I’ve used this blog on occasion to remind you and me that life is about life, not startups. Business is what we do, not who we are.
That’s important. Life is short. I really like to recommend Guy Kawasaki’s “Being a Mensch” chapter in The Art of the Start. And I like what I read earlier today on Lifehack:
“Reading fiction is a waste of time.”
Have you ever heard someone spout this line of complete and utter bollocks? I’ve rarely heard anything so ridiculous said in my life.
That’s Joel Falconer on Lifehack last weekend, in How to Fuel Your Idea Machine. Here’s more of his reasoning (or belief):
Reading books, fiction and nonfiction, fuels your idea machine. It gives you fodder to think with. The brain is essentially nothing more than a computer (albeit much more complicated); it takes an input, processes it and produces an output. In other words, you can’t create ideas without inputs. Life experiences and memories are your starter inputs; books allow you to branch out into the experiences of others, in the nonfiction section, and fiction allows you to reach the realm of fantasy–experiences nobody has really had. Fantasy breaks all the normal rules, and so do the best ideas and solutions, so what better place to start?
Then again, maybe I just want to do you and me a favor, and remind us both that building a business is something you do to improve your life, and not vice-versa.
Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software and Bplans.com. Follow him on Twitter @Timberry.
