I’m a big believer in reading motivational books. Sadly, there seems to be a stigma attached to books of this nature… Some proclaim that so-called “self-help” books only exist for those who can’t self-motivate or those who refuse to help themselves. What absolute rubbish!
I believe we’re all prone to negative emotions from time to time - feelings of complacency, stagnation, stress, melancholy, depression, etc. How we choose to deal with these emotions defines our character and sets us apart.
From my experience, regular reading of motivational books help me stay positive, and keeps me focused and conscious of (a) who I am, (b) who I want to be, and (c) where I’m heading. I’ve also found that I’m better equipped to recognize and deal with negative emotions early on. So without further a due, here’s my top 10 list of the best (personal and business) motivational reads:
- Eugene Peterson - The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language
- Tom Peters - Reimagine!: Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age
- Robin Sharma - The Greatness Guide
- Paul Arden - It’s Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be
- Seth Godin - The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
- Robin Sharma - The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
- Henry Cloud - Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality
- Seth Godin - Small Is the New Big
- Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture
- Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth
So what would be on your list?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the word design. I think it’s a word that has been completely bastardized of late, particularly in the context of web design and web designers.
Design, usually considered in the context of applied arts, engineering, architecture, and other creative endeavors, is used both as a noun and a verb. As a verb, “to design” refers to the process of originating and developing a plan for a product, structure, system, or component. As a noun, “a design” is used for either the final (solution) plan (e.g. proposal, drawing, model, description) or the result of implementing that plan (e.g. object produced, result of the process).
Ref: Wikipedia
It seems that these days, all you need in order to be considered a “web designer” is a pirated version of Photoshop and Dreamweaver (and let’s not forget a bookmark to TemplateMonster).
To “design” implies a rational process of problem-solving. To solve a problem, one needs to define what the problem is. Yes - the problem might be that “this interface looks crap”, in which case the solution would involve a big dose of style. However, more often than not, the work we produce involves a user experience of some kind - and user experience involves far more than just style.
It seems I’m not the only one frustrated with this issue. Here’s some food for thought:
I’m having an affair. And my wife isn’t happy about it. You see, I’ve been spending every spare minute I have with Wordpress. It’s been a while since I designed or coded anything, but a short while ago I decided to get a personal website up (for shit’s and giggles). I downloaded Wordpress 2.5, and it was love at first sight site.
So, here are a few reasons why I’m so infatuated with it:
- Quick install - 5 minutes - seriously!
- Support - more than you could ever need.
- No PHP experience needed - just look who’s talking!
- Easy to reskin - look around.
- Beautiful - inside and out.
- Complies with web standards
- Powerful - packed to the brim with features
I’m absolutely convinced that Wordpress is the PERFECT solution for personal and small business websites.
Has anyone ever had the good fortune of being on hold within the matrix that is Telkom’s telephonic helpdesk system? I can quite honestly say that their “on hold” music is the most irritating tune on the planet. Take a listen…
With an average 20-30 minute wait, you would think that they would think about the “user experience” of this interaction and at least attempt to do something to ease the pain. Here’s a thought… play the radio! Hell, even ABBA’s Greatest Hits would be better than this pain. Oh… and to rub salt into the wound, every 2 minutes a voice tells me that I can also report my fault online. Urm… if I could get online, I freekin would! And with that, I bid you farewell and continue to hold…