“David And Goliath”

As you all now know, turning 50 and my twin boys leaving the proverbial nest are the milestones I face in 2016.  Reflecting on the latter, I was having a discussion with my long time Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) advisory group (AKA my Master Minds) about how I wished that my twins were 7 years old again, around the house for another 10 years.  During the discussion, one of the members of my group, Jack McDonald, suggested I read Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath, especially two specific chapters.  One chapter highlighting the possibilities when an individual is a big fish in a small pond and one about learning disabilities.

To provide color on the importance of these two chapters, my twins are awesome, caring kids. They are identical boys born at 27 weeks, diagnosed with ADHD.  In no small part due to the herculean efforts of my wife, they are intelligent, thriving young men!  And just to paint the full picture of how truly blessed I am for my wife, my fifteen plus year EO mentor, Alec Pendleton, tells me I also probably have some form of ADD (I suspect he’s right), which I’ve learned to love (the opinions of the ScaleCo Team and my wife might be slightly different however).  What I wish for my twins is that they too learn to confidently embrace their ADHD.  And not to leave my youngest son out, but I will have to save his description for a different book blog tackling an abundance of confidence.

Back to the book…Malcolm Gladwell makes you think about the benefits of going to a smaller pond, which gives one time to mature, gain confidence and get used to winning.  Mr. Gladwell also pushes the reader to consider the possible benefits of certain hardships in life including, growing up in war torn areas, growing up with one parent (many US Presidents), having dyslexia and how many are able to turn what others may label as hardships, into an asset that allow them to improve not only their own lives, but the lives of others.

He also challenges the reader to consider incremental value.  Why do people work so hard?  For the money?  The facts don’t seem to line up.  According to Mr. Gladwell, once people make $70,000 per year, the next dollar of incremental income adds less marginal happiness.  Great thought provoker.  As anyone that has read Malcolm Gladwell’s work in the past knows, he’s a great story teller and it is easy reading.  This book was no different.

Thanks Jack for the suggestion!  It did definitely provided some ease to my anxieties as my exceptional twins embark on their next phase of life, furthering their confidence, having what I know will be a big impact on those they meet in life’s journey!

For other titles providing the passion for possibilities, visit The ScaleCo Bookshelf .