I recently attended Brendon Burchard's High Performance Academy.  If I'm honest...I wasn't quite sure I wanted to go.  I was busy.  Aren't we all busy?  I was in the middle of putting together classes for our fall programs.  I was just plain tired out and wasn't excited about a cross country trip with a red-eye return flight that same weekend.  I was worried that it was another event of "joiners", a gathering of firewalking humans hell bent on tapping into some magic power that could only be accessed by knowing the secret chant.  Well, I went anyway and it was none of that.  Yes, it was high engery.  Yes, much of it was common sense that we need to be reminded of once in a while.  Yes, much of it was simple.  YES, there were some powerful moments and thoughts that resonated deeply and worth the time away from "being busy".
Brendon is a high enegy presenter with some useful information, but more importantly...he sometimes stops, hits you right in the gut and really makes you think hard.  For me...three simple questions was worth the entire trip.  If I took nothing else away at all, these 3 questions are my compass now in all I do in this busy world.  Strip away the trappings of what the world measures success by and consider these questions each and every day.  It will change your perspective and your priorities.  Pretty simple...yet incredibly powerful.  "Did I Live?  Did I Love?  Did I Matter?"

Admittedly, I read lots of books.  And those of you that know me can attest to the fact that I have a very bad habit of collecting books.  Collecting to the point of having a minor library everywhere I tend to spend time.  That wouldn't just be one library, no that would be too simple.  Instead I have three.  One at my "work cave" at home, one at my business office in Alden and still another at my office at the university. 

That being said, I don't often get overly excited about another new business book.  The vast majority are the same principles presented in a slightly different matter.  The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande is a rare exception.  This is a must read book in my opinion. 

I picked it up on a friends recommendation and couldn't put it down.  It is written by a surgeon and traces the history of checklists and their ability to prevent failure by helping us to catch the mental flaws that we all experience.  Explore how checklists help improve processes in everything from airplanes to operating room procedures.  An easy and inspiring read.  Enjoy!