Audible.com has turned out to be one of the best investments I have made. I wrote about it in my last post and it has increased my time devoted to self development and as a result, my learning has accelerated. I listen to audio books when I walk Obi now and also when I jog. That gives me an extra hour a day of “learning” so that I can stay on top of my game. Audible.com is definitely worth the $100 – $200 per year! In terms of knowledge, I definitely have gained that money back after my first 2 – 3 audiobooks.
One of the best books I've listened to Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell. It definitely ranks up there in the top 20 books that will impact my life in a positive way. Maybe even in top 10… It was so good that when I was jogging, I would jog for extra 20 minutes just to keep on listening to the book! (By the way, I will come up with my top 10 soon). Outliers talks about why some people are successful while others are not and what it takes to be successful. Everyone that has children or plans to have a kid MUST read this book. The book is so good that afterwards I purchased the print version and will be re-reading it.
Other audiobooks that I have listened to in past month:
1) 10/10/10 by Suzy Welch – analyzing your decisions based on what will happen in 10 minutes (short term), 10 months (mid term) and 10 years (long term)
2) China Study by Colin Campbell – awesome book that talks about health and what is killing Americans. (hint: go vegetarians and especially stay away from dairy)
3) How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins – great book. So great that I purchased the print edition so that I can re-read and take notes
Books that I have read in past month:
1) Wed Design for ROI by Niehaus
2) Landing Page Optimization by Ash
3) Good to Great by Jim Collins
Been busy preparing for USANA's International Convention in late August. Similar to last year, I will be speaking on stage. I will be talking about the “6 Ways to Earn Income in USANA.” This year, right before the event, we will also host a small Team XLR8 Leaders Retreat up in Park City that will be fun and also a great learning experience. Been busy preparing for that and also for my upcoming September Asia trip. The good news is that I will be winning at least 2 awards at USANA's International Convention:
1) Fortune 100 (top 100 income earners in entire company) – This was a huge highlight and really pumped me up!!! My business has done over $1.6 million USD in sales in just 7 months in 2009! Not bad for a “home-based business” that requires only a few hundred bucks to get started. What a ROI! (return on investment)… That is why… USANA ROCKS!
2) Growth 100 (top 100 associates with most growth in past year)
and maybe… I am keeping fingers crossed… I will win “Growth 25” which is very prestigious. I won't know until at Convention.
Ok… so I am hooked… I heard a lot about this “Twitter” thing and decided to check it out and after 2 weeks, I am hooked and convinced that it is… “pretty cool.” You can follow me on Twitter at “www.twitter.com/simonwchan”
At home, I've been more into nature and plants. As a kid, I'd spent a lot of time growing things in the backyard with my dad and grandparents and I still remember those days… Recently, I've learned how plants help clean the air and also nullify radiation from electronic devices… so… I bought tons of plants and turned my home office into a “garden”.
In mid-July, I had one of the best weekends ever. Kelly and I went to Napa Valley to hang out with some great friends (Ray Moran/Theresa, Keith Lee/Susan, Pete Feng and my brother, Ryan). We also got to catch up with the “Brooklyn” crew with Alice and Henry in San Francisco. I am very grateful and thankful for such great friends.
The summer was busy. We finally had our landscaping done! We also had new stones placed as well. Our front lawn was a mess and we redid the entire front part of our house. We were fortunate to have Kelly's parents come to help out and make sure those guys did a good job. Kelly's dad was an architect so he had blueprints drawn out and made sure the guys did things “right.”
And lastly… here is Obi's monthly appearance on my blog. Obi has grown to full size now and is 15 lbs.
Other than that… been pretty pumped over the Yankees! Been awhile since I've been this into sports or baseball. I think after 6 years of being away from the sports business, I have finally detoxified myself and I'm just an “innocent fan” now. Following baseball also brings back tons of memories from my childhood. I think that's what I like best about it.
Enjoy the rest of your summer… and go Yanks!!!
God Bless,
Simon
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