Book Review: Poke the Box by Seth Godin

I'm in the middle of listening to an audio book called Poke the Box by Seth Godin.  It reminds me of the book Rework. 

I learned the key points of both of these books a few months ago thru the book summaries and interviews that SUCCESS Magazine produced and I'd say both works were highly influential in the development of the OWL blog and project.

Basically, Seth Godin is a big fan of people who start stuff.  Why is this important?  This quote by Seth says it all:

"What would the world look like if more people started projects, made a ruckus, and took risks?"

Don't worry - Seth promotes finishing what you start as well.  Here's my notes so far:

• Quit waiting for someone else to give you a map. Draw your own.

• "The most common way that people give up their power is by thinking that they don't have any." - Alice Walker

• Everyone is sitting around waiting for someone to pick them. Stop waiting. Pick yourself!

• Poking the box means jumping in and taking action again and again and again. It means throwing your fears and excuses out the window and just start, GO, and keep going.

• Soon is not as good as NOW.

• Does your goal, project, or idea scare you? Good. It's worth doing then.

• "Imagine that the world had no middlemen, no publishers, no bosses, no HR folks, no one telling you what you couldn't do.

• If you lived in that world, what would you do?

• Go. Do that."

• If you're not failing, then you're not doing, starting, going. Avoiding failure is counterproductive.

• Make a habit out of starting.

• Get off your butt and try something. Take ACTION. Go. Change the world. ;)

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson