"7 easy steps to boosting your everyday genius"This is a great book a came across a few years ago, based, as the name may suggest, around the genius that was Mr Leonardo da Vinci! The quintessential Renaissance man is studied and distilled into some principles that may well help us emulate him in our own lives. Michael Gelb is the author that has pulled this together. I don't know much more about him but he has collected and expanded on these principles. I found it through Brian Johnson who referred to it and reviewed it back when I used to watch many of his videos. As an aside, Johnson has a series of videos on his YouTube channel called The book starts with some background on da Vinci, then delves into the principles and exercises which takes us on a journey perhaps following the footsteps of the great man himself… A few quotes from the book, followed by my thoughts…The word Renaissance comes from the combination of the French verb renaître, meaning “to revive,” and the noun naissance, meaning birth. The Italians call it Rinascimento.A little background on the word Renaissance, which I didn't know. It The revival of this classical ideal was presaged by Giotto, initiated by Brunelleschi, Alberti, and Masaccio, and reached full expression through Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael.There were predecessors and others in this whole movement. Leonardo may be the most famous, and of course we have all heard of Michelangelo and Raphael… but those other names not so much. Perhaps they were lost in the shuffle but they really kicked things off, before being built and expanded on. changes in the rules of chess. Prior to the Renaissance, the queen moved only one square at a timeInteresting. The Queen is the most powerful piece on the chess board and can move all directions and as many spaces as it wants/can. So apparently before it was only moving one square at a time. Doesn't make for a fun game and I've no idea as to why and how the changes, but it does sugg

Own your morning, elevate your life…Here we have an interesting book on productivity and living a great life. It should be fairly obvious the angle we're going at from the title, although it does delve a little deeper than that. I was aware of this book for a while but didn't bother with it as I thought it might be a little obvious – ie. get up early. That is of course the main angle but there is more to it. Sharma is the author of a few books and has put a lot of his wisdom and ideas into this offering, so don't be fooled by the apparent simplicity of this message. Now, whether you like Sharma and the way he talks, writes and shares is another matter. Overall I do and I think he has plenty to offer, but some may find his writing a little contrived and heavy on cliché and metaphor (there are some odd examples of similes he's used which almost feels like he's swallowed a thesaurus and needs to puke it all out).The book is in the form a story, as opposed to just a straight up personal development ra-ra book. That was a pleasant surprise as it helps to cement ideas without it being straight out blurting facts and 'motivation'. The story itself is ok but I do appreciate the delivery style, as it doesn't have to be the finest narrative known to man, but be able to get it across in a simple, fun and interesting way. So much in the style of SourceSome great quotes from the book followed by my thoughts…I need to tell you that too many among us die at thirty and are buried at eightyIt is apparent that many people give up (at least to a degree) when they are still quite young and have plenty to come. Then they have a good half century of not all that much… so it's w

I've not updated my blog in a while, so it's about time I put that right!As well as being busy I've not had the inclination but hope to be back posting regularly. That's not to say I haven't been around, just not so much on the long-form side of things…So what's been going on?Since my last article we had the HiveFest 2024 As for Other than that, I've been mostly active in the The latest craze on Leo (as well as For me personally, I've started doing a few 'TravelCasts' to go hand in hand with the @leotravel project. I've also got the @leobooks project on the go (as well as [LeoComedy](

What can we learn from this classic tale of Babylonian riches?Here we have one of Told in the style of a collection of parables set in ancient Babylon, it follows the antics of Arkad who started off a poor scribe, and became said richest man. We get some of Arkad's advice including the Put together back in the 1920s it's still as relevant today as it ever was, as these principles don't change, although the medium of exchange and methods may differ. And it comes at you from the angle of a story, rather than just blurting out flat advice, it gets into our psyche and is one step removed so can slip under the radar and be an enjoyable yarn too. Babylon was known to be the richest city of its day, and here we can tap in to some of that timeless wisdom and perhaps help fill our own 'purse'…SourceKey quotes from the book followed by my thoughts…To bring your ambitions and desires to fulfillment, you must be successful with money.It's a fundamental requirement of life. You may not like it, but it doesn't change the fact that you need money in order to live a decent life, the way things are set up. Yes, things can be altered over time and we may live in a post-monetary society in the future, but for now, we need to learn how to play the game and do it well. This not only improves our own lives (and those around us), but builds our influence so we can actually affect the way the world works, and use our own wealth positively. Without it, we can't do all that much if we're just worried about our next meal or making rent.You first learned to live upon less than you could earn. Next you learned to seek advice from those who were competent through their own experiences to give it. And, lastly, you have learned to make gold work for you.The old idea of your outgoings being less that your income is pretty obvious but still we need to be reminded

"How to build word of mouth in the digital age"How to get ideas to catch on and spread? That's the key question that gets looked at here, and more specifically how it works and what we can do in the digital realm. Berger is a professor and author, specialising in word of mouth, social influence, consumer behaviour, and all that good stuff. I must admit I wasn't familiar with the author before this, but I've since realised he's got some great work out there, so will be doing a deeper dive. As for this book, I ironically got it during the pandemic as the title caught my eye. I think there was an offer on Kindle too and I thought 'all this talk of contagion - it's a sign!' And of course it looked an interesting read.The book is based around an acronym and 'system' which helps to cement the knowledge and give us a framework to operate from. If we follow these 'stepps' (extra p) then it can take us to where we want to go. Have some, most or even all of these in unison and we should have ourselves a winner. Without further ado, let's get in amongst it…SourceHighlights from the book followed by my thoughts…The Tipping PointThe Tipping PointMade to StickAnother book referenced by Chip and Dan Heath, I guess the chief 'difference' is that 'Made to Stick' is about getting ideas started and on the move, whereas 'Contagious' is about them taking off from that point and spreading like wildfire. There will be similar ideas in each, as well as some fresh material. STEPPSHere we are, the framework that we can follow to get those ideas to work. They're all below but for

"Turning simple disciplines into massive success and happiness"Here we have a book on those incremental improvements that add up to huge gains down the line. Almost non-existent at the time but daily habits that you can't fully appreciate the magnitude of until you look back.Much in the same ilk as It's not the big things we do, but the smaller things added up over time that make the difference. They're quite easy to do - and therein lies part of the problem – but they're also easy This means that they are underestimated and almost shunned whilst we look for the BIG thing that will get us to where we want to go. But there isn't really a big thing (sure, some things move the lever more than others and have their place, but they can't be relied upon) and only these seemingly innocuous actions subtly move that needle. Everything matters. Ok, let's pick out a few quotes…SourceA few of my highlights from the book followed by my thoughts…There are two prevalent types of attitudes: entitled and value-driven. A value-driven attitude says, “What can I do to help you?” An entitled attitude says, “What have you done for me lately?” An entitled attitude says, “Pay me more, and then maybe I’ll work harder.” A value-driven attitude says, “I’ll work harder, and then I expect you’ll pay me more.”Giving first before expecting to receive. In fact, not having expectations at all but doing the right thing and offering value upfront. Too much entitlement won't get you anywhere but being of service and letting that speak for itself will be helpful to all. Babe Ruth not only set a world record for home runs, he also led the league in strikeouts.The old classic of the more hits you try, the more you'll get… but also the more you'll miss. It's a pure numbers game. We talked a bit about 'failure' in the [last B