Carlos Fegurgur
Excellence is not a destination; it is a process of becoming.
I was a bit skeptical when I picked up this book. As with most self help books, the title is pretty jarring at first glance, which is the point I suppose in a genre filled with so many promises, quick fixes, armchair psychologists and philosophers, people want jarring to fill the question of 'what is missing' in their being. Stulberg's argument is that the answer to this is what he calls "Excellence". I prefer the term he cites being coined by biologists called homeostatic upregulation (doesn't quite roll off the tongue), which is an innate drive toward flourishing, both now and in the future, with feelings serving as the guide.
If you can accept the premises that we are hardwired to pursue great things, feel our way towards mastery, and long to achieve an alignment between what gives us purpose and what we pursue, then boy is this book for you. While I'm still somewhat on the fence behind the more philosophical reasonings (to me these should be up for debate more than accepted point blank but we have to start somewhere), I can't quite argue with the logical, practical pieces of wisdom this book is littered with. My non fiction ratings these days are pretty much pass/fail and with all the many quotable sections and key takeaways contained within, I have no choice but to give it 5 stars.
For those new to self-help, non-fiction, philosophy, psychology, human flourishing, etc, this book is a treasure trove of recent, concise, and cohesive information, which I would highly recommend as a starting point. That being said, here are a few of the key takeaways that stuck with me:
- Excellence, flourishing, growth, etc, is a process. It is infinite. A constant cycle of learning and striving that ends up looking a lot like love. If we are disciplined, kind to ourselves, show up daily and celebrate wins with a community of other people looking to do the same, then we are well on our way to living a good life.
- There are a lot of interconnected parts related to what it takes to live this pursuit of excellence, but it all starts with what you value. A core belief behind all of this is that you want to do what brings you closer to the things you value in life. If you don't have those...well, it's probably a good place to start first. (This book includes a helpful exercise if it's something you haven't really thought about before.)
- At the end of the day, excellence, is about becoming the best person you can be. There is no single point in time that that becomes true. It is a lifelong endeavor. One that we need to try and enjoy along the way. You'll encounter burnout, fatigue, failure, disruption, and setbacks throughout, all of which require discipline, consistency, confidence, rest, community, curiosity, and joy to overcome.
Excellence is not a destination; it is a process of becoming.
I was a bit skeptical when I picked up this book. As with most self help books, the title is pretty jarring at first glance, which is the point I suppose in a genre filled with so many promises, quick fixes, armchair psychologists and philosophers, people want jarring to fill the question of 'what is missing' in their being. Stulberg's argument is that the answer to this is what he calls "Excellence". I prefer the term he cites being coined by biologists called homeostatic upregulation (doesn't quite roll off the tongue), which is an innate drive toward flourishing, both now and in the future, with feelings serving as the guide.
If you can accept the premises that we are hardwired to pursue great things, feel our way towards mastery, and long to achieve an alignment between what gives us purpose and what we pursue, then boy is this book for you. While I'm still somewhat on the fence behind the more philosophical reasonings (to me these should be up for debate more than accepted point blank but we have to start somewhere), I can't quite argue with the logical, practical pieces of wisdom this book is littered with. My non fiction ratings these days are pretty much pass/fail and with all the many quotable sections and key takeaways contained within, I have no choice but to give it 5 stars.
For those new to self-help, non-fiction, philosophy, psychology, human flourishing, etc, this book is a treasure trove of recent, concise, and cohesive information, which I would highly recommend as a starting point. That being said, here are a few of the key takeaways that stuck with me:
- Excellence, flourishing, growth, etc, is a process. It is infinite. A constant cycle of learning and striving that ends up looking a lot like love. If we are disciplined, kind to ourselves, show up daily and celebrate wins with a community of other people looking to do the same, then we are well on our way to living a good life.
- There are a lot of interconnected parts related to what it takes to live this pursuit of excellence, but it all starts with what you value. A core belief behind all of this is that you want to do what brings you closer to the things you value in life. If you don't have those...well, it's probably a good place to start first. (This book includes a helpful exercise if it's something you haven't really thought about before.)
- At the end of the day, excellence, is about becoming the best person you can be. There is no single point in time that that becomes true. It is a lifelong endeavor. One that we need to try and enjoy along the way. You'll encounter burnout, fatigue, failure, disruption, and setbacks throughout, all of which require discipline, consistency, confidence, rest, community, curiosity, and joy to overcome.
Added to listOwnedwith 6 books.
What seems at first like a more run of the mill, species turned sentient story, quickly expands to an epic tale of struggle, strife, love and belief that takes place over centuries.
This book stood out to me for two main reasons. One, the subject matter is entirely unique even within the fantasy/sci fi genre. It might not be the only story like this out there but it’s very niche amongst an already small niche and handles it well. The authors background in zoology adds a nice touch of realistic detail when it comes to the nuance of spider biology. Two, the storytelling is top notch. The use of time was smartly done and gets to a point where you have no choice but to suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. The millennia spanning story mixed with the alternating POVs added some depth and tension to already intriguing storylines.
This book was a difficult one for me to review and it’s harder still to articulate what exactly worked for me, but ultimately, I couldn’t put this down. I read it every chance I could get and every chapter ended in such a way that I would want to read just a little bit of the next chapter just to keep the story going. I’m excited to see where this series goes as I have absolutely no clue but if there’s one thing that I’m certain of after book one is that I know the ride will be an enjoyable one.
What seems at first like a more run of the mill, species turned sentient story, quickly expands to an epic tale of struggle, strife, love and belief that takes place over centuries.
This book stood out to me for two main reasons. One, the subject matter is entirely unique even within the fantasy/sci fi genre. It might not be the only story like this out there but it’s very niche amongst an already small niche and handles it well. The authors background in zoology adds a nice touch of realistic detail when it comes to the nuance of spider biology. Two, the storytelling is top notch. The use of time was smartly done and gets to a point where you have no choice but to suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. The millennia spanning story mixed with the alternating POVs added some depth and tension to already intriguing storylines.
This book was a difficult one for me to review and it’s harder still to articulate what exactly worked for me, but ultimately, I couldn’t put this down. I read it every chance I could get and every chapter ended in such a way that I would want to read just a little bit of the next chapter just to keep the story going. I’m excited to see where this series goes as I have absolutely no clue but if there’s one thing that I’m certain of after book one is that I know the ride will be an enjoyable one.
"Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy."
Funnily enough, 'On Writing' is the first work of King's I've ever read. I know the name, am familiar with some, not all, of his work, and can appreciate that he is a famous and well-respected author. Part biography, part personal musings on writing, and part near death reflection, this book was a unique read. I gleaned some useful insights which I am sure will stay with me for as long as I write, and also learned more than I probably would have wanted to about King, the man.
What follows will be more my musings behind writing, the craft, itself and less of the book. Which I'd recommend if you have any interest in a biography of King and be less inclined to if you wanted a strictly non-fictional take on ways to improve as a writer (Hint: read more, write more).
As someone who has a _tentative_ interest in the realm of writing I have always been curious as to the process behind it. How to get "better", what makes a sentence/paragraphy/story compelling, why certain structure works for some stories and not for others, etc. Writing is such a wonderful skill to pursue, because similar to drawing, it's free, something you can do with little to no resources and something you can get better at over time. While King makes the argument that it's almost impossible to go from a bad writer to a good one, or a great writer to an amazing one, he says that there is a middle ground, from good to great, that most people can reach through concentrated effort.
Every author's path to success is more or less unique, to the point that there is no clear cut path to "making it" with your writing. It's a fruitless endeavor, one that you have to pursue for the sake of it, which is something I find alluring. To constantly struggle, improve, strive, fail, and repeat over the course of many years (or a lifetime) with no promise of reward outside of personal fulfillment is one of the great pleasures of life (the others being: sex, drugs and rock n' roll, in no particular order).
As I alluded to in the beginning of this review, King succinctly mentions that the "secret" to becoming a great writer is to quite simply read and write more. You might, along the way, develop a toolkit of sorts that you bring with you, but by and large the determining factor of your ability as a writer is dictated by your ability to constantly write. It all seems very moot, reading this from the perspective of someone who has found such large commercial success, but the core rings true. Whether or not you can live off your written word is outside of your control, mostly luck and somewhat skill, but whether or not your written word can live on outside of you, is simply a matter of tenacity and consistency, mostly consistency, somewhat tenacity.
"Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy."
Funnily enough, 'On Writing' is the first work of King's I've ever read. I know the name, am familiar with some, not all, of his work, and can appreciate that he is a famous and well-respected author. Part biography, part personal musings on writing, and part near death reflection, this book was a unique read. I gleaned some useful insights which I am sure will stay with me for as long as I write, and also learned more than I probably would have wanted to about King, the man.
What follows will be more my musings behind writing, the craft, itself and less of the book. Which I'd recommend if you have any interest in a biography of King and be less inclined to if you wanted a strictly non-fictional take on ways to improve as a writer (Hint: read more, write more).
As someone who has a _tentative_ interest in the realm of writing I have always been curious as to the process behind it. How to get "better", what makes a sentence/paragraphy/story compelling, why certain structure works for some stories and not for others, etc. Writing is such a wonderful skill to pursue, because similar to drawing, it's free, something you can do with little to no resources and something you can get better at over time. While King makes the argument that it's almost impossible to go from a bad writer to a good one, or a great writer to an amazing one, he says that there is a middle ground, from good to great, that most people can reach through concentrated effort.
Every author's path to success is more or less unique, to the point that there is no clear cut path to "making it" with your writing. It's a fruitless endeavor, one that you have to pursue for the sake of it, which is something I find alluring. To constantly struggle, improve, strive, fail, and repeat over the course of many years (or a lifetime) with no promise of reward outside of personal fulfillment is one of the great pleasures of life (the others being: sex, drugs and rock n' roll, in no particular order).
As I alluded to in the beginning of this review, King succinctly mentions that the "secret" to becoming a great writer is to quite simply read and write more. You might, along the way, develop a toolkit of sorts that you bring with you, but by and large the determining factor of your ability as a writer is dictated by your ability to constantly write. It all seems very moot, reading this from the perspective of someone who has found such large commercial success, but the core rings true. Whether or not you can live off your written word is outside of your control, mostly luck and somewhat skill, but whether or not your written word can live on outside of you, is simply a matter of tenacity and consistency, mostly consistency, somewhat tenacity.
