The War of Art and Today We Are Rich

Wow, remember when there use to be a blog series called The Bookworm Club?! Man it's been SO long since I've posted in this series and I feel like such a bad blogger for letting it go to the wayside. This past year, especially as we awaited the arrival of our little boy, finding time to read a book was HARD. I LOVE to read and so it made me sad that I couldn't even make it through a page of a book before I would be asleep. It took me almost six months to even find my way through both of these books. I'll admit to finding some relief when I had finished them. Eager to fall asleep again.

It didn't really help that I wasn't totally sold on either book. Both the War of Art and Today We Are Rich came highly recommended and so I had high hopes for what both books could offer. But each time I found myself sitting down to dig in, I couldn't wait for the reading time to be over. And really, no one should ever feel that way when reading a book!! In short I was board.

The The War of Art reads like a book of short thoughts or chapters on overcoming those problems we all face as artists turned professionals. Steven Pressfield who penned the book writes in an almost aggressive style, as if he is rallying up an army of troops. Pressfield's aim is to empower and encourage his readers to conquer those unique issues faced by entrepreneurs. I call books like these business theory books as they focus on the big picture of business practices. I have to say that these are not my favorite kind of business reads. I like hard facts and tangible ideas, so needless to say I found myself skipping over a lot. If you find this type of reading inspirational then dive right in, you will certainly enjoy this book.

Then there is Today We Are Rich, which I'll admit, I enjoyed much more than the War of Art. But unfortunately, this book also fell short for me. Tim Sanders uses his childhood memories of living with his grandmother as the back story to the book. His goal is to encourage his reader to exude confidence while maintaining a humble and graceful approach to life. I enjoyed most of what Sanders had to offer. But much of the book is about HIS life and while it was a valuable experience to evaluate I wanted more tangible ideas that were directly applicable to my business.

Both of these authors are smart, intelligent business gurus who have a lot to offer entrepreneurs like me. In the end it wasn't the content that I didn't enjoy, rather the way that content was presented. I'm a hard facts kind of girl and I wish there had been more of that. Much more of that. But still I'd recommend both the War of Art and Today We Are Rich to any business owner. There's always something new to learn from other business leaders!

Reading any good business books? I'm diving into Outliers right now (diving in as reading a page here and there;))! But I'd love to hear what you're reading and love lately!