. #1 Biases and fallacies. A bias is a conclusion or automatic thought that our brain has. Most of the time it’s even the stuff that we are unaware of, so you must try to avoid it. And then there is a fallacy, a flaw in logical thinking (I recommend you read The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli if you want to know more about our everyday biases/fallacies); #2 Mindfulness. What is it? In short, mindfulness is keeping your attention focus on what you’re doing right now and on your environments. Maria mentions that mind’s natural tendency is to wonder (or “mind-wonder”). She said that it takes (extra) energy to not let your mind wonder. You must use your focus and will-power to stay mindful. When it come to making deduction, mindfulness is very important; and #3 Always Learning. Sherlock Holmes might appear ignorance of Copernican heliocentrism, but his reply to Watson is actually the key: “I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.” You choose what you put in your brain. So, chose wisely. Always stimulate your brain, always learning. Maria says it is easier to stay mindful if you do something interesting (for you), and so Holmes loves to play violin and smoking tobacco. In this way, he stimulates his brain, process information in a peaceful way, able to think in ‘a distant’, and is ready to learn new things again.

So (this might be too simple for a great thought-full book, sorry Konnikova), here are how to think like Sherlock:

1) Don’t let your mind fall victim to biases and fallacies.

2) Try to be as mindful as you can & pay close attention to what you’re doing and the environment that you’re in.

3) Never stop learning. Life can be more interesting if you’re always learning.

In this book, Maria unpacked the mental strategies that lead to clearer thinking and deeper insights. She draws on 21^st century neuroscience and psychology to “illuminate Holmes’ most fascinating cases.” She writes at length on scientific method of the mind, the brain attic, the art of observation, imagination, deduction and the important of self-knowledge. There are more that she said in the book that I didn’t put my summary above (Again, sorry Konnikova). For me, this book is not easy to read (I didn’t read this book thru like most of my other books. I paused for about 3 months) but since my fascinated for Sherlock Holmes, frictional character created by Author Conan Doyle, is greater than the task of finishing this book, I finally did it. I read The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and some parts of Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow before and I found these books are almost similar with ‘Mastermind’ (or ‘Mastermind’ is actually similar with these other books). Some readers fairly commented that this book would be much better if she used a real character instead of frictional character. I agree and disagree. I refuse to comment further. So, if you don’t know either you want to buy or just read summary of this book, I suggest you watch Maria Konnikova’s talks first on YouTube and book reviews online.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.