10-10-10 - and Linchpins

I got through these books in the last days of Christmas break.

Both were simple, easy reads.  Neither was terribly "good" - or "significant" but every book I read makes me think, and that is always a good thing.

10-10-10: A Fast and Powerful Way to Get Unstuck in Love, at Work, and withYour Family by Suzy Welch was a quick and easy read.  A very simple premise.  In fact, so simple that the length of the book is quite amazing.  It is essentially story after story of persons who have used Suzy's "method" for getting unstuck.  The basic premise is as follows - when you find yourself in a situation where you are "stuck" or where you find yourself frustrated and confused - do the following - think about the dilemma and decision you have - and determine how your decisions will shape the next 10 minutes of your life, the next 10 months of your life and the next 10 years of your life.  Or, said more simply - what are the immediate consequences to your decision - the consequences in the foreseeable future - and the imagined (though probable/possible) consequences for the next decade.  Pretty simple.  And yet - I would note that I've used similar methods for constructing and imagining the future in other situations of my life. 

When I was "stuck" with my dissertation work several years ago - one thing that helped me process my daily work was a similar framework articulated by Tony Robbins - based on the Christmas Carol.  Tony notes that what helped Ebenezer Scrooge change his future is the fact that he had to be motivated by enough pain or pleasure to see a different future.  Motivated by the pain of not finishing my dissertation - and the pleasure(s) of what might emerge if I did complete it - was indeed motivational to help me proceed with my work then. 

Robyn and I try in our personal/family/professional lives to plan our lives together.  At the end of 2009 and start of 2010 we spent some time together planning this next decade of our life.  Of course we can't know what will happen - but we can know certain things we must do to move forward.  This past year we've each made efforts to write and engage and think and apply for opportunities that have been moving us forward to our hoped for goals.  We've had a great year.  Blessed - looking forward to thinking about how to do some more 10-10-10 planning for our life!  =)

Seth Godin's latest book is entitled Linchpin. A linchpin is indispensable and this title instantly made sense to me.  Another quick read - the premise is quite simple.  Linchpins connect things, people, projects, ideas together.  They are indispensable.   A longer review - from a person who liked the book more than I, can be found here.