Unlike most of the books on this site, what I took from The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt isn’t so much about learning, but much more about inspiration. Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt led one of the most action-packed lives in history, filled with vigour, achievement, joy, suffering and overcoming. This incredible biography of Roosevelt by Edmund Morris is heavily detailed and a work of intense scholarship but is as readable as a novel. This is actually the first of a three part series by Morris on Roosevelt. (The second being Theodore Rex and the final being Colonel Roosevelt) The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt charts the period from birth to the Presidency. What can we learn from The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt? That life is more than long enough Most people complain that life is too short. They can’t fit everything in. There’s never enough time etc. Teddy’s life shows that all to be bullshit. He …[Read More]
Keep On Learning
Why we should commit to becoming learning machines
I first heard of the idea of being a learning machine from my time at Phoenix in reference to legendary billionaire investor Charlie Munger. Simply put, a learning machine never stops learning and is committed to growth. It’s easy to say and I bet everyone would say that they’re learning machines, but how true is this really. The sad reality is most people don’t like to learn and aren’t committed to lifelong learning. Most people don’t even learn at school. They’re taught facts to recite but they’re not learning. It carries on through univrsity and once they’re in a career, the learning has stopped. At 30 years old, most men have become average and their lives have stagnated. Why it’s important and why you should care The day you stop learning is the day you start moving backwards. I want to be wiser today than I was yesterday. Even just …[Read More]