As you know, my goal for this year is to read 18 books.
One of the books I finished recently is called “The Earned Life”, which is written by dr. Marshall Goldsmith. Marshall has been recognized as the world’s leading executive coach and is the bestseller author of many books, including this one.
In his book, Marshall defines an earned life when “the choices, risks, and effort we make in each moment align with an overarching purpose in our lives, regardless of the eventual outcome”. The purpose of living an earned life is to ‘make a positive difference, not to prove people how smart or right we are’, a statement from Peter Drucker, one of the mentors from Marshall.
What did I appreciate most?
This book provides a deeper level of understanding on our journey to constantly finding a higher purpose. It delivers numerous perspectives to do so, such as the credibility matrix, the Life Plan Review, and the 3 A’s (Action, Ambition and Aspiration), just to name a few. Additionally, the book includes exercises which you can apply immediately, for example on the art of asking for help or finding your ‘one-trick-genius’.
The purpose of living an earned life is to make a positive difference
What is my tip?
The book is an excellent read, with not too many tips from my side. If I had to name one, it would be the following:
In his book, Marshall talks about being a generalist vs a specialist. He resolves this dichotomy in favor of being a specialist. To be honest, that is a surprise to me.
From a specialist, I would have expected a specific framework regarding the earned life. From a generalist, I would have expected the tools and exercises from a general perspective, exactly what I got now as a reader. So, this assertion from Marshall draws some questions from my side.
What is my takeaway from this book?
In short, the book is packed full of life lessons regarding personal development. I loved this book, and I also believe it’s one of those books that if you re-read it, you’ll gain a vast amount of new insights.
My biggest take-away of this book is in the practical tools that Marshall has shared. There are 2 tools that I’d like to highlight.
The first one is regarding the structure that Marshall has built, called the Life Plan Review. The LPR re-emphasizes the need to create and maintain a regular structure to achieving an earned life. I enhanced my own rhythm of reflection, journaling, weekly goals and evaluation, and added the 6 daily questions checklist from Marshall to it.
I truly believe that such a structure can help us live an earned life and make a positive difference for the people around us.
If you want to know more about my structure, feel free to contact me.
Curious about the 2nd practical tool from Marshall? Click here.
As you know, my goal for this year is to read 18 books.
One of the books I finished recently is called “The Earned Life”, which is written by dr. Marshall Goldsmith. Marshall has been recognized as the world’s leading executive coach and is the bestseller author of many books, including this one.
In his book, Marshall defines an earned life when “the choices, risks, and effort we make in each moment align with an overarching purpose in our lives, regardless of the eventual outcome”. The purpose of living an earned life is to ‘make a positive difference, not to prove people how smart or right we are’, a statement from Peter Drucker, one of the mentors from Marshall.
What did I appreciate most?
This book provides a deeper level of understanding on our journey to constantly finding a higher purpose. It delivers numerous perspectives to do so, such as the credibility matrix, the Life Plan Review, and the 3 A’s (Action, Ambition and Aspiration), just to name a few. Additionally, the book includes exercises which you can apply immediately, for example on the art of asking for help or finding your ‘one-trick-genius’.
The purpose of living an earned life is to make a positive difference
What is my tip?
The book is an excellent read, with not too many tips from my side. If I had to name one, it would be the following:
In his book, Marshall talks about being a generalist vs a specialist. He resolves this dichotomy in favor of being a specialist. To be honest, that is a surprise to me.
From a specialist, I would have expected a specific framework regarding the earned life. From a generalist, I would have expected the tools and exercises from a general perspective, exactly what I got now as a reader. So, this assertion from Marshall draws some questions from my side.
What is my takeaway from this book?
In short, the book is packed full of life lessons regarding personal development. I loved this book, and I also believe it’s one of those books that if you re-read it, you’ll gain a vast amount of new insights.
My biggest take-away of this book is in the practical tools that Marshall has shared. There are 2 tools that I’d like to highlight.
The first one is regarding the structure that Marshall has built, called the Life Plan Review. The LPR re-emphasizes the need to create and maintain a regular structure to achieving an earned life. I enhanced my own rhythm of reflection, journaling, weekly goals and evaluation, and added the 6 daily questions checklist from Marshall to it.
I truly believe that such a structure can help us live an earned life and make a positive difference for the people around us.
If you want to know more about my structure, feel free to contact me.
Curious about the 2nd practical tool from Marshall? Click here.
