No matter how beautiful or comforting a home is, if it is not built on a solid foundation it will surely crumble. This analogy can be used for many things in our world, from ourselves to families to businesses to sports teams. Having a strong foundation and core values will provide a solid base for everything else in life. It’s not that everything else will come automatically, as anything in life worth achieving is worth working for.

There are many books published on the topic of motivation. Some speak more scientifically and others more organizationally. I have read a few of these books myself, as a self-employed entrepreneur keeping motivated is key. After reading the book Perpetual Motivation by Dave Durand, I learned to take a step back and look inward to find the motivators to keep me positive and progressing.

Perpetual Motivation, like many motivational books and stories, has an equation to help keep you going. The formula in the book was different from others I have seen, as it seemed more humbling and therefore more achievable. The equation states motivation is the result of balance plus influence plus creativity plus a sense of humor minus runaway self-esteem. Where Durand does a better job of describing all of these than myself, his exclusion of it being all about “me” and being about family and friends is a refreshing approach.

My greatest take-away from the book is focusing on the pursuit of balance. This goes contrary to the common notion where you must work hard and be focused on work and from that rewards will come, everything else being a distraction. The catalyst for many entrepreneurs is independence and calling the shots, allowing them greater control over their work and personal time, and hopefully more of the latter. However the demand of the job, revenue and success make the personal venture at times comparable to that previous full-time job. Durand reminds us that the pursuit of balance is necessary to keep everything in perspective and equal.

I recommend any of my readers to pick up a copy of Perpetual Motivation. It is a good read and packed with real world examples and stories and does not have excessive fluff or hype (just maybe one too many references to the Green Bay Packers!). I enjoyed reading this book and its unique perspective.

Ironically I had this book sitting on my bookshelf for sometime, and honestly I don’t recall where I got it, if I bought it or if it was a gift. The fact I am now going through and reading all of these books I have accumulated itself shows my belief in the message from this book.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Whenever one thinks of written word that has stood the test of time over the centuries, religious text or government laws may come to mind. Through the course of reading many of the books I have read and blogged about, I found references to one text in particular, The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, which intrigued me enough to read it myself. As much as the book itself was interesting was the fact it was published in 1532.

The Prince is written in the form of letters to a person who has newly become a prince. Additional reading of the time period when Machiavelli lived can help explain how princes and religious figures ruled Europe and especially his homeland of Italy. In this political treatise, he gives advice to a prince on how to rule and maintain his rule. As I read this short text, I began to see why many business books quote Machiavelli – many of his recommendations to political leaders almost 500 years ago hold true to business leaders today. His applicable advice is my take away from The Prince.

The one that rang truest to me was his recommendation of not using mercenary forces for the military and to build and maintain a military force of your own. This relates to today not only for the military but for business, namely in the hiring and development of a team of employees rather than working solely with contractors and consultants. His justifications included loyalty, and the fact that mercenaries are more concerned with getting paid than the work they do. Where this latter point is not always the case with hired help, having some “skin in the game” is a good motivator. As I am expanding my own operations, Machiavelli’s thinking is similar to my own.

Other advice from Machiavelli included seeking counsel from others while avoiding flattery but ultimately making the decision yourself, being decisive in your decision making, not seeking to be liked but to be respected and to takes sides in any battles.

If you pick up a copy you will find it has been translated into English from its native Italian and heavily annotated for the benefit of the reader. It is a short but powerful book, and you can glean a hint of sarcasm in Machiavelli’s approach to offering his advice. I recommend The Prince to any leader or would-be leader, as words of so long ago still ring true today.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Where I was behind on meeting my goal of reading one book a month this year and writing my “take-aways” from them here at The Hot Iron, I am well ahead on reading but behind on writing! This post gets me caught up on a journey of reading, not to mention clearing off my bookshelf. As I read books, I give them away. This makes room on my shelf and I can share what I read with others.

The book Not On The Level by Michael V. Maddaloni is a welcome departure from the books I have read so far as it is fiction. It is the story of Joe DeFalco, a first-generation Italian-American baby-boomer who grows up in Philadelphia and his life story from grade school to retirement. As an Italian-American myself, I greatly enjoyed reading this story.

If you read the story and then read the bio of the author, you will see they are very similar, so it can be assumed that much of the book is based on real events or stories heard through his life. The book takes you from his youth in Catholic schools to the Marines, college, the Secret Service and corporate America to this retirement. At each stage there are opportunities presented to Joe and decisions to be made. Where some earlier decisions in his life may not have been the best he made, many of these were influenced by his environment. As he grows and experiences more of life, his wisdom shows in his decision-making.

As a result a take-away from this book was on decision-making and how much they are influenced by our environment. Fresh in a new environment, these influences are greater than later as we get accustomed to it and make our own observations and couple them with past experiences. I also have to admit another take-away is to read something other than business books.

My overall take-away from this book is that you need to know who else is out there who shares the same name as you! Though our middle initials are different, I share the same name as the author of this book. I first found about the book and author when Googling myself, and many others have pointed this out to me as well. I don’t think we are related, as Maddaloni is a town in Italy and many people have surnames derived from where their ancestors are from. Nonetheless, in addition to my recommendation to read this book here on The Hot Iron, I will contact him directly with my praise for his enjoyable work.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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You don’t have to walk far into any bookstore today to see a myriad of books about making money and getting rich. Where some of these publications give a unique perspective, some are merely reiterating timeless advice on money and wealth. This became more evident when I read Art of Money Getting, published in 1880 by an iconic businessman.

P.T. Barnum name is recognized in the full name of the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus. He was a businessman and showman whose entertainment was billed as “the greatest show on Earth” a phrase that still is popular today. He published several books in his life as a way to promote himself and his entertainment offerings. Art of Getting Money was one of them, and it is a quick read that offers very practical information about living life and earning, saving and spending money.

My biggest take-away from the book was how appropriate in 2007 Barnum’s advice is. For example, the chapter titled “Advertise Your Business” not only applies today, but today’s media, including online advertising. The name of the title speaks loudly of getting directly to your point without any fluff. For someone of Barnum’s reputation, he uses many quotes from famous people from Benjamin Franklin to Goethe to reinforce his statements and points. If this book was a Web site, it would be full of hyperlinks!

I recommend reading Art of Getting Money. It is a quick read that packs a lot of useful information is a confident tone. The book has attitude, and could be compared to The 4-Hour Workweek or any book written by Donald Trump. Now that would be a good pair to get in a room, P.T, Barnum and Donald Trump, but I digress.

Of note is how I read this book. I read the book over a series of email messages from DailyLit, a service that delivery many public-domain books in this manner. For this book, it was distributed over 26 emails. It will automatically send one email a day, or you can request the next message sent once you read the first one. Check out the site, as it is a unique and quality service.

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You can’t take it with you. Growing up Italian-American, I heard that phrase a lot because Italians always talk about death. You can start talking about pasta or baseball, but it would ultimately lead to the topic of death. And when receiving an unexpected gift from a relative, their response to your questioning the gift is they can’t take it with them, so they want you to have it so they can see you enjoy it before their, well, you know.

You may not be able to take money with you to the grave, but can you effect what happens to your money after you die? Especially if you realized near the end of your life you didn’t do such a good job with doling it out when alive? This is the core of The Ultimate Gift.

Though the book is fiction, it tells a true tale of the value of money and life and can resonate with anyone. The book was published almost a decade ago, but a recent mention in Forbes magazine and an upcoming movie based on the book have refocused attention on it. It is the story Howard “Red” Stevens, a successful entrepreneur who dies at the beginning of the story. At the reading of his will, his drooling relatives get their inheritances, with the exception of one, his great-nephew Jason. Red’s attorney, Ted Hamilton, is charged in Red’s will with leading Jason on a year-long journey, and at the end if he completes all 12 one-month steps, he gets to inherit “The Ultimate Gift” which is not revealed unless he completes all steps. Needless to say Jason is irked but agrees to go through the process, and the book tells of the learning odyssey by all parties involved.

I read this book right after The 4-Hour Workweek, and it turned out to be a good order to read them. It continued my thinking of how to evaluate how we spend our time and what is truly important in life. As Red Stevens learned this in life, he reassured my thinking of how we can only affect what happens going forward, and cannot change the past. This is important from an entrepreneur’s standpoint for if we fail or don’t do as planned, we can always try again!

It is a short book and a quick read. Each month of the journey is interesting, and I was compelled to want to finish the book to find out if Jason gets The Ultimate Gift and what it is. If you’re looking for a light-hearted read this is a good book you can read on a single flight. And I would not be complete if I didn’t point out there is a reference in the book to my beloved New England Patriots, as the attorney is based in Boston.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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