Thursday, November 23, 2006

Dear Mr Brian Tracy

I am half way through reading your "Eat that frog" personal development, conquer the world book, which my wife has recieved from the RVC, presumably to help her with the above.

I realise that you are an amazing man and who am I to comment, but I rather feel that your book contradicts itself.

You spend the first 9 chapters, correctly pointing out that should we have to eat a live frog every day, best get it done in the morning so the rest of the day will be brighter. That is to say, you should start the day with the job that will have the biggest impact and is probably the one you least look forward to. You also state quite rightly in chapter 6 that one should identify the area of work which is holding one back, which one is weakest at and focus on that to help you move forward.

In chapter 10, however, you contradict all this by stating that one should focus on the thing your best at and you most enjoy. Do this, you say, and you can lose your job, house and everything you own but yet have the earning potential to get it all back again and more.

Doing what you enjoy and are good at is not neccessarily what you are paid to do. Is it not a very common problem that we folk do what we enjoy instead of what we should be doing to move forward in life.

As with all such books and courses, you make some valid points but I am not convinced that your book will change my life and I have already concluded that I will never be as brilliant as you. To be honest, I'm finding your book a little tedious.

I would appreciate your comment.

Best regard
VL

3 comments:

the other cold one said...

I fully agree - usually these books are written in a self-congratulatory 'look how wonderful I am' style, with the caveat that you will never be as successful or wonderful as me, and one must wade through an awful lot of mud to find a small nugget of gold....
But we must remember that all of us must begin somewhere - even DaVinci, Bach, Brunel etc. had to learn their crafts and make mistakes. Not worth the paper they're written on (especially the American ' try these at home' type !!!)

On another theme entirely, a letter dropped through the door this morning, congratulating us on being the lucky participants in a Kris Krindle. I liked rule number 5 concerning difficult-to-explain presents (what about mother-in-laws???), but I will get my shout in first.

To take part in a family Kris Krindle,
Makes the hair on my neck rightly tingle,
It should be close shorn,
but the clippers are worn,
and blunt as an old fashioned thimble!!!!!


Answers on a postcard....

Anonymous said...

Viking Longship. A question for you. Will you look back at the other sitess this month, because I have been busy. Now I know how to do it there is no stopping me.

All the best. Mum of Viking Longship

Viking Longship said...

Mum of me,

Glad to hear your on board.... Blogger sends me e-mails when people comment. It doesn't always work but it's reasonably reliable.

Check in regularly, now it's winter I tend to have more time to keep the blog up to date (the dark and, at the moment, wet evenings mean we are not outside in the garage so often.

I am impressed with how you have mastered blog technology ..........