A&B #43

Hey friends,

Can you believe we're halfway through 2021? Time is flying by. Here are my

of this year so far.

Speaking of books, I wish they came with this label:

"Hi there, I'm honored that you chose me as your reading material, but I also understand that I may not be for everyone. If you aren't enjoying spending time with me, it’s okay. Feel free to put me down & pick up one of my friends. Read on!"

Remember, it's always better to quit a book than to quit reading altogether.

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

📚 Book Lessons:

This week's book is The Boy Who Would Be King by Ryan Holiday.It's a short book that introduces kids to Marcus Aurelius and stoicism. If you want to teach your children about stoicism, this book is a great way to do it.Here are 3 lessons from it: 1) Sometimes Problems Are Opportunities In Disguise Marcus Aurelius did not want to be the emperor of Rome. He wanted to be a normal child and not be responsible for the fate of a nation. But what he viewed as a problem was actually an opportunity in disguise.Having responsibilities, whether it's leading a country or leading a project, does require a lot of work, but if done well, you will be rewarded for it and develop a newfound self-respect for yourself as an individual. Remember, you can't always choose what happens to you in life, but you can choose how you respond to it. 2) Seek Out Mentorship Through BooksMarcus became an extraordinary emperor not because he was naturally gifted, but because he had amazing mentors to guide him. He was taught by the great stoic philosopher Junius Rusticus. Rusticus also gave Marcus several books to learn valuable lessons from Epictetus, Zeno, Plutarch, and Seneca. When Rusticus handed Marcus all of those books, Marcus asked, "What does reading books have to do with being a king?" "Everything," Rusticus answered, "through the pages of a book we can talk to people who lived long ago, and learn easily what they learned with great difficulty." Though books can't teach you everything, they're a great starting point and an easy way to find mentors for anything you want to learn in life. 3) Everyone Has A Lesson To Teach You One of my favorite lines in the book is when Rusticus says, "We can learn from everyone. Our opponents, our friends, everyone is better than us at something."This is a wonderful lesson for both kids and adults. Instead of being upset that someone is better at a task or skill than us, we should use it as an opportunity to learn from them.If someone is stronger than you, ask them for their training routine. If someone works harder than you, try to find out how they manage to be so productive. If someone is happier than you, talk to them to discover their mindset and perspective on life. Every single person has a lesson to teach us, the question is, are you humble enough to learn from them?

✅ Actionable Advice:

1) View problems as opportunities in disguise.

• Reflect on the problems in your life and ask yourself, how could this be an opportunity?

  • Could getting fired be your chance to switch to a different career you always wanted to try?

  • Could being put in charge of a project be your chance to shine and get promoted?

2) Seek out mentors through books.

• A book is a mentor you can carry with you anywhere you go.

• If there's a subject you wise to learn about or improve in, read books in that domain.

3) Learn from everyone you meet.

• The next time you encounter someone who is better than you at something, don't get jealous or envious. Instead, ask yourself, what are they doing better than myself and what can I learn from them?

🎧 Podcast Update:

A new podcast episode will be up later this week. It's with Howard Berg, the world's fastest reader and author of Super Reading Secrets.Subscribe to The Reader's Journey so you don't miss it:

• Apple

• Spotify

• Google

📖 Reading Lesson:Can’t decide what to read next?Use the 2 C’s: Cures & Curiosity

⭐️ Weekly Quote:“Whenever you have a bit of time for yourself, read a book.” -Hojo Soun

🙏 Support:This week's newsletter is made possible by Podcast Notes.Do you love listening to podcasts but aren't sure which are worth listening to? Podcast Notes has you covered. They have summaries on 1,000+ podcasts so you can learn the key lessons of an episode without having to spend hours listening to it. If you become a Podcast Notes member, you'll get ad-free access to all of their notes and unlock their exclusive member-only notes. If you love learning, this is a great investment to make. Use code "BOOKS" to get 10% off your annual membership.PS: Here are 5 podcasts that will teach you how to be a better reader.

Thank you for your support everyone, I'll see you next Sunday!Read on,Alex W.