"The Lazy way to Success" by Fred Gratzon

Of course the only way to do a book review of this book is to do it the lazy way! Hence, I have chosen to take photos instead of typing it out: 

The lazy way – is to have fun doing it. 

I like how he actually uses many examples to emphasis his messages - like how he finds many examples throughout great discoveries that each and everyone of these scientist was having fun while doing it, or didn't intend to find it in the first place.

From Richard Branson, I have already learnt the importance of pursuing your passion, but that is just like one piece of evidence from only one person. In this case, it was important for me to see it being repeated by so many different scientists, athletes, and musicians – name it, you have it.

The goal is not important – what matters most are that you enjoy it. 

This is an illumination to me as well? But to be fair, it is in at this stage of my life. My target was not about making more money on the surface, it was about making a difference to the world. However, underneaths that, perhaps, there were also mixed feelings of making money and making a name for myself.

As I dispelled the need to leave a name for myself, I found myself taking to his proposal of making sure that you enjoy the process. I didn't choose a major that I enjoyed – I chose one to make a difference - hence I chose environmental engineering.

Do something that you get into the state of flow, you will enjoy it and get better at it.  From there, you will accomplish success in that field.

“A first rate soup is better than a second rate painting” Abraham Maslow. 

If you are doing something natural to you and good for the world, the world will come around to help you

This is where perhaps; he may be exaggerating a little bit. But with quotes from Buckminister:

This is where it applies to me most now: However, for nature and circumstances to fall behind you – you often need to make a commitment.  A  commitment - some action that requires an act of faith that demands something unnatural, something that is a stretch to you.

How does one find their calling then?

On definition of work:

On Leadership:

He basically concurs with Richard Branson and Dale Carnegie: praise praise praise. 

The last few chapters - Subtler is the way to save the world:

The last few chapters are where he really starts to make LESS sense, however it is also a tall order for him to make sense in that last few chapters. 

While quoting Einstein that problems cannot be solved at the same level of thinking as they were created and that Subtler is simpler and better, he proposes that we do nothing   - do nothing in a certain way will be the way to solve many of the world problems. 

In proof that things are more effective at a more subtler level, in organisations:

Leadership-culture trumps strategy. 

In his context, he was just referring that inside of many creative thinking training camps, all it matters more is to have the culture that encourages experimentation and failures in the company. 

Enjoy the process/ kiss the failures

If u want a sure fire way to hit the bull eyes, draw the circle after your arrow has landed, so he cites example of side effects being the gold mine.  The most famous will be story of the discovery of penicillin. 

Education don't teach you what is important. 

I don't have a solution to his suggestion that education does not teach you anything important. I don't have a better solution, how do you teach students to know thyself? However, I agree we are so much off the scale that perhaps even ensuring the minimum amount of self awareness teaching will be a good point to start with. Here are my proposals to education:

• At the teenage years, to start encouraging students to ask about who is thyself
• Teach philosophy – that is one of the best way to start questions about thyself.
• Teach mediation – as the Singapore Googler suggest. Acknowledging that mediation brings benefits and hence like physical education – make it part of the curriculum.

The Lazy Way to Success In Sum:

Do what you enjoy doing, that will get you into flow. Then you no longer have to work hard because it is not work to you. When you make the final big commitment, and it is a cause good for the world, the world will come round to support you.  And because you delight in the process and perhaps, not be so stuck in the search for the final outcome, your eyes maybe opened for the gold mine that are actually the side effects.  And yet, to begin with, you have to learn to know yourself in order to know what gets you into flow!