Fall off and get back on. Tyson Fury has continued to impress. He continues to be one of the greatest heavy weight fighters of all time. What makes him more impressive is his fall from grace and rise back to the top. After his Wilder 3 fight, he made the comment about the fight reflecting life. You get knocked down, and you get back up. His personal struggles I think have only made him a greater champion. He has continued to carry himself well and understands the fragility of life. How quickly we fall from grace and the beauty in redemption.
Tactical Barbell – K. Black
I’m uncertain if a correlation that I’ve found more true to the ethos of what I hope to get out of this life. I had a conversation with an author I respect and he said he strives to be in the top 95% of all things that he does – author, athlete, professional. This mindset correlates to the tactical athlete. I’ve found that I don’t have what it takes to be an elite performer in a single category. Maybe I don’t have the focus to do this either. My interests are more broad. I find that I’m trying to be elite in lifting, conditioning, and BJJ. I also take this mindset into my professional life, my personal finance life, spiritually, and relationally. My opinion is it’s futile for me to become the best in a single subject matter. I do want to become elite as a generalist and this is forged by continuous habits. All of this starts with a plan and dream, regular goal setting, and most importantly daily habit development. Make sure I’m lifting and running consistently. Make sure that I’m reading consistently. Make sure that I’m reviewing my cases consistently. Make sure I’m regularly investing in my family, friends, and faith. Little and often over the long haul will lead to great success and the theory of compounding can be translated into almost any field. Lifting was the introduction to this concept for my own life.
Eisenhower: Soldier and President – Stephen E. Ambrose
This is taking me much longer to get through than expected. I’ve loved the story. Eisenhower was a lifelong soldier who transitioned into the political arena.
“He directed his great energy and powers of concentration on making things work better, no differently.” “Victory in the next war will depend on execution not plans.” “Only a man that is happy in his work can be happy in his home and with his friends…Happiness in work means that its performer must know it to be worthwhile, suited to his temperament, and finally, suited to his age, experience and capacity for performance of a high order.” “Americans either will not or cannot fight at maximum efficiency unless they understand the why and wherefore of their orders.”
I can’t help but admire him the more that I read. He, like all of us, is human. He made mistakes, he made strategic errors in war and as president. He made errors in his role as a husband. He kept on pushing and fighting for a better world and a better America. He opposed decisiveness within the United States which is in stark contrast to American leadership over the past decade. He was able to manage the press, which is admirable in reading about Sherman and Grant and witnessing recent presidencies.
The Laughing Jesus – Freke and Gandy
I’ve found an interest in reading more about Gnostic Christianity. Uncertain that I agree that all the faults of religion are due to institutions, which appears to be the perception of the Authors. “We appear to be separate, but essentially we are all one. The awareness that is conscious in you is the same awareness that is conscious in everyone. And if you recognize this you will find yourself in love with all.”
A Passion for Leadership – Robert M Gates
“Everybody hates bureaucracies, even those who work in them.” “As a rule, companies that do not promote innovation, strive to reduce overhead costs and managerial layering, and become more customer-friendly don’t do well in the long term.” “I would be ‘an agent of change’ while preserving the core values and traditions of the university.” Similar to Eisenhower, the more I read from Gates the more I find myself agreeing with his perception. It’s reassuring to hear from someone with experience in navigating bureaucracies and not leaving with a cynical attitude. I’ve personally been struggling with the frustrations that develop around feeling trapped by institution and bureaucracy. This book was a prayer answered because it shows that
Gates, Grant, Sherman, Eisenhower – all of these men are great because they did not succumb to frustration and set back throughout their lives. They continued to give and push. They were all public servants. None were perfect. All made mistakes. What made them great was their ability to grow from their setbacks and their persistence. Once we give up, we are dead.
Seeking Progress 