Speak & Deliver - A Public Speaking Blog For the Speaking Public: December 2022

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