A&B #20

Hey friends,

I'm writing to all 4,394 of you today.Quite a few people responded positively to the idea of a private community for readers so I'm working on building it. Since a lot of people said $10 a month would be too expensive, I'm lowering the price to $5 a month. By joining you'll get:

• A collection of my reading tips

• Access to my in-depth book notes

• A monthly book club with Zoom calls

• Bonus content like how to grow your social media following

• Weekly challenges and a place to share your achievements with fellow readers

Once again, if you're interested in joining, please let me know what you'd like to see in the community by replying to this email.

Alright, let's dive into this week's newsletter!

🎧 Podcast Update:

My most recent podcast was with Scott Young, the bestselling author of Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career.In our conversation, Scott talks about:

• Effective learnings strategies

• Some of the paradoxes of learning

• How to remember more from the books you've read

Read a summary of the podcast here.PS: You can watch our podcast on YouTube here.

📚 Book Lessons:

I recently finished Seth Godin's book Poke The Box. It's a super short read (only 85 pages) that will motivate you to poke the box AKA do something new. Think of it as The War of Art by Steven Pressfield but for business.Here are 3 lessons from the book:1) Follow Your CuriosityImagine a world that had no middlemen (no publishers, movie studios, bosses, etc.). A world with no one telling you what you couldn't do. If you lived in that world, what would you do? "Reject the tyranny of picked," writes Seth Godin, "Pick yourself."Go do that. Don't worry about being completely original or creating a breakthrough product or business. Instead, follow your curiosity and see where it leads you. Following your curiosity doesn't guarantee success, but it's a great starting point.2) Take The First StepYou don't have to create a successful business or write a bestselling book today. You simply have to take the first step in the right direction, and then do that day after day. "I'm merely encouraging you to start...Be the one who starts things," advises Seth. Imagine you wanted to walk from New York City to Los Angelos. Even if you spent all day walking, you still wouldn't get there overnight. You'd have to rest at a hotel and then continue your journey the next day and keep doing that until you arrived at your destination. The same goes for your project. Take the first step in the right direction every day and you'll eventually get to your desired location.3) Be Okay With FailureIf you've never failed, you're either really lucky or not pushing yourself enough. The road to success is often paved with failure. Seth, for instance, failed at running a record label, failed at running a light-bulb business, and wrote several books that bombed. Don't let the fear of failure hold you back from greatness either. It's okay to fail. And when failure does happen, learn from the experience and then get back to work.

✅ Actionable Advice:1) Follow Your Curiosity. Grab a sheet of paper and write down 5 things or projects that interest you. Then look at your list and ask yourself which one keeps you up at night? Which one can you not stop thinking about? Pursue that project. 2) Take The First Step. If you want to write a book, write a 2-3 sentence summary of what readers will learn from your book. If you want to start a business, ask yourself what problems you constantly see that no one's solving. If you want to create a podcast, order a microphone, and have a practice podcast with a friend or family member.3) Be Okay With Failure. Think about the last time you failed. Reflect on why you didn't get the outcome you desired and what lessons you learned from that experience.

📖 Reading Lesson:Reading books will help you win the battle.But taking action will help you win the war.That's why you need to have an Action Day–a dedicated day where instead of reading more, you take the time to apply what you've learned.Read the full reading tip here.

⭐️ Weekly Quote:Reading a book from cover to cover doesn’t mean you’ve finished it. It means you read it.A book is only completed after you’ve applied the lessons you’ve learned.(source)

📸 Photo of the Week:

Good News: The 25x250 reading challenge worksheet has been updated with a new and cleaner design.

AND...

There's a digital version that automatically tracks your monthly and yearly progress.

Simply click on the day that you've spent reading, learning, or growing, and the monthly and yearly count will be updated.

• Get the updated 25x250 reading challenge worksheet for FREE here.

🙏 Hey everyone, this week's newsletter is brought to you by: Podcast Notes

People enjoyed my first thread with my top 10 favorite podcasts of all-time so we're back with more:

• My top 10 favorite podcasts of all-time (Part 2)

If you'd like to get access to all 1,000+ Podcast Notes posts and get exclusive access to 100+ member only posts, I'd recommend signing up for their premium membership. The membership costs $99 a year BUT...

• Use code "BOOKS" to save 10% on the membership!

Thank you for your support everyone, I'll see you next week!Read on,Alex W.PS: If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with a friend. They can subscribe here.