About
They decided I was extremely intelligent and equally lazy so I ended up back in regular classes with all of my friends again.
They actually tested me and put me on special classes for slow kids. Very quickly, they decided that I wasn’t slow but bored so the over-adjusted and placed me in a special school for geniuses. Very quickly, they decided I was extremely intelligent and equally lazy so I ended up back in regular classes with all of my friends again.
I often joked that “I took all of my Englishes over summer school”. So the summer between Freshman and Sophomore year, I took my first college English requirement at CLC (College of Lake County in Chicago nicknamed College of Last Chance). Lucky for me the professor recognized my laziness and made a deal with me. If I truly read a real book and could prove it, he’d give me an A but if I didn’t read every page and comprehend the book, he’d fail me.
Many of the other students had chosen Steven King’s The Stand, and so out of laziness of not wanting to look for my own book, I too selected The Stand. When I bought the book, the scariest part of Steven King to me was how thick his book was. I tried to change my selection but the Professor wouldn’t let me change. So I started reading. It was pure torture to me.
Then it wasn’t. I’m not sure exactly when it happened but at some point, I got sucked into the story and started really turning pages. I loved it. It was like watching a movie in my mind. I finished the book and got my college credit.
I didn’t read another book until way after college. (I know you would have thought I’d be hooked but the thought of getting another book on my own never even entered my mind.
I was in Hawaii with my wife’s grandparents and was talking with her Grandpa’s (Ray Davis) best friend and he was excited to hear I had started my own business. He asked what business book I’ve read. When o told him that I’d never read one, he suggested Robert Kyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad and made me promise to read it. I kept my word and devoured it.
Then the next year, I was on an island in Minnesota up near Canada and where Warren Buffet’s right hand man (Charlie Munger) was our neighbor. He told me that if there was only one book in the world he could have his sons read, it would be Influence by Robert Cialdini. I read this book on my own, no promises needed. I was slowly (very slowly) becoming a reader. I read a couple books a year after that until I met Joe Polish. Joe was friends with all of the famous authors and had copies of their books. He generously gave me books and I read and loved them. Every time I would see Joe or his amazing teammate Gina, I’d leave with a stack of books. I even bought a mystery backpack one time full of books.
Once I started seeing the direct connection between reading the right book and being able to make more money while working less, I was hooked.
Now, almost 20 years later, I’ve read more books than anyone I know except Joe and my friend Robert.
This love affair with books and authors has led me here. In Joe’s book (What’s in it for them), he talks about a concept called First Domino, basically one thing that leads to so many more. I hope one of these podcast episodes becomes a first domino for you!