How Much is Too Much?

Back on May 15, I posted my first article here, and it was all about reading. I was pretty proud of myself for hitting 29 books read on Kindle, Audible, and actual Paper - over halfway to my goal of 52. In fact, over the last 6 1/2 months, I got a bit obsessed with reading as much as I possibly could, and as of this last day of 2022, I've read of total of 80 - EIGHTY! - books. Marketing, Speaking, and Self-Help books, mostly. Some fiction was mixed in, usually in the form of comic book compilations of 500 plus pages. I did finally read Dark Tower, by Stephen King. Can't say it lived up to my expectations. Even listened to a 50 hour biography of Winston Churchill.

I will list the books, page counts, and hours listened below, for the sake of history. But what's really important is what I realized this week: I read too much. I was warned about this, I admit. But once I got on a roll, it became rather addicting. And the pride swelling up in my brain as I added book after book - like a dopamine hit once or twice a week!

But at the end of the day, well, end of the year, what have I got? A big list. Honestly, I got lots of wonderful ideas about copywriting and making YouTube videos and building lists and being focused and getting rich and becoming a better speaker and finally read the original saga of Batman having his back broken by Bane back in the '90s, when I was too busy to keep reading comics.

But did I take any action? Barely. Which might be an overstatement.

Heck, if anything, the more I read, the more I slowed down. Fewer live videos. Less personal marketing. I stopped writing in this newsletter by August. It was easier to pick up a book, open my Kindle app, or tell Alexa to 'read my Audible book', than actually put any of the ideas into action.

How much is too much? Well, I'm not completely sure. But I know I'm going in a new direction in 2023. Probably a business book a month - a focused choice coupled with taking actions based on what I read. I'll still mix in some fiction of various types, and that biography of Steve Jobs isn't going to read itself. But if I read 30-40 books next year, it's more than enough. If I only read 20, but get a TON of return action based on what I do with the information, I'd be ecstatic.

I'm not disappointed - heck, I exceeded a goal I've had for years. A goal which I now know I don't want to achieve again. At least, not until I'm retired.

It's all part of living a WinAnyway Life:

Review - I read 80 books, and it took a bunch of time and brain power, and I didn't get the full result I thought I'd get, beyond some pride in my accomplishment.

Celebrate - Enjoy the moment. Acknowledge that I did something I set out to do - and outdid myself along the way, in terms of the goal itself.

Recalibrate - Achieving the goal didn't create quite the result I hoped for, so I'm going to change my goal. Fewer books, more actions based on the books I read. More intention. More strategic choices.

Charge! - Time to again move forward to the revised goal.

How much is too much? Whether it's reading or eating or working out or even working in general - too much is the point of diminishing returns.

I probably should have revised my goal back in August - but I was focused on the 12 month goal. Are you doing anything that feels good in one sense, but isn't giving you the full results you'd hoped for? It's OK. We don't always know what will work and what won't. And sometimes, even what works, may not. Sometimes, it's just too much.

Go out into 2023 and WinAnyway!

Below, as promised, the list. No set order, though many of the top half of the list have been on my shelves for years, and it's great to check them off.

• Story - Robert McKee 468

• Million Dollar Speaking - Alan Weiss 370

• World Class Speaking - Craig Valentine, Mitch Meyerson - 248

• The Slight Edge - Jeff Olson 281

• Book More Business: Make Money Speaking - Lois Creamer 136

• Millionaire Success Habits - Dean Grazioni 240

• The Dark Tower - Stephen King 251

• Life's Golden Ticket - Brendon Burchard 203

• Tube Ritual Vol I: Brian G. Johnson - 256

• Trust Funnel: Brian G. Johnson - 250

• The Bacon System - Brian Basilico - 196

• The Dream of Perpetual Motion - Dexter Palmer 352

• Tools of Titans - Tim Ferriss 676

• One Million Followers - Brendan Kane - 228

• Pitch Anything - Oren Klaff - 218

• It's Not Who You Know, It's Who Knows You - David Avrin - last 80 pages

• Visibility Marketing - David Avrin - 249

• How to Write Copy that Sells - Ray Edwards 162

• Pop! - Sam Horn - 223

• Warrior Book - Garrett J. White 250 in 2022

• 17 Minutes to Your Dream - Darren LaCroix 176

• The Comedy Bible - Judy Carter 338

• Wake 'em Up Business Presentations - Tom Antion 286

• Effortless - Danny Iny 95

• Personality Isn't Permanent - Benjamin Hardy 271

• The Referable Speaker - Michael Port 226

• Hush - Graphic Novel 298

• Knightfall Book I - Graphic Novel 634

• Knightfall Book II - Graphic Novel 643

• Knightfall Book III - Graphic Novel 645

• JSA Book 4 - Graphic Novel 344

• Superman for all Seasons 177

• Leadership Push - Bob Ramsay 224

• Strong Words & Simple Truths - Brenda Smull 226

• Impromptu Speaking - Diane Windingland - 87

• All Business is Still Show Business - Scott McKain - 276

• Do It Speaking - David Newman - 206

• Hold My Crown Special Queens Edition - Michelle Mras - 317

• You Owe You - Eric Thomas - 275

• She Hulk by Dan Slott - 413

• Infinity Gauntlet - 241

• JSA - Black Adam & Isis - 157

• Earth 2 - Book I - 151

• JLA Book I - Morrison/Porter - 255

• Batman Haunted Knight - 184 - Loeb/Sale

• Deliver Unforgettable Presentations - Patricia Fripp, Darren LaCroix, Mark Brown - 137

• Lions Always Win - Speaker Edition - Marty Dickinson - 201

• The Myth of the Garage - Chip & Dan Heath - 54

• The Flinch - Julien Smith - 38

• The 6-Figure Speaker - Brian Tracy - 93

• The Bible - ESV - via Bible in a Year Crossways Email - 2752 pages, equivalent.

• The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on his Life and Works - 285

15,901 Total Pages

Audio Books

• The Essence of Success - Earl Nightingale 16:09

• I Know What to DO, So Why Don't I DO it? - Nick Hall 10:05

• Online Joint Venturing - Tom Antion 5:00

• Turning Pro - Steven Pressfield 2:04

• Way of the Wolf - Jordan Belfort 7:28

• 21 Ways to Become an Outstanding Manager - Brian Tracy 5:07

• Greenlights - Matthew McConaughy 6:42

• The 5 am Club - Robin Sharma 11:04

• Never Split the Difference - Chris Voss 8:07

• The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle 7:37

• Relentless Success - Todd Stottlemyre 3:21

• In Praise of Difficult Women - Karen Karbo 11:17

• How to Be Unstoppable P. I - P Seymour 1:02

• 12 Rules for Life - Jordan Peterson 15:40

• Bluefishing - Steve Sims 3:53

• Liminal - Dave Gray 3:10

• The Science of Getting Rich - Wallace D. Wattles 2:09

• Sell with Confidence - Barry Watson 2:34

• Looking Out For #1 - Robert Ringer 7:11

• Million Dollar Habits - Robert Ringer 7:24

• Churchill: Walking With Destiny - Andrew Roberts 50:28

• Instant Influence - Michael V. Pantalon 6:57

• Change Your Brain and Stop Procrastination - 10:56

• The Ultimate Les Brown Library - 8:37

• Leonardo Da Vinci - Walter Isaacson - 17:01

• Influence - New edition - Cialdini - 20:43

• How to Win at Anything - Jo Owens 7:57

• If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? - Alan Alda 6:13

Hour total: 257:30