Book Summaries

Start

By Jon Acuff

• Regardless of your age, you must learn to throw out fear and just start.
• Fear tells you it is not time or not possible; but you must throw it to the side and just start.
• Realism does not stop you from chasing your dream, rather chasing the wrong dream.
• We trick ourselves saying there’s only two decisions: abandon all or live a horrible and normal life — but this isn’t true.
• Finding your purpose is not so easily detected or clearcut.
• Quit trying to find your purpose and just live with purpose. Wake up and live with purpose. Play with your kids with purpose. Love your spouse with purpose. Enjoy life with purpose.
• No one is perfect the first time they try something, so just start.
• Your practice determines how you play.
• We think we have to see results immediately, but everything takes its time.
• Quit trying to climb the entitlement ladder and climb the work-hard ladder.
• Fear would not have let the Wright brothers attempt to fly, or Steve Jobs work on personal computers for individuals, and fear will not let you do anything either.
• If you don’t deal with your fears, they won’t go away. If you don’t kill those fear voices, they will kill you.
• Your inner voice might tell you not to do it, and when you start, it might tell you that you have to do it all at once. Do not listen to either of them.
• What did you do in the last 24 hours (or even week) that will reveal your focus?
• Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you should do it.
• If you have so many passions that you don’t know which to do, then you need to pick one and start.
• Awesome starts the moment you begin to do what you love.
• Be led, be taught, and always continue growing.
• If you want to become good at something, you have to do reps — that works with writing, speaking, playing an instrument, or anything else you want to be good at.
• Do not let the few negative comments lead your life.
• Don’t miss out on good moments because of unrealistic expectations.
• You can’t control the finish line, but you can control the starting line.
• If you want to stay in the land of awesomeness, don’t be a jerk. Many people are full of talents, but act like jerks.
• Don’t become a jerk, don’t get lazy, and don’t become entitled.
• If you are married, realize that awesome is including your spouse instead of trying to live your dream alone.
• One of the best ways to get support for your dream is to first support others on their dreams.
• When you are in the harvest time of your dreams, some people will tell you that you can “do more.” Instead of trying, you should ask yourself “why.”
• Every big finish began with a small start.
• Who’s shoulders can you stand on to become better? Who is further ahead of you that you can get help from?
• Perfect is not your goal, awesome is — and awesome makes mistakes along the way.
• Social media is either a megaphone or a mask – it will amplify what you are all about or hide it.
• Pace yourself instead of making unrealistic expectations (I’ll blog every day, etc.) or you’ll quit after a short time. Pick something and pace yourself, but by all means, start! 
• •  

Rhinoceros Success

By Scott Alexander

• There are many leadership techniques, but one thing all successful leaders have in common is that they are a rhinoceros and charge. 
• Do not charge two things at once, charge only one thing and go full steam ahead.
• When you get up in the morning, don’t be a lazy cow and lay there, be a rhinoceros that’s ready to get up and charge.
• Cows have legs and brains, but they don’t charge because they don’t believe. A rhinoceros believes and therefore has a reason to charge.
• Success is for anyone who will get off of their backside and charge.
• It is your enthusiasm that will get you out of bed, and make you charge towards your goal. No torpedoes can stop you!
• If your enthusiasm dies down, it is because of your belief. You must believe, and therefore you will charge.
• A rhinoceros rarely has a drinking or drug problem because they don’t need any artificial stimulants to do what they are supposed to.
• Your attitude is essential to being a rhinoceros. You have to want to be a rhinoceros in order to charge, otherwise you will slip into the cow and sheep world.
• Don’t waste energy on things not worthy of your time — a rhinoceros does not charge jack rabbits. Don’t let problems and other things distract you.
• Do not ignore the negative, but do not be saturated with it either. Put the right things in your mind. We become the product of three things: the books we read, the people we associate with, and the media that we listen to.
• Learn from other people’s success. You can read books, watch, listen, and speak to others who have been successful. Cows can read but they’re too lazy to read or learn from others – a rhinoceros eats it up!
• Plan and then charge. You don’t become successful without planning on it, so aim for something, plan for it, and charge.
• Plan your long-term goals, your short-term goals, and your immediate goals (for today and this week). Plan and then charge!
• What you sow you reap. Work hard and charge at something, and you will reap a harvest.
• You have to give to get. This works with friends, money, work, and every other area. If you stop giving and you’ll stop getting.
• Discipline is doing something that you don’t necessarily want to do. A rhinoceros charges even if he doesn’t want to, but a cow is a cow because he has no discipline.
• A rhinoceros has self-discipline. You are your own boss. You are in charge of “You Inc.,” so if you fail, it is because of your bad leadership. Take charge of yourself!
• If you do not enjoy being a rhinoceros, then don’t do it. There’s no reason to do it if you don’t enjoy it. Decide you will be happy, that position is open to whoever wants it. 
• The Bible is the real success manual. every success book is based on the Bible, just worded differently. 
• Be an audacious rhinoceros. You are bold, gutsy, reckless, and adventurous, that’s what separates you from the cows.
• Success takes nerve. If it was easy and didn’t require risk, everyone would do it.
• Don’t fall into the trap of wasting time. Live as if each minute cost you $10. 
• There are no excuses for a rhinoceros, he finds a way to get it done.
• Be persistent. Imagine you’re in a storm, and do not let go.
• Nothing good comes easy. 
• Everyone has problems no matter how much money, education, place they live or what they do, but rhinoceroses know how to handle problems. Don’t run from them, handle them. They will always be there, but don’t let them stop you. 
• Optimism and rhinoceroses go hand in hand. Get a burning inside of you that will make you charge. 
• Dreams are only dreams until you begin to charge.