There's been a lot of hype about Seth Godin's book Poke the Box. I gave it a whirl and found it a fast and fun read. Motivational books are often left open to interpretation and I read this from a writer's perspective.
The main theme of this book is bravery. Don't be afraid to try things, to start things, to shake things up - in other words poke the box. My dad's an entrepreneur by nature, so my childhood reading included books like Dale Carnegie's How to Make Friends and Influence People and Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich (you can get the Kindle version for under a dollar). They had their own cult followings, this book will be like that. The trick is, it pushes you to act, but is ambiguous enough that everyone can relate to it. Dad would like this book, but maybe because the little man on the cover looks like he might be a distant relative of a Queensland favourite; the XXXX factory headquarters is just around the corner from my Dad's and they still sport their 1960s logo:
There are no secret instructions to success. You won't find them in this book either, but Godin points out, that's not the point of the book. You have to stop waiting for instructions - you need to GO, you need to START SOMETHING. And if it doesn't work? START SOMETHING else, and something else. Always be starting. Godin tells us, don't wait to be picked - PICK YOURSELF.
Writers feeling uncertain about putting their work out there, or considering self-publishing would get a LOT out of this book. Godin has been known to encourage writers to take a risk with their work. This book is part of a self-publishing project, you can learn more by visiting:
Or, visit Seth's Blog
You might also like Brainwashed -a free ebook about re-inventing yourself.
Now I'm reading Save the Cat
Never read any of his books. Will put him on my list of reads. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI remember Think and Grow rich. It was very big in the 80's. I was very young an was working part time in a realestate office. that book was mandatory reading for anyone that worked there....I never got through the whole thing. Is this why I am not a millionaire now??!! DRATS!!! ;o) Blessings, Joanne
ReplyDeleteThe guy looks kind of like the millionaire in The Game of Life. I think that Save the Cat book would be good for me as I'm writing scripts!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of "you need to GO". Sometimes I hesitate when I need to get going.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a cool book. I haven't read many about bravery. I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds like I should read it. I'm a coward sometimes, especially about putting myself out there and attempting to publish. Thanks always for your great recommendations.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read it yet. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteI've read Dale Carnegie's How to Make Friends and Influence People and thought it was brilliant. I'll have to read Seth Godin's Poke the Box now.
ReplyDeleteI have not read the book. My wife is more the self help reader in the family. Does it have a wormhole in it?
ReplyDeleteI have never read any of the books but they look like great reads.
ReplyDeleteThanks for introducing me to this book. My husband is a fan of Godin, so I'm sure this book will appear on our shelves soon.
ReplyDeleteGreat story.I really liked the story very much.It was very informative for me.You did a fantastic job.
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