Two Dudes Review Books

Jason and Dylan review When Things Fall Apart, a book by prolific author and Buddhist teacher, Pema Chodron.  Our hosts examine parallels between Stoic philosophy and Buddhism and the book's idea of "leaning into the pointy bits" of life as a way to grow our strength of spirit and character.  

Do we even need small talk? What are the skills of conversation?  Some people just seem to be good at chatting with strangers, some of us struggle to maintain conversational flow even with those who know us well.  Jason and Dylan delve into Better Small Talk by Communication Coach Patrick King.  The book is an excellent guide for improving conversation for all of us.

Mike Pettigrew has developed what may be the greatest goal achievement system in the world, but is it for you?  Jason and Dylan discuss this epic book about goal-setting; what it brings to everyone, and what might be harder for readers to try.

How does power effect the way we see the world?  Why do powerful and successful people make seemingly greedy, impulsive, or nonsensical decisions that jeopardize all they have earned?  Can gossip and rumor be used for good?  Jason and Dylan review The Power Paradox by Dacher Keltner, which addresses this and other questions about our relationship with power.

Jason and Dylan review Extreme Ownership, a book about leadership by former Navy SEALS, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.  How can taking more ownership benefit you as a leader and human being?  In the book, Jocko and Leif share stories about their experiences in Ramadi. Jason and Dylan share stories from more mundane battlefields, but the lessons from Extreme Ownership still apply, and the book gives a great framework to think about applying concepts of military leadership to civilian life. Let's get after it!

Part novel and part handbook for getting the most out of each day, the 5am Club by Robin Sharma has a lot of great information for transforming your life.  But is it for everyone?  Jason and Dylan break it down in this month's episode.

In this episode, Jason and Dylan Discuss The Mountain is You by Brianna Waist, author of 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think and other titles.  This book is all about self-sabotage; what it is, why we do it, and the secret needs that it fills in our emotional lives. 

Have you wondered why some people seem just full of enthralling stories and maybe you can't seem to engage an audience?  Have you noticed some storytellers seem to drone on and on and others can have you thinking or laughing (or both!) with just a few sentences?  Storytelling is a critical skill for engaging audiences for many purposes.  If you are trying to train a group of new employees or show customers your humble beginnings, being able to tell a story is a great tool for many jobs.  Jason and Dylan analyze Unleash the Power of Storytelling by  Rob Biesenbach, an excellent read if you want to hone your storytelling skills!

For most of us, 4000 weeks is the number of weeks you have to live.  That's it! Jason and Dylan unpack some of the concepts in 4000 Weeks; Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman .  This book is not actually about wringing the most productivity out of those 4000 weeks.  This book aims to help you understand the history of time as a way of measuring things, unpack some assumptions we have about time in western culture, gain perspective about time, and hopefully gain some mastery over it.  Time management for mortals means just that: humans are mortal, therefore we must die...so how should we spend our 4000 weeks?

An ego is one's sense of self-esteem and self-importance.  On the surface, the definition may even sound positive.  Shouldn't we all have self-esteem?  Doesn't everyone like to feel important?  Jason and Dylan review one of Ryan Holiday's most important works: Ego is the Enemy.  What does that even mean?  What are the habits and actions of a person who has conquered his or her ego?  How can you live a life free of the downsides of ego (which are numerous!) and live a more fulfilling life focused on others instead?  A must-read in the age of social media.  Join us!