Yes, in the future please do! It makes for interesting comments! I knew you were doing it in jest, as you actually said in the original comment, but I wanted to address the comment as if it were not. This would help people who did think that way and make for more people wanting to add their 2 cents, which it did!

It’s funny how loose our language is, since one sentence can be taken 14 different ways! Makes for good blog comment fodder!

Sterling

Again, my entire post was in jest and I as the poster I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that this was a joke to begin with!

All in all I am happy to see opinions about the topic and I hope to stir up the bee’s nest in future editions :)

Darren

People learn in different ways. With some, reading a book can enhance one’s perspective, while others learn through real life experience. There is no reason to devalue one over the other.

I do like the wording of your explanation though: STOP READING BOOKS! Ha!

You have to assume that there is going to be a certain amount of dramatization for each book and realize that each one is not really changing lives and business practices, although they may change outlooks on life.

First, I totally understand where Sterling is coming from. I did a stint working for a university and I can still remember those haunting voices “but you didn’t say this would be on the test, how unfair!” So I’m all about taking responsibilty for your own education.

However, I do beleive that we as internet marketers need to remember *our* responsibilty to the consumer – don’t promise the world.

We spend so much time digging and rooting out the tactics and methods that are going to convert a Lead that we sometimes forget that we are really fine-tuning emotional and (sometimes) intellectual manipulation. And that’s alright, that’s what sales and marketing is all about. We just need to make sure that we can look at ourselves in the mirror every morning.

“Progression is learning one thing then finding something even better. Progression: Roll over, Crawl, Baby Steps, Walk, Run!

Next would be ride a bike and then drive a car, so that what was once a range of a carpet, a room, a house, a block, a neighborhood, a city, a country.

The best part about reading and learning from others is getting it right quickly, if you never read a lick on creating landing pages, for example, and tried to figure it all out on your own then you are a fool.

First, let me say thanks for doing what you guys do. Your podcast and blogs have been an inspiration for me for well over 6 months, so much so that I am close to launching my own web site. We have our beta site up now at the url.

I have a question on autoresponders. How did you guys learn how to write your own effective autoresponder scripts for different goals. Is there anything out that you would recommend to use as a template for what works and what doesn’t.

Thanks for your help!

Thanks,

Art Espey
4Steps2.com

Too much time on the internet and not enough reading books!
Thats good stuff!

Although I have become a huge fan of books on CD in order to free up more time for the internet :)

Darren

I am a fan of reading books to improve any aspect of my life (business or personal). The thing is that page 24 may change your life and page 62 may change my life. We’re all unique creatures so we can get unique things out of them. But, at the end of the day (over used cliche) books are a great tool, and I won’t stop reeading them, except I spend too much time on the internet and not enough time reading books! :-)

Sterling & Jay, please continue to keep up the excellent work!!

My post was just to add some humor to the show. Text cannot rely context or intent so I want to make sure you guys know I was just making a funny!

DarrenS

Just the opposite here. Everyone I know that has any bit of success are big readers. The ability to gleen how to do things from others means you can skip steps and power walk ahead of all the poor sods figuring every single thing out on their own. I have one friend that cannot take advice. He has to learn everything the hard way. It is so painful to watch. He refuses to learn from others and in return is ages behind those of us who can take instructions and learn from others mistakes.

But, there is a trick to how you read and learn from others… You have to take action ASAP! For instance, with the Tim Ferriss Book, I had a huge revelation on page 24. I put the book down and started taking action. I wanted to read on as it was fascinating, but I know that simply reading great info means nothing if you don’t take action. Consume info, take action, action, action, and consume more info once the action has been taken.

As far as getting back on track, well, that is a different thing. The reason we where distracted wasn’t cause of reading a whopping 4 books, (By the way, I sometimes read 2 books a week, so 4 books would generally take under a month to read), it was because it is hard to turn off the idea machine. That means I have 100 ideas that need action taken on them and not enough time to do even 5 of them! That was where Jay and I where running into problems, not reading a couple books!  :)

Each book is not doing the same thing! If it wasn’t for Rich Dad, Poor Dad I wouldn’t be here today! I would still be trudging along, working my butt off doing something I get no fulfillment from. I didn’t KNOW there was another way. I was lucky enough to have a really smart and successful friend recommend the book to me! That is what Jay and I are doing, recommending things that have made huge differences in our lives. Really, had I not read that book life would suck for me right now…

I’m actually amazed it has only been 4ish books, considering I have read over a 40 books this year so far! Just goes to show that most books aren’t worth recommending, but I always learn something or I put the book down… Course I don’t always read business books or inspirational books, to be fair.

Progression is learning one thing then finding something even better. Progression: Roll over, Crawl, Baby Steps, Walk, Run!

Darren – I know your post was supposed to be tongue in cheek, sort of, and point taken, but I wanted to clear up any misconceptions – just in case.

I read, take action and move on. If it takes me 2 days to read a book, 3 days to take action, then the knowledge and action changes my life forever – was it worth it?? I would say so!

Here is one more thing that I will add to the fire… out of all the truly successful and productive people I have known, not one of them has ever read a book on how to do it, they just do it!

It is the same here in Madrid, I was stuck reading about how to learn the language whilst other english speakers were in Madrid just doing it.

However, not everyone on the planet can be naturally super-productive etc… so for those people (myself included), we have to acknowledge our weaknesses and improve them.

That said, doing will ALWAYS be more valuable than reading.

Dean

Guys, it has become obvious you both need to stop reading and get back to work :) Here is what I mean.

I have been listening to you since inception and just off the top of my head you have had 4 earth shattering books that have changed your worlds!

Well, each one is supposed to get you focused again or get back more time or alter your daily struggles or get your whites whiter or whatever the philosophy du jour is and I have to laugh because according to you two the previous book was suppose to be the one that did it for you, that was the book that turned your life around.

The latest book you read in a day and what purpose did that serve spending an entire day reading that book when in a month you will report on another book that has gotten you “focused” again.

Here is the best tip a non-interested 3rd party could give you,,,
STOP READING BOOKS!
The books are what is killing you! No wonder you need to refocus, your spending all day reading productivity books instead of being productive!

Just one mans whimsical opinion.

Thanks,

Darren

I did a piece with a similar message recently: http://streetlessons.com/432-learning-is-a-journey-you-stupid-xxxx.html

Dean

You can’t eat bread when it’s half-baked, same is true when you prepare for success.