Book Review - Analytics at Work (Thomas H. Davenport, Jeanne G. Harris, Robert Morison)

Analytics at Work is a sequel to "Competing on Analytics" written by Thomas and Jeanne.

In this book, the authors shared with us the benefits of implementing analytics, wherever possible, in all business decisions. For those in management, be it top or middle management, I strongly recommend this book to you, especially if you want to make the best decisions at the shortest amount of time.

In this book, the authors share with us the five key areas that all corporates should take note of when they want to successfully implement business analytics at their work place. The key areas are

1) D - Accessibility to High Quality Data
2) E - Having an Enterprise Orientation
3) L - Analytical Leadership
4) T - Strategic Targets
5) A - Analysts

These five areas are what management should always look out for if they want to implement business analytics successfully. These five areas serve as a good reminder to those that are in the Analytics, on where they can improve on and for those that are new to Analytics, what areas to start of with and what to do with each area if they want to experience the benefits of Analytics.

For this book, if it is read by middle and top management, should receive 4 out of 5 stars for its clarity and simple read. For those that are already in the analytics world, I am very sure you will still benefit greatly from reading these books as you will understand what are the knowledge and skills for you to progress from your corporate position.

Book Review - Discover Your Destiny: Big Ideas to Live Your Best Life (Robin Sharma)

Discover Your Destiny: Big Ideas to Live Your Best Life (Robin Sharma), is a sequel to his best-selling book, The Monk who sold his Ferrari.

In this book, Julian Mantle, works with someone who is called Dar. In the story, he shared with Dar the Seven Stages of Self-awakening. After going through the seven stages, you would be transformed and live a life that brings you great happiness and comfort, a life that you would strongly believe that you are to live, the Meaning of Your Life. As always, all transformation process will take great effort, go through great pains but at the end it would be all worth it.

How many times we have made choices so that we make the people around us love us but such choices made us more miserable? How many times have you chosen your choices through fear and in the end found out that these choices are not making you happy? If we truly want to live a life that we are meant to live, we need to stop "cheating" ourselves. Start to be conscious of all the choices we are making. Make these choices that will make us happy, take the path that will bring more meaning in our lives. That is what this book is all about.

Some of the key takeaways I gotten from reading this book is

1) Face your fears. Do not run away from it. Acknowledge the fear and make choices to conquer it. Usually after the fear subsides, what lies beneath are great comfort and happiness.

2) All setbacks have lessons that we need to learn, to bring us to the lives we meant to live. If we manage to learn these lessons that are hidden in those setbacks, the setbacks with the same nature would not repeat itself.

3) Do your best and let life do the rest. This reminds me of the Circle of Control which I think I read from 8th Habits by Stephen Covey. Inside the Circle of Control, we should give it our best, do our best so that we do not "betray" or shortchange ourselves. Whatever results, which is outside our Circle of Control, that we get, if we tried our best, we can feel proud of getting it.

There are still many nuggets of wisdom in books which is I share it with you in this blog, would meant putting the whole book in. So I strongly urge everyone to get the book, read it, practise on those takeaways that strike you the most. Remember, wisdom without execution is worthless.

Book Review - Guide to Investing in Gold and Silver (Michael Maloney)

Guide to Investing in Gold and Silver (Michael Maloney) is a book that I grabbed the minute I finish reading Rich Dad's Conspiracy of the Rich. Because in the book, there is a recommendation to keep part of our wealth as Precious Metals so that our purchasing power is maintained.

In this book it makes a strong case to purchase Gold and Silver and to tell you the truth, it opens up my horizon reading this book. This book also proves that history repeats itself and if history is of any mirror or lesson, it is time to start preparing. I urge all of you to grab this book, read it fast and start considering precious metals as part of your portfolio. In fact, a large part of your portfolio.

Together with my economic background, these two books have help me to connect the dots and give me a better picture that we are really heading for disaster ever since the Gold standard is history in 1971.

In this book there are also some practical tips on how to make your investment grow fast. But this is on the pretext that you are able to control your greed and fear, two main emotions that drive all markets.

I strongly recommend you'll to pick up the book, start to gather data on Dow, Gold and Silver prices and start to invest in the cycle. I am doing it now.

I am not giving any stars for this book but I will give it 5 starts out of 5 for urgency to read it. Start thinking about precious metal investing!

Book Review - Rich Dad's Conspiracy of the Rich (Robert T. Kiyosaki)

Rich Dad's Conspiracy of the Rich (Robert T. Kiyosaki) is the new book from the Rich Dad franchise. Being a great fan of reading (but yet to take action) Rich Dad's series of book, I rushed to the bookstore to grab it the minute it is available and devour it within 1 week.

This book is seriously attention grabbing and what makes this book so special is the points made inside the book was something that I have studied in the university. I did not know that I was studying about the conspiracy at all.

Basically the book is pointing to a certain trend that most people should pay attention to especially poor and middle class. The 'reckless' printing of US dollars is going to bring us to an age of high inflation definitely, and I say this with confidence because I have studied it. Unless the US government do something about it which I seriously doubt so, not because they do not want to but circumstances does not allow.

How to be prepared for the trend? The concrete steps are not inside as usual for Rich Dad's book, but in the book it share the new world order that is already here in the world of money and to profit from it you need to follow the rules. And these rules are

1) Money is knowledge
2) Learn how to use debt
3) Learn to Control Cashflow
4) Prepare for Bad times and you will only know Good times
5) The need for speed
6) Learn the Language of Money
7) Life is a team sport. Choose your team carefully.
8) Since money is becoming worth-less and less, Learn to Print your own

In the book, I came to know many facts about the Federal Reserve of US and some of them are shocking indeed for instance, the Federal Reserve is set up by a group of private bankers. Its origin starts from a meeting in Jekyll Island (sounds scary right?)

Still not enough information to make you buy the book? Well inside the book, Robert shared what needs to be learnt in order to increase your financial literacy. Warning: They sound simple but skills needed to be learnt in order to learn these lessons.

I give this book 5 stars out of 5 and I strongly recommend it to everyone to read it and I suggest you read it fast and take immediate action.

Book Review - Click (George Fraser)

Click: The Ten Truths for Building Extraordinary Relationship (George Fraser) is a book about building good relationship with people.

In the book, George says that to have a perfect relationship, you would need the following, Chemistry, Fit and Timing. And he shares ten ways on how to improve these three areas to achieve the great relationships that we all desire. The popularity of social networks has shown human's deep desire for connections. This book serves to be the right supplement to help achieve this desire in the most comfortable and right way.

Some of the Truth that have impact me the most are Truth #3: Love Serve Give and Add Value First, Truth #5: Bless Them and Release Them and Truth #6: Trust First; Distrust must be Earned.

Truth #3: Love Serve Give and Add Value First

In life how many times have we wanted something real bad or grudge that someone did not give us something. We always want to take but never take time to think how we can give back to society. Common excuse is, when I have enough, I will give. But when is enough enough? "Add Value First" is a great principle to follow in my opinion as I have been trying to follow it whenever possible and have seen the results. You will be surprised that what you give out most of the time comes back in greater value to you. Of course I am not saying we do it for the greater value that we are going to receive later on because genuine giving is the one that will give you the greater value.

Truth #5: Bless Them and Release Them

We have seen in many newspaper report that someone has been with an abusive spouse for X number of years where X is a number that most people cannot fathom. Relationship takes two parties to form. Sometimes we genuinely want this relationship to carry on but if the other party do not seem to want it continue or has been doing things that hurts you. Sometime, it may be better to wish them well and let go the relationship. In the book, it says that letting go means to stop "warming" the relationship, just gradually reduce contacting the person and then just stop altogether. Letting go is always the hardest part that is why we try to ignore it but yes to have 'perfect' relationship in your life, we have to let go those relationship that are bad and the other party is not willing to mend it.

Truth #6: Trust First; Distrust must be Earned

How many times because of fear of being cheated, we have allowed ourselves to be restrained? Our potential not realised? Ask yourself this question. How many bad guys are there? How many good guys are there? If the bad guys are more than the good guys, chances are our prisons and rehabilitation centers might have been overcrowded by now. No right? I subscribe to Confucius's philosophy that all people are good by nature. Of course that does not mean that I let my guard down. I just trust them first and then just be wary when they touch certain trigger points. I feel in this way, my potential can be realised and I get to enjoy the relationship that I have.

This is a great book to have and I wish that all CEOs out there would read this book as well and use the Truths in the book to build a better working environment for all their staff. As for individuals, I strongly recommend that you grab the book and apply the principles in your life to achieve that beautiful network of relationship that I am sure you have deep desire for.

Book Review - The Present (Spencer Johnson)

The Present (Spencer Johnson) writes about valuable lessons that I feel is greatly important for us modern people.

Are you very busy with your work and commitments? After finishing your work do you feel a sense of emptiness inside? This is the book for you if you answer 'Yes' to these questions. I am sure many of us have heard of this book since it has been published for a few years but the lessons taught inside is timeless.

Enjoying the moment, living each moment fully is something we wanted but a principle that we do not understand well, because just thinking of it, there seems to be quite a fair bit of 'technical' problem. This book will tell us how we can do that with easy-to-understand guiding principles to help us. This book is strongly recommended for all of us who are so overwhelmed by this world we are in. The lessons inside is definitely priceless.

Strongly recommended book to read. On a side note, Spencer Johnson new book is out and it is titled "Peaks and Valleys".

Book Review - The Answer (John Assaraf, Smith Murray)

The Answer (John Assaraf, Smith Murray) was a book that had an interesting story behind why I bought.

I was fascinated by Law of Attraction again, so I pick up the book and read. I even watch the video to get myself immerse again into understanding the Law. Now I know about this book "The Answer" a long time back and I do know that John Assaraf is one of the mentor featured in the Secret. But this time it was very different. John stood out from the video, not literally of course. His name keeps on ringing in my mind.

At that time, Harris at Suntec City was having a clearance sale (and it still is now) so being an avid bookworm, I went to the sale. And "The Answer" stood out a couple of time because it was one of those books that was found in most shelves (I wonder is it because that this book is difficult to classify). Anyway, since it stood out so many times, I guess it is not harm reading it since the title sounds attractive, "Grow Any Business, Achieve Financial Freedom and Live an Extraordinary Life" which I am sure this is what everyone wants to do.

When I was reading this book, I was blown away because there are two parts to the book. The first part of the book does talk about The Secret and gives you the scientific background of it. (Yes, there is scientific background to The Secret.) So it gives me a better understanding how it works. The second part is the one I strongly recommend to entrepreneurs. This second part is a MUST-READ. I can never stress enough. If you really want to grow your business, you MUST-READ the second half. I am very sure you will benefit TREMENDOUSLY from it.

Basically the second half tells you how to find the customers you need, designing your marketing materials to get the customer you want and also design the business model to get the customer you want. Now of course most of this things are cliche in any entrepreneurship books but I can tell you this book is very different.

For this book I give it a 4.5 stars out of five if you are an entrepreneur reading it, but if you are reading to find out more about The Secret, I will only say that the scientific background it good to read but not a must-read to know more.