I bet if you walked down the street and randomly asked strangers what books influenced their lives you would here lofty answers like “The Bible”, Lincoln’s biography or other epic responses. Most are probably B.S. meant to impress and given without much reflection. Give it some thought. What books did you read growing up that made you who you are? It might be as simple as the Hardy Boys or a random novel from the library.
We were there novel
I grew up without handheld electronics, the web, or anything on television during the day other than soap operas. Thus, reading was my escape. I did read all of the Hardy Boys novels, I used to read juvenile history through the “we were there” novels and I quickly advanced to raiding my parent’s bookshelves to find new fodder for learning. Maybe reading “Papillon” as sixth-grader was not the healthiest indulgement but I knew I did not want to go to prison!
In the late 1970’s I lived in California. We had moved from Minneapolis to San Jose. It was culture shock for a kid from the midwest but I survived. Among changes that occurred in my life was the coincidental fitness craze across America and the new found love of jogging many had started.
I remember walking into department stores and seeing the book “Running” by Jim Fixx on tables. It was a bold color, red, with just a pair of legs and red running shows and the title in bold white letters. That book and the attention given to the jogging craze inspired me to run. I can remember running around our block. We moved to San Diego and I continued to jog, although I was never consistent. In 1980 I tried to run my first half marathon at the age of 12. At just past six miles my Dad drove by to check on me, I climbed in the car and never finished. However, the book “Running” impacted me and I went on to run track in high school and some in college. To this day I still exercise and it due to that book.
Around the same time I would read books on my parent’s shelves. One of the books I read was “Lucifer’s Hammer.” The first apocalyptic novel I read. In the book a meteor crashes to earth and leaves behind the survivors to rebuild a new world. The main character in the book is an engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and uses logic and skill to survive. In 7th grade I found myself identifying with that engineer, wanting to be the engineer that was savvy enough to plan for disaster and solve problems. The book “Lucifer’s Hammer” forever changed my life and influenced me to become an engineer. Not only did it inspire me to be an engineer but more a person desirous of self-reliance and wanting to learn. I realized we only have a finite amount of time in our lives and we must learn all we can.
The third major book to influence my life came from the television commercials in the early 1980’s featuring Victor Kiam. Kiam was an entreprenuer an advertised the Remington microshaver, his tag line was something like, “I liked the shaver so much I bought the company.” He also advertised a book, “Going for It” about being an entreprenuer. I bought and read that book. That single book helped me realize I could achieve success on my own.
Throughout college I read books even though I was in school. I theorized that we have only a finite amount of time on earth and it is essentially impossible to learn everything that could be known to man. In other words, why reinvent the wheel? Thus, if I could read biographies and learn from others I should do so. Thus, I read Lincoln, Trump, Schwartzkopf, Hughes, and many others. I soaked up learning from great men, leaders, and entreprenuers. I learned the consistent theme was drive. You must be driven to succeed.
A friend of mine summed this up as something he shares with his kids and I now repeat it often. “It is easy to be average.”
Pick up a book, turn off the television and electronics. Read.
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