Dear Leader,
I trust this meets you in pursuit of wisdom.
To kick off the year 2026, I read 4 interesting books in January:
- Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
- As a man thinketh by James Allen
- Mindset by Carol Dweck
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
I started reading Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. I’m not a stranger to the works of Brene Brown. I think around 2019/2020 I read two of her books, “Braving the Wilderness” AND “The gifts of imperfection”.
One of my themes for the year 2026 is Audacity, so it was expected that “Daring greatly” would make my pick. I’ve had the book on my list on TO READ for a while.
If you have big dreams and ideas but have not been able to pull them off the ground due to fear and shame, I advise you to explore the works of Brene Brown. Start with “The gifts of Imperfection”, then “Braving the wilderness” and then you can catch up with me on “Daring greatly”.
My goal for sharing my book reviews is not to criticise or tell many stories. I will just list what I wrote down on my notes as takeaways from the books.
Shall we?
Notes on “Daring greatly”
- When we spend our lives waiting until we are perfect or bulletproof before we walk into the arena, we ultimately sacrifice relationships and opportunities that may not be recoverable, we squander our precious time and we turn our backs on our gifts – those unique contributions that only we can make.
- Many of us are waiting to be perfect before we walk in the arena of our destiny, but perfection does not exist in the human experience. We must walk into the arena (whatever that may be for you), with courage and the willingness (determination) to engage rather than sitting on the sidelines and hurling judgement and advice. We must dare to show up and let ourselves be seen. This is daring greatly.
- “What would I attempt if I knew I could not fail? What is worth doing even if I fail?
- The secret killer of innovation is shame. You cannot measure shame but it is there. Every time someone holds back on a new idea or is afraid to speak up in front of people, you can be sure shame played a part. That deep fear we all have of being wrong, of being belittled and of feeling less than, is what stops us from taking the very risks required to move forward. Shame becomes fear, fear leads to risk aversion. Risk aversion kills innovation.
- People are not doing things because they have a sense of “I am not good enough”. They carry self-doubt, and self criticisms around in their heads. Most of them are programming from childhood.
- The key to fight shame and to honour who we are is by sharing our experiences with someone who has earned the right to hear it. Someone who loves us, not despite our vulnerabilities but because of them.
- Stop taking criticisms from people who are not in the arena. If you are not in the arena with the rest of us, fighting and getting your ass kicked on occasion, I’m not interested in your feedback.
- Perfectionism is not the key to success. Perfectionism is not the same as striving for excellence. Perfectionism is the belief that if we do things perfectly and look perfect, we can minimise or avoid the pain of blame, judgement and shame.
Excellence is “How can I improve”
Perfectionism is “What will they think” - Quick and dirty wins the race. Perfection is the enemy of “done”.
- One of the most effective ways to start recovering from perfectionism is to start creating.
- If you are not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it is almost certain that you are not reaching your potential as a leader. Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead.
- Daring greatly is not about winning or losing. It is about courage in a world where scarcity and shame dominate and feeling afraid has become second nature.
Notes on “As a man thinketh” – James Allen
- Everything without will be mirrored and coloured according to what you are within.
- Whatever you harbour in the innermost chamber of your heart will sooner or later by the inevitable law of reaction, shape itself in your outward life.
- If your real desire is to do good, there is no need to wait for money before you do it. You can do it now, this very moment and just where you are.
- Order your thought and you will order your life.
Notes on “Mindset” – Carol Dweck
- Everyone can change and grow through application and experiences.
- A growth mindset is more important than a fixed mindset.
- The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to a task even when it is not going well, is the hallmark of a growth mindset.
- People with a fixed mindset will rather do easy tasks than hard ones because they don’t want to make mistakes. They want to make sure they succeed. But for people with a growth mindset, success is about stretching yourself, figuring out the hard task.
- Intelligence is something you have to work for. It’s not something given to you.
- Your potential is your capacity to develop your skills with effort over time.
- Mindset is more important than talent. Compete on mindset, not talent. All victories come from the mind, not from the hand.
Notes on “Grit” – Angela Duckworth
- Aim to be the grittiest person in the room.
- What we eventually accomplish in life may depend more on our passion and perseverance than our innate talent.
- Our potential is one thing. What we do with it is quite another.
- Talent is how quickly your skill improves when you invest effort. Achievement is what happens when you take your acquired skills and use them.
- When it comes to how we fare in the marathon of life, effort counts tremendously.
- Consistency of effort over the long run is everything.
- Grit is more about stamina than intensity. If you keep the same energy for years you have grit.
- Grit is about working on something you really care about so much that you are willing to stay loyal to it.
That’s from readings in January. I thought to share with you.
What did you read in January? Most importantly, what are you reading this February?
Would you like me to do a video review on the books I’m reading?
Let me hear from you.
Always rooting for you,
The Great Owete