You used pencil crayons as a kid now use them to become a professional artist! (for beginning artists)

Yes, you really can become a professional artist by using ordinary pencil crayons we used as children!   How do I know?  I googled the question or something similar. 

This is what I told my Facebook friends .....

 

" I am discovering making art on a budget. You know those pencil crayons we used as a kid? If you watch Youtube videos you can be shown how to use the pencils to overlay levels like a professional. Who knew? Amazing! Choose a short video - say less than 10 minutes because I find myself falling asleep!. Start your path to becoming an art by watching artists creating their art and describing the technique on Youtube. Videos? ... much better than books ... Why? Because in books you will probably just look at the pictures! ... and not fully understand what is being taught! Try a Google search like : Youtube & pencil crayon & "drawing a portrait" or whatever else you want to learn.

The Youtube video I watched described the layering process of the different colors on the paper which is used in different mediums like oils and acrylic paints.

So if the high cost of becoming an artist deters you or you think you can't learn because you tried reading an art book and failed try again! ..... youtube videos and pencil crayons are very effective. But if you have a different medium use those ...oils, acrylics ...whatever you can get your hands on similar techniques are used .... .. and googling questions like I did just now "can you layer colors in oil painting? " The answer is "yes" but links to other techniques in oil painting pop up. .... but you can find cheaper alternatives too. Like pencil crayons and paper you bought super cheap from the thrift store ( thrift store if you are in Canada or the United States) ..

Here is the video I watched https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJElspfupQg

The video shows how to "push" the pencil crayon colors on the paer , how to "blend" the colors, how to lighten the colors using an eraser and how to lighten the color by overlaying with white. Watch the video and pull out your crayons. I believe after watching the video your skill level has been raised enough that you want to go and become a professional artist ... or at the very least want to sell your art and dream of having your work being displayed in a local art gallery around your town! You will definitely see an improvement in your art already. Imagine how your art work can progress if you watch more perhaps many more videos and practice the techniques. It is thoughyt by some that 10,000 hours will allow a person to become a master - in our case a master artist

From a Google search I copied this:

"

.10,000 Hours of Practice. In the book Outliers , author Malcolm Gladwell says that it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field.  "

Welding - could it be a technique in your Blue Ocean Strategies as an Artist

Welding - Consider Adding It as a Skill as an Artist

Last summer I took a five weekend course in artisan welding.  The instructor had us welding in the first class before the first hour was over!  Amazing!   In my class were two jewelry makers and an artist that cast bronze heads .  The welding we learned was oxy-acetylene welding and MIG welding.  Once you learn your welding you do not even need to have your own equipment.  In Vancouver I was told there is a studio on Powell Street where you can rent welding time.  Maybe there is a place like this near you or maybe you can use your friends equipment.  We learned MIG welding and the MIG welding does precision welds.

Summary

You do not need to be a professional welder to use welding in your art.  The skill comes quickly.  I also utilized a book on blacksmithing to get ideas on bending metal.  The oxy-acetylene welding can be used to heat metal in a way similar to a forge for larger pieces of metal - but it is more expensive than using a forge.  This sculpture shown was made out of many thin metal stips about 1 and 1/ inch by say 5 inches long.

Tips: the instructor will tell you to get cotton clothes and not synthetic clothes.  With oxy-acetlene you can see trough the goggles but in the MIG welding you cannot see anything until you torch up.  But I think for a few hundred dollars you can buy a welding helmet that runs on microcircuitry.  It detects in a small fraction of a second that the torch is lit and the lens darkens.  So no struggling in the dark.  If you choose to pursue welding you can have a lot of fun.   In MIG Welding you can drip molten metal wire onto your sculpture so you can add 3D lettering for example.

Reference

Blue Ocean strategies:  Learn how to make your art business different from the rest .http://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/book/

Welding sculpture from first attempt

Entrepeneurial Ideas for Artists - Ideas from two MOOC courses and the book "One Simple Idea"

Entrepreneurial Ideas For Artists - Ideas from two MOOC courses and  "One Simple Idea" ( a book by Stephen Key)

ideas reviewed by "Surfer" Chris Garrah

  Creativity and Business Ideas For Artists - Free Courses and A Library Book That Could Help You

 

If you are an artist you definitely want to tap into your creative spirit.   In the MOOC course  Learning How to Learn   ( I took the free version of the course) the professors relate how Thomas Edison would hold ball bearings in his hand and when he was half asleep the ball bearings would drop from his hand .  In that state he would be able to jot down ideas that occurred to him.  Salvador Dali used a similar method. (also described in the course)

Businesses , successful ones - paint  a visual representation of a business - perfect for an artist with nine blocks (perfect for coloring different colors.!)  In the  free MOOC course I studied  Innovation for Entrepreneurs the professors describe a business model canvas ( artists like canvas!).   Really the course outlines all nine factors .  One factor - revenue streams - will be of interest to starving artists or those who want to add streams.  The course stresses that the business canvas is a living canvas so that once you become familiar with the canvas as it represents YOUR business model you can change it as new ideas come to you - or you think of your business in new ways.  But to really find new ways to make you different from all other artists study the video Blue Ocean Strategies - ways to make you completely different from other artists or other businesses!  Remember you can be completely unique!

So the above two courses are great courses for artists  The third idea I want to introduce are ideas from the book ."A Simple Idea" authored by Stephen Key



.  I highly recommend artists to skim through the chapters to get an idea about licensing.  In this book Stephen Key outlines all the steps needed to look at the marketplace , come up with a simple idea and sell the idea to businesses.  Why would you be interested as an artist?  Well the idea that resonated for me that might appeal to some artists is that he licensed an indoor basketball net with a backboard. Stephen Key licensed the idea of putting Michael Jordan's image on it. Yeah!.  So creative ways to put art or an image on something , a great technique.  This book by Stephen Key stresses balance in your life - so you should nott  put all your energy into selling your ideas to businesses at the expense of creating art.   If you ever watch the show Dragon's Den they talk about licensing.  But they don't describe the process of licensing.  But this book describes the process ... so here is something you will not see on Dragon's Den  - something that in theory can tirn YOU into a Dragon.  Licensing is a low cost alternative to a full patent.   The book  outlines an optimum time to  file a provisional patent for a few hundred dollars and then license it.  This can be another tool in the artist's toolbox.

Wrapping It all Up

Well fellow artists,  I pointed you in the direction of tuning up your business acumen and your creativity.  So if you want to fine tune your business model or the creativity of your art check out the book and courses .  And of course if you are not pursuing your art at all and you want to check out a solution for procrastination in Learning How to Learn - a course from Coursera.org.  I recommend taking  the free version of the course only because I like free things! Sharpening creativity, creating art without procrastinating and sharpening your art business by using a living changing business model canvas.  These are the key ideas here.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1) One Simple Idea  - Turn Your Dreams into a Licensing Goldmine While Letting Others Do the Work - a book by  author Stephen Key.
Look at author Stephen Key's profile on Twitter

2) Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects     A MOOC course from Coursera.org with Dr. Barbara Oakley & Dr. Terrence Stejnowski

 3).  Innovation for Entrepreneurs: From Idea to Marketplace ............A MOOC course also from Coursera.org

Review of a How to be an Entrepeneur Book "Driven" by Robert Herjavec reviewed by "Surfer Chris" Garrah

Review of "Driven - How to Succeed in Business and In Life" a book by Robert Herjavec

 

The Book - Why You Need to Read The Book If You Are Thinking Of Starting A Business

Robert Herjavec describes his life story starting with his arrival in Canada in an immigrant family and the financial struggles of the family.

I found the book to be instructional as an entrepreneurial book.  Robert Herjavec describes in more detail than many books the specific steps that he took to rise to a very successful businessman.  You really need to read the book to develop your own insights into the steps he took.

Key points in his success include  how he is able to get by with limited sleep and still function normally.  In the reference portion of this article I supply a book title as a reference that might contain more information on the ability for some people to sleep less.  In the book Mr. Herjavec emphasizes that an entrepeneur should have the ability to deal with crises as they arise and for new business owners many can arise.

 I was impressed with Mr Herjavec developing his own sales pitches that worked for him in the difficult area of collections early in his career.  Mr Herjavec's superior sales techniques and his self described ability to foresee years into the future products that will be in demand are other parts of his success. His superior sales ability allows Mr. Herjavec to recruit employees that excel in their fields.  The detail in the book is concrete with 50 principles outlined in 50 chapters.   Some books are merely motivational books but I think of this book as much more because it is an insider book of an entrepreneur that keys in on 50 areas that will help you as an entrepreneur.  Buy the book if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur or at the very least ... read it!  Mr. Herjavic gives many examples of how he worked very hard to be successful.  And how his beginnings in sales and customer-oriented jobs help him to read people and tailor pitches to those people.

As an aside there is no indication that Mr Herjavic procrastinates.  He is on top of things and does not shy away from difficult tasks such as the need to fire things.

I recommend the course "Learning How To Learn" which is offered by Coursera which will help you master procrastination and avoid putting off difficult tasks if you tend to procrastinate.  ( I was guilty of this before I recently took the course - changed my life!  You can take a free version of this Coursera course if you want.  This course offers a specific, effective technique on how to avoid procrastination.  It also explains in video form why people procrastinate.  Also in video form Dr. Barbara Oakley (in the Coursera course)  explains that you should "eat the frogs" in the morning - meaning handle difficult things in the morning.  Along with Mr. Herjavec's broad-based instructions on how to succeed as an entrepreneur , the Coursera course and your ability to thrive on limited sleep you might have a distinctive advantage over your sleep-headed competitors.

REFERENCES

Genetic Basis of Sleep and Sleep Disorders
authors Shaw P,Taft M, Thorpy M

"Learning How to Learn"  a course at Coursera.org with Professors Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowki

Driven - How to Succeed in Business and In Life - written by Robert Herjavec -co star of Dragons' Den

What I Found to Be the Best Tips for Learning - An Assignment

What I Found to Be the Best Tips For Learning - A Student   Assignment Of the Coursera.Org Course "Learning How to Learn" by a student -me- Chris "Crispy" Garrah

What I Found Out:

I have a life long love of learning.  But the featured course at Coursera.org which I choose to take as an absolutely free course showed me that in my fifty years of studying that I really did not have the best study skills, at best they might be considered average or poor. This course is offered by Professors Dr. Terrence Sejnowski and Dr. Barbara Oakley through Coursera.org.

This assignment or presentation is for parents, friends and teachers who may benefit from taking their study habits to the highest level.

Really I have and had so many problems in studying that I am going to list them by number along with a solution.

1.  Not Being Able to recall where you obtained your information-yikes-Plagiarism!

This may not be critical if you use on-line sources and can Google an answer to help you where you got your material  But if you happen to crack open a book
the solution is to write down the name and author because it just won't work for you to bring up information that you can recall but you don't list a source only because you cannot remember - that is plagiarism - so avoid the deadly trap - and write down the book and author.  Just in case you inadvertently use something.  If you don't write down the sources of your material you may receive a luke-warm or failing grade where you thought you wrote something brilliant.  In this courses' assignments it is necessary to quote specific references.  ("Learning How To Learn"  Assignment Rules Posted)

2. Procrastination may have been my biggest problem

"Learning How to Learn" from Coursera.org emphasizes  that a person will avoid the temporary anticipated pain of studying and do something more pleasant.  Before I started this assignment I was in a cold sweat thinking about how close the deadline was.  Setting a timer for 25 minutes as featured in this course will get you started.  The talk by Dr. Oakley was especially helpful asw as the video of a student squirming in her seat until she got underway and apparently some of the pain went away.
Here is a good place to show these are not my ideas -  "The Pomodoro Technique" - Wikipedia says Francesco Cirillo developed this time management  technique in the 1980's.  And Professor Oakley in this course focuses on this technique for avoiding procrastination.  Other tips are shown to stay focused on studying.

3 A Collection of My Other Bad Study Habits

 I would re-read the material but in some case this could be "over learning" - italic term  from "Learning How To Learn".  Similarly, reading problem solutions and thinking I could solve the problems on my own.  Wrong!  Big mistake!.  It is much better to look away and come up with a solution.  That is a good time to look at the solution especially if the solution consists of many steps.
Dr. Oakley in the course mentions several techniques that are better :  read and recall instead of re-reading. 

Also emphasized in the course is the importance of sleep.  I could be mistaken but in the early weeks of the course a closeup of neurons show before and after sleep photos - where the neurons connections resemble to me anyway -intertwined trees.  Your neurons are changing branch shapes as you learn.  Your brain i rewiring as you sleep.  Am I wrong or am I right?  You really should sign up for this exciting course and excel at learning and your life.

My final thought:  Stressed throughout this course are terms like "diffused learning" and "focused learning".  In diffused learning your brain is continuing to work on your everyday problems as when you take a walk.  Exercise and sleep.  Important parts of learning and learning well. 

 

 

"How to Negotiate to Achieve Your Goals In the Real World"

Review Of The Book "Getting More"  - How To Negotiate to Achieve Your Goals In the Real World    - reviewed by "Surfer Chris" Garrah

 

Is this Book for You?

Well, from personal experience I have found that the techniques in the book do work.   The author gives many examples of the techniques.  The author says that you should always show respect towards your counterpart.
 The twelve strategies  I have found really do empower you -  they work.
As an alternative, the idea of "blowing up" if you don't get your way I don't recommend. And that is in fact what the book recommends always staying calm and not letting your anger be in control, There is a caveat in the book that the strategies don't apply in situations where a person is being physically abused.
  But they do apply where there is a "hard bargainer."   A key strategy outlined in the book is to hold the other person to their standard that as a company they may have published somewhere but when dealing with you they have not followed.

Other Benefits Of the Book

The book will give you confidence to ask companies to tell you what kind of discounts they have.  Being friendly, repeating the clerk's name and asking about the clerk's life if it presents itself are featured in the book.   I have found that the size of the book or the lengthy title of the book might scare you off.  (The second part of the title is "The 12 Invisible Strategies That Change Everything You Thought You Knew About Negotiating")

Do not let the book scare you!   An excellent course to help you learn the material or any material that you may find a little complex is a free course "Learning How to Learn" at Courser.org.
The book will help everyone.  There are examples in the book of how parents  negotiate with toddlers and win!  Not being a parent myself I can see how negotiating with a screaming child could be terrifying.  But the book gives at least one example that is inspirational.  Because I don't want to infringe on copyright I just indicate that many examples of everyday situations are rampant in the book.

Summary

Here is a book that can really impact your life in a positive way.  When you first try the techniques in the book you may only have read a few of the 12 techniques.  That doesn't matter.  You can always keep building your toolbox from the 12 techniques.  You don't use 12 techniques all at once.  There is an art of deciding what techniques to choose from.  Because there are many examples in the book you can simply plug the example in as you deal with an airline, a child or negotiate with a store clerk.  I found my copy at a thrift store so I can flip through it to try to retain more information .  The author is Stuart Diamond who has taught a Negotiation course at Wharton Business School.  He has advised the UN and the World Bank (these credentials from the book jacket).  The book is a "New York Times Bestseller"

Getting More - the book on Amazon

How to Invest like Warren Buffet - reviewing the book "Warren Buffett and the Interpretation of Financial Statements ...the Search for the Company with a Durable Competetitive Advantage"

"Warren Buffett and the Interpretation Of Financial Statements " is written by Mary Buffett and David Clark.  It is subtitled "The Search for the Company with a Durable Competitive Advantage"

Reviewed by Chris Crispy Garrah

What Is Mary Buffett and David Clark's Book About?

I am  going to give you a brief insight into the book.   Even though you may know how to read financial statements you may not have discovered key discovery's Warren Buffett discovered by reading and analyzing many financial statements, I am thinking that as perhaps as a small investor you too could grow your fortune over many years just like Warren Buffett did. By picking great stocks you could make money over many years if you had the patience to continue buying small quantities of the types of stocks that Warren Buffett  (a very rich man) favors.



What Is the Background Of Mary Buffett?

Well, she is the former daughter-in-law of Warren Buffett.  So,  she was privy to inside information on how Warren Buffett  discovered differences on the income statement between great companies and not so great companies  In the process Warren Buffett was able to grow his many billions of dollars over many years .

 

Key Discoveries Warren Buffett made About The Size of Expenses Affecting Net Income in Relation to Revenue  - 

Warren Buffett's  analysis  of  financial statements differed  from  an accountant's view because he noticed some companies could generate sizable net margins and some could not.  Line by line he found expenses  were much smaller for Companies with distinct competitive advantages.

  A key element in  comparing two different companies' ability to grow their earnings over many years was the size of the net profit is in proportion to  the revenues.  .  The book emphasizes that Warren Buffett discovered early on in  investing   that a bigger net profit margin  is crucial in selecting stocks to buy when buying for the long term - perhaps holding your whole life unless the fundamentals change.  To me I am assuming a change would be a drop in the net profit margin.

 Wikpedia is defining net profit margin as net profit divided by revenues.  Multiply by 100 to get a number between 0 and 100..  The net profit margin could also be negative if their is a net loss.   I think the book is indicating 15 to 20 percent or more is very good.  .... and I think Warren Buffett uses "net income before income tax"   divided by revenue as his indicator = net profit margin

In contrast to these companies with high net margins (and thus a distinct competitive advantage ) are companies like car  manufacturers ( look in the book for this) that  have a very small net profit margin.   These small net profit margin companies is have to really compete with the other companies and they must sacrifice a healthier profit by spending more on the expenses just as  many companies also do.

And that is where the subtitle of the book comes in ..."durable competitive advantage".  Why can some companies earn so much money from revenues. Well,  the book is indicating that various expenses like 'research and development'  and  'depreciation' ..caused by needing to retool  (like car companies and phone companies that need to invest in new technology) are smaller in these exceptional companies..   Another thing about these companies with a durable competitive advantage are they have well known names.  The same issues apply to your family finances .. you could grow the family's wealth faster if you cut down on your need expenses and kept more money in your pocket - a higher net profit margin for your family's finances.

The growth in earning from one year to the next is indicated by the high net margin.
This growth in earnings will drive up a company's stock price.
 Peter  Lynch, one of the most successful mutual fund managers also stresses this point in his investing books.  For Warren Buffett, according to Mary Buffett's book he could see clearly the potential to grow earnings over the years with the cash being generated in the company - high net margin and using it to buy more earning power or to buy back stock - with fewer shares the earnings per share will rise .

Where can I filter the stocks by net profit margin?

One place that I go to is Google Finance.   They have a stock screener and you can add this as a criteria to screen stocks.  

Or you can locate a company's net profit margin on  Google Finance on the right side of the screen .  For each  stock they have key stats listed and the stat you are looking for , "net profit margin" is here also.


In the past Warren Buffett has invested in such companies as  American Express, Moody's , Wells Fargo. Coca Cola and others.  As an exercise you can follow these stocks on Google Finance and find much more about a company than just its net profit margin. 

What else could I screen in my stock selection?

Well, the valuation of a company is very important.  The Price per earning measures how pricey a stock.  Usually, the lower the better as a guideline.   I recall Peter Lynch in one of his books say that he would rather buy a company that had a p/e of 30 and growing earnings at 30 percent a year than own a company with a price/earnings of 20 and growing at 20 percent a year.

Are there other ways to learn about investing without risking my money?

My bank offers a practice account so you can practice buying and selling stocks.  You could view the stocks you buy daily, or weekly over months or years if you were cautious.  It is only pretend  money in the practice account.  Although the money is  only pretend money as the stocks that you have bought in this account change in value you can get a measure of how well your stock picks may have done by looking at  the percentage changes which change over the day or month or year.

ANOTHER WAY TO PROTECT YOURSELF

The magic of mathematics - I think having five to seven stocks that are dissimilar helps reduce major losses.  This could be something to investigate to give you more confidence.  The more confidence you have in the quality of the stock the more you would be able to weather a temporary downturn in the market and keep your stock long term to generate long term gains.

The Law of 72 

I do not recall if this covered in the book but the rule of 72 tells you how long it will take to double your money. - because the value of the stock is compounding.  Refer to Wikipedia.  If your stock rises at 18 percent a year then 72/8 equals 4 years to double.  Also refer to solution on Wikipedia for the rule for how long to triple your money.   Because Warren Buffett has been investing for many years and has selected stocks that he believes will grow year after year his fortune has grown to an astronomical number.

I also recommend reading Dr. Alexander Elder's book "Trading For a Living" especially if you enjoy charts and numbers. or visit  Dr. Alexander Elder, author of Trading for a Living  I have a book review on this site.  I recall an exhaustive treatment of indicators of the markets direction.

SUMMARY

Do you ever find yourself watching a stock investing show and the commentator is saying how good a stock is?   Well, now you may find yourself shouting at the screen "what is the net profit margin ...is it a measly 2 percent or a juicy 20 percent?  and how is it valued ?  Does it have a 100 price per earning?   How is  the stock going to rise fast enough in value to justify that valuation (of 100 price/earning).   Enjoy learning about investing and seek expertise but also do your own research and for what the authors actually said - read the book!   Happy learning.   I think you really have to have confidence to keep a stock that is falling - I am not saying to keep it but if the fundamentals of the company are the same - high earnings - maybe the company will rebound.   From the book it appears Warren Buffett seldom sells - because he does not want to pay capital gains - an income tax - upon selling his stocks.  the magic of compounding!.

Note:  I always welcome feedback, especially if I make faulty analysis, grammar errors and typos.
The last time I looked on Amazon the book was selling for just a few dollars.  A real gem of a book at a discounted price - what I like to call a door stop book - the perfect place to hide a book so no one "steals" it.

 

Review of "Drive The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us authored by Daniel H Pink

Book Review Of "Drive -  The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us"     A Book Review by Chris "Crispy" Garrah

The Book Review

The author Daniel Pink allows the reader in the book to tweet this message about the book.  "Carrots & sticks are so last century.  Drive says for 21 century work we need to attain autonomy, mastery & purpose."

Do I believe the book is straight-forward?   Well, I think a book entitled Motivation for Dummies might be easier.   But concepts I gleaned from the book are that intrinsic motivation will motivate someone more than pay and that pay might actually discourage an activity that someone enjoys.   So I think the book discourages parents for paying for good activities a child may engage in.  In the above tweet the words autonomy, mastery & purpose are the key words in motivation.

I believe the book is saying autonomy - the ability to direct oneselve is going to motivate someone to excel.   I believe the book is saying that the enjoyable feeling you get when you are immersed in something rewarding or "flow" is the key ingredient to allow someone to follow the pain that ten years required to master something.   (the "mastery" part)   And lastly I recall somewhere in the book that the author is indicating that money accrual can leave someone feeling empty so a higher purpose is important to stay motivated or have a good feeling.   Of course, these are my interpretations and if someone is an excellent summariser of research please steer me in another direction.

For Further Research

One of the key researchers Daniel H Pink notes is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.    And be sure to read Daniel H Pink's book to read what he actually meant.  ...... rather than my book review interpretation.

What this could mean for leaders

Could it mean that leaders need to allow followers to have more independence in deciding on a purpose ie. having autonomy?   Does it mean suggesting to students to find what they enjoy/  what make them have flow 
in order to endure ten years of mastering something?   I know that there are over 200 pages of information and that key concepts can be missed in a quick read.   Please let me know what you think the book is about  if you are inclined.   Many thanks.

Upgrade - Taking Your Work and Life from Ordinary to Extraordinary Book Review

Upgrade - Taking your Work and Life from Ordinary to Extraordinary (2013) By Rana Florida  ..... Book Review.

The Review by "Surfer Chris"  Garrah 

 

  The book focuses on how a person can change ones life and provides impetus.  The  youth of the author and the connection with her husband in business, a professor,   are key ingredients in making the book a smart, breezy  book.  The economic collapse of 2008 is in the mix of why people should move forward with what they can do to create independence in life and work.   Rana Florida is the author and she  is also  a CEO of  a management business that is also headed by  her husband .   Her husbands' research on the "creative class" is a key component of the management business.  The "creative class"  is a group of people attracted to work in certain cities where knowledge workers and artists enjoy living.

In the course of  the book encourages people to do things and fail because their are opportunities to learn from failing.   The steps to changing one's life appear very doable to this reader  because of the book's encouragement.  The approach that many people can succeed  even  by failing at first is non-threatening.  There is a natural progression of ideas through the chapters..   The books arguments are supported by  interviews  with  successful business people the author has encountered.

There are also mentions of other books that have been read by the author,   In the motivation or personal development areas are  The author points other seminal books like "Good to Great". "Who moved my cheese" , "Made to Stick" and  lastly, the book "Drive".  For further reading on the "creative class"  I recommend the book  "The Rise of the Creative Class Revisited" (2012) by Richard Florida.     Or the earlier book "The rise of the Creative Class - and How It's transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Every Day Life" ( 2002) also by Richard Florida.

Review of "Coaching For Breakthrough Success ..." by Jack Canfield and Peter Chee 2013

Book Review by Chris Garrah

 

Brief Review of the Book "Coaching for Breakthrough Success".

This is an immensely readable book on coaching.  It has many personal cases and the reader can immerse
himself/herself anywhere without feeling lost.   For example I had tried to review another book, really a compendium of another author who had reviewed 100's of books in motivation.  But I was left with the impression that that second book was written by an academic with an immense ego.   But with this book the complexity is not built up, this is concrete and personal.   There are no confusing diagrams.

 Definitely I Recommend this Book as an Immensely Readable and Useful Book on Coaching

 This is an excellent go to book for a supervisor or sales manager for example.
 There is material that the reader may not have been exposed to - as one example "back-casting" - a technique of visualizing the future and then working ones way backwards to the present.
You will not be wasting your time reading an academia book or a circuitous, vague book.  This is a five star book on coaching.

Book Review of Trading for a Living By Alex Elder 1993 Book review with a Canadian Perspective

Introduction to "Trading for a Living" (Alex Elder author 1993) reviewed by "Surfer Chris"  Garrah

 Overview of the book

This is an important book written on investing in the market.   The author is  a psychiatrist who makes the comparison of investing as an addiction and I would have to agree in the sense that I have known acquaintances who are gamblers that are attracted to investing because it gives them the same emotional highs and lows of gambling. But by learning more about investing and risking a smaller proportion of your portfolio on one stock you can reduce the gambling element in investing.
 

The Essentials of the Book

The author introduces concepts to reduce the risk of investing.  One of the key concepts is to only a risk a small portion of your investments in one stock.  He also points out that commissions must be kept to a minimum.   From a |Canadian perspective my solution is to ask your bank to match the Royal Bank commission of ten dollars per trade.   This breakthrough in commissions I believed happened in the spring of 2014.   versus commissions of thirty dollars per trade previously..

The book is comprehensive and introduces charting as well as fundamental analysis.  Where other investment books may look at companies financial well being and growth this book covers in detail the importance of finding more opportune times for buying a stock.

There are many indicators in the book to indicate if bears or bulls are controlling the market.   A starting indicator to look at is "New Highs minus new lows"    Check this out and if the number of companies reaching new highs (after subtracting out the companies reaching new lows) is rising (day after day )then  this  is supporting the view of the market as a bull market.

Investing For the Long Term

If you are intrigued by Warren Buffett investing for the long term learn about his discovery of companies with "unique competitive advantages".  These unique competitive advantages are reflected in higher than average net profit margins.  Read about Warren Buffett's method of selecting stocks by reading author Mary Buffett and David Clark's book listed in References at the end of this article.

Summary

The key point is the suggestion by the author that you should only invest a small amount of your portfolio in one stock.  This is because of the enormous difficulty of recovering your money when you suffer a loss.
With the reduced commissions in Canada the numbers work much better for the small Canadian investor.

One key indicator that reflects a stock prices growth is the price per earning growth or PEG.  As a starting point new investors should check out what this is.  Be cautious and if you enjoy investing learn as much as you can by reading and learning.  Happy investing.  In Canada the Royal Bank may have been the trendsetter in reducing their trading commissions.RBC Direct Investing - Canadian Bank with low direct trading commissions

References

Trading for a Living (1993)  Author Alex Elder
Warren Buffett and the Interpretation of Financial Statements - The Search for  The Company with a Durable Competitive Advantage (2008) Authors Mary Buffett & David Clark

 

 

The Pragmatic MBA for Scientific and Technical Executives Book Review

Concise Book Review of "The Pragmatic MBA for Scientific and Technical Executives" (written by Bertrand C. Liang) 2013 by Chris Garrah  June 30, 2014

 About the Book

Really,  I just want to create an awareness that this MBA book is available as an eBook.  The book is concise and brief and introduces anyone to the divisions of expertise by chapter with references to books that are worthy of further specialization

 Within a matter of minutes you can scan area that interest you and get an overview of some of the science and math that went into the study of the business side of businesses.   Jumping from chapter to chapter is easy in eBook layout - with each chapter being a branch of a study of business such as "portfolio management".    Interesting quotations are spread throughout the book.   Just a very interesting and useful book.

Why not check out this book and get a feel for what it would like to be an MBA - or gain a working knowledge of areas in business where you can converse more at ease with MBA's.?

...how to speak better - here a book is reviewed by Chris Garrah

 Speak With Confidence - A Personal Review  of Booher, Dianna Daniels 2003 book 

September 10, 2012

A  Book Review Chris Crispy Garrah

DOES IT HELP YOU OVERCOME YOUR FEAR OF SPEAKING?

Definitely yes. I have to admit that when I was reading the 2003 version and there was a discussion of the fear of public speaking I almost stopped reading because I was starting to relive past episodes of fear of public speaking.  That is how powerful the fear of public speaking can be,

BUILD ON THE BOOKS WISDOM

Don't give up. There is deep insight into handle the fear. For example - what do you do when you see a group of people staring at you? Do you look at one person and onto the next and onto the next without really seeing them like I did? No, No. The book tells you to look at one person and make a point in your talk - then move onto talking to another person with another point. Can't you see how this would immediately give you a lot more confidence? - instead of glancing over everyone's face and possibly causing you to panic.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE BOOKS CONFIDENCE BUILDING

The book shows you how move on stage to give different emphasis - a different structure to the different parts of your speech. Because I did not author the book I am only going to say that you need to read the book.

EXCELLENT AS A REFERENCE ON PUBLIC SPEAKING

I could see that someone could be intimidated by the book because there is a lot of material. Instead look at it another way. There is a lot of material that is going to make you a GREAT speaker. ... and the more material -well -the more you got for your money . The author is authority on public speaking after all. But that only means you have found a great reference book on public speaking. Here is an opportunity for everyone to become a confident public speaker. I recommend that if you are a little scared to just read little sections at a time and apply them.

A Cow In the Parking Lot - A Zen Approach to Overcoming Anger - a book review by Chris Garrah

The Cow in the Parking Lot -
A Zen Approach to Overcoming Anger

Discovering the Book

A book by Leonard Scheff and Susan Edmiston 2010

Reviewed by "Surfer Chris" Garrah

The Cow In The Parking Lot - A Zen Approach to Overcoming Anger

 by Leonard Scheff and Susan Edmiston                  

 

I discovered this book at the local library.  It was on a shelf that said it was a "pick of the library staff".   It is a self help book that I rate highly.  Why? Because it is a book for thinkers.  If you sometimes like to work your brain a little bit this is a book that with not much effort can reduce the amount of anger in your life.   And if you are thinking that anger in your life is a good thing , well, the book will have you reconsidering whether less anger in your life can be a good thing.

A Buddhist point of view in anger management

The book  approaches anger management from a Buddhist point of view.  The title is based on Buddhist thinking and it really will make you think twice about  whether you should get angry in different  situations.   The title is based on an analysis of someone stealing  your parking spot.

Reading the book has made me re-think  about what things make me become  angry.   This book has the power to improve your quality of life.   ...and for that reason I recommend you read it.   If you find yourself getting angry just as much after having read it then you still have the opportunity to take another look at the book!

Discovering and Fixing the Buttons that Make You Angry

I recall that a focus of the book is that a reader should write down what events  trigger you to get angry.   The book helps you find what "buttons" people can push to make you angry.  After helping you discover your "buttons"   the book helps you make those "buttons" become  smaller.

It is only a small task to read a book and write a report , but it is a much bigger task to write the book .  That is why I supply a link to the author's site to give the author his credit. Leonaard Scheff website

For more insights on self improvement stay on our site.  More Self Help Book Reviews by Chris Garrah

Comments are Welcome

If you are a fellow reader of similar type books or really any kind of non-fiction book I would love to hear from you and give a link here to your site if you have one.  Hope the book improves your life.

The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracey - a book review by Chris Garrah

The Psychology of Selling

Brian Tracey knows in depth the art of selling.   In this book he notes how important it is for sales people to keep self motivated.  He observes that salespeople who cannot accept rejection quickly can shorten their day calling on customers.  He shows the importance of a salesman bolstering his self confidence.

Affirmations and Visualization

Mr. Tracey recommends affirmations and reveals the affirmations and visualizations of a number one salesperson for a company.  Chapter by chapter the material is practical and geared towards the success of a salesperson.

Move to the Upper Level of Sales

Following this advice should have you move to the upper levels of sales - outperforming the vast majority of salespeople.  It's not easy to accept the rejection of a majority of contacts but Mr. Tracey gives you tools to keep your self confidence high.   Applying his psychology tools you will maintain a good frame of mind to continue making sales calls and succeeding instead of being immobilized before you go out on a call by the fear of rejection. The book covers the psychology of matching the benefits of your product to what the customer is looking for.   The information is concrete and not just a pep talk - there is substance in the information.

Book review of Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Business

Book Review of "Ultimate Guide to Linkedin for Business"

"How to Get Connected with 150 million + customers in 10 minutes" by Ted Prodromou (2012)

Reviewed by Chris Garrah on October 28, 2012

This book gives useful insight in how to use Linkedin in a way similar to Facebook.

The best insight I learned was that there are open net-workers called "LIONS "- short for Linkedin open net-workers that accept a large number of connections.  The open net-workers are people like recruiters and salespeople where success is a numbers game - where having a large number of contacts increase success in sales or recruiting.   But people on Linkedin as a group have a more serious inclination than the Facebook crowd - so having a large number of Linkedin connections builds you a solid network.  I have seen studies where a typical person usually only has time to interact with a small number of people.   But the open network and LION concept allows anyone who wants to to create a larger network.   Linkedin provides a  "social proof" as explained in the book - a way for your network to provide you with referrals.   This is a way that people who want references as in real life will seek you out and connect with you - a way to solidify and have a valuable network.

From a bloggers perspective

The book allows you as a web site operator to increase your SEO - tour search engine optimization because (unless I am mistaken) your search engine lifts you higher as a returned result if you are listed on Linkedin with many connections.  In one day by adding over a hundred connections of fellow LIONS) which you can search on Linkedin I noticed when I googled my name that I moved up in search results compared to other people who shared the same name.   For googling keywords that appear in your blogs there could be a big difference in turning up in search results or being returned on a search page many page later - buried deep!

More about the book - Ultimate Guide to Linkedin for Business

There are 24 chapters worth exploring - so I am just skimming the surface.

The book has many insights into networking on Linkedin.  It is a resource book - really an ultimate guide as the title suggests.   A search on Amazon reveals a reasonable price as well.  To connect with the author here is the link to Ted Prodoromou

Book Review  Enchantment - The Art Of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions by Guy Kawasaki 2011

Reviewed by Chris Garrah November 3 , 2012

Well, who is Guy Kawasaki?

Guy Kawasaki is the former chief evangelist of Apple .  He describes himself this way so this gives the book credibility.  Also "Woz" gives an endorsement on the book cover.

The book describes a personal skill set that you can work at developing in the same manner as Dale Carnegies' "How to Win Friends and Influence People"

About Enchantment

Guy Kawaski in the book "Enchanted" describes not only personal traits to develop but all the steps a company and people need to use from the initial creation to developing the company product - to have enchantment embedded in the marketing of the company product.

Mr Kawasaki also explains how to use social media like Twitter, blogs and presentations in an "enchanted" way.

In totality the book has solid content .  If you worry that your eyes may have glazed over during parts of the book there is also a quiz at the back of the book to make sure you have not zoned out during the reading of the book.  In my case I was reassured by a satisfactory score - so I learned something.

Gateway to the author Guy Kawasaki

On the book cover we are given:  WWW.facebook.com/enchantment

Guy Kawasaki is the author of  at least 9 other books.   An enterpreneur in the book also recommends "The Art of the Start" by Guy Kawasaki.  That may be a book you the reader may like to explore.

Happy reading!

How to Become a Top Notch Programmer on Your Own!

How do you decide what to study - to be an in demand, rich  programmer? - by Chris Garrah 
June 30, 2013

Do you ever wander into a library or browse the internet and hope you find a computer language to study? What do you study?

One solution - try reading the  book called "The Passionate Programmer" by Chad Fowler.  Subtitle: Creating a Remarkable Career in Software Development.   The book is full of insights and tips on how to explore somputer programming in depth and how to make yourself a very valuable computer programmer.
.
Sure it was written in 2009.  But it is written by a gifted saxophonist who studied the art of computer programming on his own.  When he was hired , he found he could run circles around formally trained programmers because he took the time to explore areas in depth and to constantly ask questions to dig deeper.   In his book Mr. Fowler fills in the details of how to achieve what he did in gaining an intimate understanding of programming and the areas to explore that can have a good reward for you.

Not sure what programming languages or areas to study?

The book discusses many areas - and there is a fair number of techno-speak - but how about starting  programming in Java or ".net".   To delve into it further try getting a copy of the book.  The book cover promotes it's author - "Chad Fowler is an internationally known software developer,trainer, manager, speaker and musician.

Dream Big! - Could reading and following this book  be a pathway to being a Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg?

Yes! If you find you love to program I recommend this book. The subtitle of the book shows what the book can help you find if you use the book to develop your passion for computer programming .... Here is the subtitle ...."creat(e) a remarkable career in software development.

Learning About Asperger Syndrome - Could illness turn you into a savant?

A review of Daniel Tammet's book "Born On a Blue Day" by Surfer Chris Garrah

Born On a Blue Day -  A Memoir of Aspergerès and an Extraordinary Mind by Daniel Tammet 2006

 

 

 

 

Why should you read Daniel Tammet's Memoir book?

So I was flipping through the Book "Born on a Blue Day" written by Daniel Savant.   He has Asperger syndrome but he also has an amazing ability with numbers and learning languages.   One condition he  has is synaesthesia which allows him to sees numbers much differently than the average person.  Synaesthesia could be described as a very rich multi-sensory and emotional experience of numbers.  In the book Daniel is able to describe the enriched awareness and uniqueness of different numbers.  He is able to describe how richly he sees the numbers and how different numbers affect his emotions differently.  He experiences each number in a variety of modes as if his sensory channels have been combined when experiencing numbers.

How amazing are Daniel's abilities?

His rich experience of numbers in mind allowed him to recite the number "pi" to 22,514 digits.  The sequence of numbers has a significance and multi-channel experience for him. Which explains how it is even possible to explain such an amaing feat of memorizing an amazingly long sequence of numbers. Daniel's gift of numbers allowed him to  raise funds to support epilepsy awareness.
It was after an epileptic bout that Daniel Tammett acquired his amazing abilities.

Also in the book

Daniel also describes his experience and ability counting cards in blackjack in Las Vegas and also his gift to quickly learn languages.

Daniel Tammet's full book title is:  Born on a Blue Day      A memoir of Asperger's and an Extraordinary Mind  published 2006

How to be a Publicist - one of the keys - a book review of writing effective News Releases

How to Get free publicity for yourself, Your Business , or Your Organization
A Book Review by Chris Garrah of Catherine V McIntyre's Book  - reviewed April 3, 2013

About the Book

The book was first published in 1992 and then a 2nd publishing in 2008.   It's title is "Writing Effective News Releases ...  How to get free publicity for yourself, your business or your organization. 

Why read the Book

It may not even be necessary to read the book to get useful information - just flipping through it - you will gain information.   The important thing is that by writing one or two pages - a news release - you can forward it to a television station or a newspaper .  News sources are looking for interesting releases to fill out their programming.   

The book covers essential information on what to include in the release and the format.  It shows many examples .  Chapter 10 is especially useful   Developing Newsworthy Ideas.

Summary

Many organizations or businesses cannot afford to pay for advertising - this book points out a way to promote your organization FREE.  By thinking about the ideas in the book - and reading some of the news releases you can not only learn about writing news releases you will have learned how to be a publicist for you, your interests and businesses or organizations.