Two books: Eat that Frog and On Top | When A Teen Goes Green

Maybe you’d think it is not my subject, but today I want to talk about efficiency. Efficiency, that sounds so profit-like, right? But I want to talk about efficiency in a different way, I want to talk efficiency as in accomplishing your goals and doing what you love. The following two books helped me a lot and they strengthen this story a lot too. Today I’m talking about efficiency with two books: Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy and On top by Anna Nooshin.

Doing what you love

I’ve been raised very free in my opinion, my parents always said: find a job you love. And that’s what I’m trying to do, finding a job I love. I am working on that, I’ve started a business at the age of 19, I’ve started this blog (it’s not a job but I love it!) and my education is something I love, not something with which I can make a lot of money. A job can be draining if you don’t do what you love, and that’s why I wish that every could do the thing they love. I’ve heard stories of people literally working the full year at a job they hate, so that they could go on a 4-week holiday and spend tremendous amounts of money on stuff.

Maybe you’ve read it in my weekly diaries too: I often wonder why people work so much and if they really love their job. When all those people in the train look like zombies at 7 am in the morning. I think not. Research has shown that 25% of the working Dutch people think their job is useless! 25%! They’re saying that theirselves! That is a sad outcome if you ask me. But for some people I get it, they need the money. That’s why I think we need an unconditional basic income for everyone and also live more minimalistic, but that’s a different discussion. Now let’s talk about two important books: Eat That Frog and On Top!

On Top by Anna Nooshin

This woman, this book. I am so amazed by her story! Such a power-woman. She knew what she wanted at a very young age and she worked her butt off for it. In the Netherlands we can be too realistic sometimes, we don’t dream enough. When you ask people what they want in life and they answer with an ambitious dream (like having their own cooking show on television) people mostly put that down. It is too hard, or impossible they say.

In my opinion it is not, nothing is. Maybe it’ll be too hard in the end, but at least work for it. Try it! Work your butt off! We have standards here, like getting the highest possible education. There is less room for other things, other passions, unfortunately. But On Top from Anna Nooshin really shows you that dreams do come true, and that you can do anything. I really think you should read this book, I loved it (even though I’m not that much into fashion, which is her job). The message is the thing I love about the book.

Efficiency

Efficiency, it is so important! Doing the things you want to do, and working on your goals. Getting things done! As I said before, 25% of the Dutch people think their job is useless. Isn’t that a waste of money? Aren’t we just keeping them busy because we just have to? I think it is strange. I think it is the reality for a lot of people at work too, they don’t work efficient. A lot of people nowadays find it hard to get things done, and burn-outs are not uncommon. If you work, focussed on the important things, you’ll really add more value in my opinion. If we all work more efficient, I think we can work less all together too, and have more focus for other things. Family, friends, working out, etc. etc.

Eat that Frog! by Brian Tracy

This book is so simple, but very necessary in my opinion. The book has a few basic principles which really makes you more productive. It basically teaches you how to focus on the important things. Tracy made me think of a saying I read in another book too. It sort of said: you have to see your working day as a bath tubs and all the things you can do are balls. You have small balls, which are the least important (like going through your e-mail) and big balls, which really make your job so important (like a big project). If you have a bath tub, you have to put in the big balls first, and then the small ones around it, which will fit exactly.

If you do it the other way around, with the small ones first, you don’t have room for the big balls. It really got me thinking because most people I saw working, worked on their e-mail first thing of the day. This is a small book, but you should read it in my opinion. It is so important!