Since the beginning of the year (2023) I have been reading a book every week and writing reviews. However, one of the books I recently read has influenced me to give up... no, pivot into something more beneficial to my future. The book is called 6 months to 6 figures and aside from the name it's very interesting. Peter Voogd is a young entrepreneur, on the rise, and chapter two of his book struck a cord. He discusses overload vs. mastery. For example, I was reading a book every week but not retaining the information which he explains as overloading. Although I was learning a lot, I was probably only soaking up 10% of what I was reading and didn't have enough time to go back and re-read what I missed. So, instead of reading 52 books a year, the goal is to read 6-12 going forward. If I read the same book 1-3 times, I feel like I'll have a better chance at mastering the book. The goal is to understand each chapter so well that I could teach it to someone.

Lorraine Reader was my high school algebra and calculus teacher. She was short in height but tall in influence. Her alma mater was Michigan State University. Go Green! She had brown hair, a cool Mazda Miata, and two voices. One of them was her normal voice that she used on a regular basis and the other one only came out when her point wasn't getting across. ​Her diaphragm would lower and then wisdom would fly out of her lips. As highschoolers, my classmates didn't take it too seriously. They would crack jokes about her motivational speeches but I didn't find them funny. I respected Mrs. Reader and what she had to say. There was something about her that I related to. I think it was her passion to positively influence people.

For the year 2023, I'm reading or re-reading 52 books (1/week). I did this a few years back after hearing what was most likely a false statement, "The average CEO reads 52 books per year". That year, my life improved immensely which is exactly what I'm hoping to recreate. So, if you're an avid non-fiction, business, or self help reader, come back each month to see which books may be up your alley. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

We all have good friends but how many real friends do we have? The difference to me is that a real friend will call you out when it's needed. A good friend will let you do whatever you want because it's "not their problem". Recently, a real friend of mine called me out on my BS and I couldn't be more grateful.