Great ideas from a business book

Hi my dear readers! I hope you are doing well!

I am doing great. I got Covid19 this week, but it didn’t really affect me. I am very thankful for my good health. But I had to spend some time at home. I am looking forward to next week, when I will be able to go out 😊

Here is the link to the video for today’s article: Great Ideas From A Business Book.

Today I want to talk a book a recently read. It is “Only The Paranoid Survive” by Andrew S. Grove, who was CEO of Intel and in his book, he shares the story of how the company went through what he calls strategic inflection point – the time when external changes make leaders to change the direction of business. And depend on the direction that they take, their acceptance and awareness, the company can benefit from these points and grow, or it can become weaker or even disappear. And I think we all have these inflection points in our life, when we must accept the change and adjust our behavior, get ready to a new life and be wiling to face the difficulties and look at them as at opportunities.

I want to bring some quotes from the book that I liked the most and to share what I think about them and how I can apply them to my everyday life.

1. “If you run a business, you must recognize that no amount of formal planning can anticipate such changes. Does that mean you shouldn’t plan? Not at all. You need to plan the way a fire department plans: It cannot anticipate where the next fire will be, so it has to shape an energetic and efficient team that is capable of responding to the anticipated as well as to ordinary event”.

I chose this quote because I think that in regular life, we can prepare ourselves to the unknown by practicing mindfulness. I think that meditation helped me to be more calm and less anxious. And when I faced very unpleasant situation, I was able to stay peaceful and didn’t hurt myself even more but becoming too emotional. I recommend everyone to meditate for 20 minutes a day in order to train your brain and prepare yourself to fire 😊

1. “The lesson is, we all need to expose ourselves to the wind of change”.

Sooner or later we all face the changes. And if we try to deny them, we only get tired and lose energy without gaining anything. Changes might be unpleasant, but they are real, and it is important to become friends with them and try to be in line with them, like a surfer catches the wave, he doesn’t resist the wind, he uses it to be faster. You can do it to!

1. “Don’t compromise and don’t kid yourself. If you are describing a purpose that deep down you know you can’t achieve, you are dooming your chances of climbing out of the valley of death”.

I think it is very important to be honest with yourself and to be in line with your values. For, example, I value long-term relationships, if I get involved in something not serious, just like a short-term pleasure, I will suffer because of that, as it is not what I believe in. So it is important to be aware of your beliefs and let them guide you. And at the same time stay realistic and understand that not everyone will share your values.

1. “I tend to believe Mark Twain hit it on the head when he said, “Put all of your eggs in one basket and WATCH THAT BASKET.”

I like this quote, because I think it’s true. If you focus on one basket, you can create more value. Diversification is great, but it doesn’t create as much value as investing in one thing. But watching one basket is very hard. So, in finance, if you are not as talented as Warren Buffet, for example, it might be better to diversify your portfolio. But I like to apply this quote to relationships. This is what I truly believe in: Find one partner and build a beautiful life together! People sometimes think that it is better to change the partners anytime something goes not the way they want. But this way you won’t be able to get a full value of what good relationship can bring.

1. “But most companies don’t die because they are wrong; most die because they don’t commit themselves.”

This quote is a continuation of what I started to write about relationships. You cannot build them without commitment. No commitment, no relationships, no value.

1. “You move to a new land with new habits, a new language and a new set of dangers and uncertainties. At times like this, looking back may be tempting, but it’s terribly counterproductive. Don’t bemoan the way things were. They will never be that way again. Pour your energy, every bit of it, into adapting to your new world, into learning the skills you need to prosper in it and into shaping it around you. Whereas the old land presented limited opportunity or none at all, the new land enables you to have a future whose rewards are worth all the risks.”

I think this is a very powerful idea! It helps to focus on present moment and future and not to think too much about the past. When a change takes place sometimes there is no way back. We can have a desire of returning to familiarity, but it doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea. After my breakup I wanted to contact my ex-boyfriend at some point, but then I read this quote and it helped me to move on. It’s funny, because this book was recommended to me by my ex. Ha-ha.

So, these are my favorite quotes. There are so many other great ideas. I recommend you read this book, even if you are not into business. Learning new things is always exciting!

Be Strong And Love Yourself!

From Dasha With Love!

Love Wins!