January Monthly Roundup: 3 Books We Recommend

Hello! Several years ago, we decided to share books we've read with an accompanying short book review, along with interviews from a variety of business owners, designers and creative people via Books on the Go. 

As a precursor to that, we want to share with you a list of 3 books a month that we recommend.

January 2018

1. Good to Great
by Jim Collins

“Good to great companies first got the right people on the bus—and the wrong people off the bus—and then figured out where to drive it.”

— Jim Collins

2. From Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future 
by Peter Thiel

“The best entrepreneurs know this: every great business is built around a secret that’s hidden from the outside. A great company is a conspiracy to change the world; when you share your secret, the recipient becomes a fellow conspirator.”

— Peter Thiel

3. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
by George McKeown

“How can we discern the trivial many from the vital few?”

— George McKoewn

Excerpt from the book Essentialism by George McKeown

Profile: A Few Lessons in Courage, Self-Confidence and Leadership from Roger Federer

This past Sunday, Roger Federer won his eighth Wimbledon title - the highest number earned yet by any single player over the course of the tennis tournament's history. Hailing from Basel, Switzerland, Roger has won 19 Grand Slam titles, including now eight Wimbledon titles, five Australian Open titles, a record five consecutive US Open titles and one French Open title. Federer is considered by many to be the greatest tennis player of all time.

Federer is inspiring on many levels from his excellent form to his endurance and positive mindset. Here we've taken a few lessons from what we've seen on the court to share with you. These lessons apply to anything you wish to achieve, whether you are starting your own business, running an existing one or want to develop your own talent or idea. 
 

Aim High

As Federer explained after his 8th win on Sunday, what you think has a profound effect on far you reach.

“If you can believe, you can go very far in life.”

Set a High Standard and Keep Improving

After turning pro in 1998, Federer has played 1111 games and won 81% of them - a record high. Yet despite his successes, Federer has never given up his desire to improve and be better.

“There is no way around hard work. Embrace it. You have to put in the hours because there’s always something that you can improve.”

Photo from RogerFederer.com

Believe in yourself and what you love to do.

“When you do something best in life, you don’t really want to give that up – and for me, it’s tennis.”

Following your passion requires a lot of courage. You also have to know whether you have the actual skill and aptitude for it. When you identify what you can be best at, follow through on it and make it manifest.

Think positively.

“ I’m a very positive thinker, and I think that is what helps me the most in difficult moments.”

Aim to care more about what you wish to achieve and the person you are becoming, then what other people think. Stay positive especially during the hard moments. Your attitude is most apparent when things are not going your way. Being able to retain that positive inner strength despite obstacles, can make all the difference in your life and in anything you set out to achieve.

“I always believe if you’re stuck in a hole and maybe things aren’t going well, you will come out stronger. Everything in life is this way.”

Test yourself in different environments. Be willing to go the extra mile and to endure.

“What I think I’ve been able to do well over the years is play with pain, play with problems, play in all sorts of conditions.”

Photo from Wikipedia

Believe in yourself even if you are the newbie on the block, going up against the biggest or the best.

“There was a time where some players didn’t believe they could beat the top guys. So maybe there’s a little bit of a thing happening at the moment. I’m happy about that, that players believe they can beat the best on the biggest courts in the biggest matches.”

Everyone starts out as an amateur. Even if you have all the skill in the world or the people and resources to back you up, you still have to prove yourself in a competitive environment, whether it is sports, business, school or anything else. Don't let the big dogs squash your dreams or tell you there's only one way to do things. You have to believe in yourself and your own ability to improve and get better, even if you start out at the very bottom or make every possible mistake you can! You have the ability to create something new through YOU. Who knows? You might become the best out there. Go ahead and do it. Apply yourself.

Have both short-term and long-term goals.

“You have to believe in the long term plan you have, but you need the short term goals to motivate and inspire you.”

Motivation is key. Don't sit around and wait for it. Get going with small goals that you can achieve quickly. The success you feel from achieving those small goals will motivate and propel you to go for bigger ones. 

Compete with confidence. Winning starts with your mindset.

“It is always in my mind still that I can crush anybody. That’s not an issue. But I think that is the same for most athletes. If you don’t believe you can win tournaments anymore, then you can’t do it.”

What you think constantly materializes in your life. Use your mind to help you conquer your fears and retain a winning mindset. When your mind is strong, you act with confidence. Push yourself to remain positive and to be self-aware of your strengths and areas you can improve in.

Do your best and concede loss with dignity.

“Sometimes you have to accept that a guy played better on the day than you.”

Do the best that you can. You may still lose out to competitors or fail to achieve a certain goal in the time frame you wanted. That's part of the process though in any success. It is okay to lose some things especially if you keep your eye on the prize, to win the ultimate goal that you have in mind. When you lose, concede it with dignity, grace and true sportsmanship. Be willing to play (try) again.

Be confident and also respectful.

“I fear no one, but respect everyone.”

Guard your reputation.

“I’ve always been aware that the image you patiently construct for an entire career can be ruined in a minute. It scares you a bit, but that’s the way things are.”

Building a reputation can take a long time. Maintaining a positive and strong reputation requires consistent effort where you deliver what you promise you will do, each and every time to the best of your ability. 

Know yourself.

“Once you find that peace, that place of peace and quiet, harmony and confidence, that’s when you start playing your best.”

This may be our most favorite quote of all, because it reveals Roger's personal experience of being "in flow" where you conquer your fear and you truly dedicate yourself to being your best and honing your craft. Roger has become adept at creating an optimal experience for peak performance and complete engagement in the task at hand. Being able to concentrate and focus single-mindedly on what you are doing with clarity and peace of mind, frees you up to be your best.