One Minute Book Review

It is common for us all to know the importance of sleep, but do we truly know 'why' we sleep? Walker with the help of decades of scientific evidence highlights some of the misinformation surrounding sleep. In doing so, Walker emphasises its importance at all stages of life in humans and across the animal kingdom. From curing depression, helping the brain to curate memory and protecting our immune system accurately, sleep is the backbone to long-term health that many people neglect. What this book does well is informing the reader without overloading with scientific information. The use of examples of others who have suffered at the hands of sleep avoidance does a great job in supporting his arguments. I will admit that I didn't respect the importance of sleep, but this book has changed this. As sleep is common to us all this book is no doubt a must read for all. I rate this book five stars.

'Ego is the Enemy' is an in-depth look into how ego plays a destructive part in the ability to live a productive and fulfilling life. The book is not written on the experience of the author but references famous philosophers such as Seneca explaining that ego can negatively impact an individual. Using historical figures as a reference, the author gives a blueprint for how we as the reader can avoid the unfavourable principles that ego presents. Instead of providing a list of steps to avoid our ego, Holiday explains in detail the adverse impact ego can and most likely will have if gone unchecked. The book is written in such a way to inspire the reader without overwhelming them at the same time. We are all subject to our ego at times of aspiration, success and failure; therefore this book is a must-read for all. I rate this book five stars.

A key person of influence as defined by Priestley is a person who is well-known and associated with being a leader in a specific industry. That person enjoys the spoils of being explicitly associated with that industry experiencing the benefits that come with that status. The theme of the book centres on the Five-Step KPI framework that we can follow to be a key person of influence. The five steps are pitch, publish, product, profile and partnership. The book is for entrepreneurs wanting to grow their brand in their own chosen industry. The content described in this book relevant to entrepreneurs and business people alike. If you're a casual reader, I can't see the benefit in reading this. But if you're someone wanting to increase your knowledge about how to grow your brand and business, then this book is definitely for you. I rate this book four stars.

One of the most influential self-development books written, Carnegie explains principles that can make you more influential. The book is broken down into sections detailing how to be a better leader and how to make you more likeable. The book also includes examples from historical figures as well as examples from its application in business as well as life in general. There is a reason why this book is so revered. The book has a simple message that is laid on in a way that makes it easy for the reader to read and comprehend. I found myself continually highlighting and taking notes while reading and I suggest potential readers do the same. It is a book that you can regularly revisit to refresh the ideas in the book and serve as some personal inspiration. This book has the potential to help a lot of people. I rate this book five stars.

In this months episode, the month of May, I will be discussing 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Steven R. Covey (5*), 'A Higher Loyalty' by James Comey (4*) and 'Extreme Ownership' by Jacko Willink and Leif Babin (4*).

This book explains how to take extreme ownership to become a better leader. The stories in the book detail how both authors experienced high-pressure situations during the war in Iraq, but only by taking ownership of everything around them could they lead with conviction to ultimately win. Leadership is usually synonymous with many adjectives, but I do not recall a book that emphasises ownership as much as this one. The concept that connected with me was the 'dichotomies of leadership'. The authors explain that to be a great leader, you must find the balance between two extremes. I enjoyed listening to this book. The audiobook was well structured, and I felt the emotion of the message coming across from the authors. If like me you appreciate leadership books, I encourage you to pick up this book because it gives a much different angle than most. I rate this book four stars.

Welcome to Episode #3 of 'Knowledge Bites', where I discuss some of the concepts, theories and models I come across when reading books for my One Minute Book Review channel. In this episode, I will be giving a brief introduction to 'Logotherapy' and its place in psychoanalysis and individual psychology. I have made a concerted effort to keep this episode simple as it can be over-complicated easily. I came across this concept when reading 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Stephen R. Covey and thought due to its impact on me, would be a great addition to knowledge bites.

'A Higher Loyalty' describes what it means to be an ethical, truthful and effective leader through the eyes of former FBI director James Comey. Recalling his journey through the ranks of government, Comey gives an honest account of the characteristics of both effective and ineffective leaders. The latter part of the book delves into Comey's decision making during the controversial events before and after the 2016 Presidential Election. Seeing the events that unfolded which led to Comey's firing, I was excited to read this book to understand what indeed happened. The book felt honest. From Comey's honest descriptions of his family tragedies, to how he conducted himself after being fired, the book felt truthful where many books in the current affairs genre are not. The book does not list ways to be a better leader, but instead gives examples of some of the characteristics that make one. I rate this book four stars.

Today I will be reviewing The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. One of the most influential business books of the twentieth century, Covey delves into the seven habits that separate effective people from the rest. The seven habits range from proactiveness to thinking-win-win and creating synergy, flowing from one to the other. However, the overarching theme throughout the book is the 'Inside Out' approach, which explains how obvious perceived problems can usually be solved by changing our internal perceptions to the question itself. This internal approach to external factors is the most rational and controllable way to deal with any problem. There is no doubt why this book has been so impactful over the past couple of decades. A clear and well-written message at its foundation with a simple laid out gives this book the potential to improve the life of anyone open-minded enough to the habits and principles explained within. There is no doubt that this book is five stars.

Welcome to Episode #2 of 'Knowledge Bites', where I discuss some of the concepts, theories and models I come across when reading books for my One Minute Book Review channel. In this episode, I will give a brief introduction of 'The Fogg Behaviour Method' and how we can all apply it positively to our lives, which is the aim of 'Knowledge Bites'. I will try and keep this episode as concise as I can, I have read a lot surrounding this topic and will try my best to simplify it as best I can.