Doing nothing does you good

Tim Roberts says some books are just made to change your life and add to your personal power – and this month we feature two of them. Tim’s role involves designing specialist programmes to help people develop and these two books are rated extremely highly by many of the individuals and organisations he works with

You may be wondering why, from the hundreds of books I read each year, that I picked these two. The answer is obvious. We live in an increasingly stressful society and it shows no chance of becoming more gentle or spacious.

One thing above all is clear – if you do not take care of yourself, who will do it for you? With all due respect to organisations, the individuals within them are so stressed that they often do not have the emotional resilience to help you with your burdens.

In that case, whom do you depend on – yourself! And in order to depend on yourself in an ever-more competitive environment, you need to know two things – how to stay healthy and how to move forward.

Once you have mastered these two issues many obstacles will dissolve and you will find that you are creating more and more luck, and possibly more wealth and more free time.

The bottom line is choice – and by reading these two books you will be adding huge resources to your ability to make choices.

Don’t run – laugh
The Joy of Laziness: How to slow down and live longer Dr Peter Axt and Dr Michaela Axt-Gadermann
BLOOMSBURY

The back cover of this delightful book mesmerised me, it read: “The early bird may get the early worm, but late sleepers live longer.” I was astonished because I rise each day at 6am to exercise. I read on and became very alarmed.

The book explained to me, with the use of compelling
research, that:

● Too much exercise can make you ill
● Being relaxed and eventempered makes you more intelligent
● Fasting delays the ageing process and lengthens your life
● Sun and heat are fountains of youth
● “Doing nothing” actually does a great deal of good.

I was in a hurry (which probably doesn’t lengthen my
life) so I bought the book and thought my wife might like to read it. Before I gave it to her I was hooked because it is so relevant to me – and to many others, especially police officers.

I could not put this book down and I needed to read it all, and quickly so I could make changes to my life. I had thought that my life was well-balanced and parts of it were but others are actually, according to the research presented here, probably shortening my life.

If you only read one health book this year, please read this one. It may help you live longer. Did you know that we are all born with a certain quota of life energy?

“A mouse, then, will live to be about four years old, a chimpanzee to about 50, an elephant to be 70, and a turtle to be about 150. All of them have used up approximately the same amount of life energy per gram of body weight…

“Turtles, for example, which aren’t agitated by anything, live noticeably longer since they waste the least amount of ‘life energy’.” The authors put forward research that suggests that humans can live up to between 120 and 130, if we learn to conserve our life energy.

This is a wonderful and easily digested book and it should become as familiar to every family in this country as the phone book. It is packed with simple yet astounding research and practical and often surprising tips for lengthening your life – and increasing your enjoyment too.

For example, did you know that bus passengers live longer than bus drivers? Or that rising after 7.20am statistically offers you a better, more relaxed frame of mind for the day – regardless of how long you actually slept for!

What about this one – one minute of laughter is as good for you as 10 minutes of running! What would you rather do?

Elevator pitch
Pitch Yourself
Bill Faust and Michael Faust
PEARSON BUSINESS

I have the privilege of knowing one of the authors, Michael Faust. He is one of the most insightful, clear-thinking and intellectual people I have met. Michael is also kind, wise and a gifted writer.

He has a mind like a sabre and he can thin-slice a problem at 100 yards! Michael and his brother, Bill, wrote Pitch Yourself because they noticed that the age of the traditional CV was dead and gone.

Employers no longer want bland, lengthy and impersonal lists of qualifications that leave their readers cold. Employers want and need something different.

They need to know that you have the talent, energy, foresight and grit to connect personally with the role advertised, the organisation that advertised it and your joint futures.

How can you get to the top of the pile and clinch that crucial interview if your CV is as dull as everyone else’s?

This is a beautifully written, easy to read and well-presented volume that is used by numerous business schools and businesses throughout the world.

Pitch Yourself is vital for anyone who wants to take much of the randomness out of the job application process.

The authors pledge to help you to create the most effective CV you’ll ever write, give the best interview you’ll ever give, write compelling cover letters, manage assessment centres and, vitally, manage your referees.

The Faust brothers take you on a step-by-step journey as you assemble a powerful CV and, by doing so, minimise the chances of being screened out of the job-search process early.

By following their advice you will not only get nearer to the interview but you will probably discover more of your hidden strengths and latent talents than you realised you had.

In addition, the authors guide you as you design your ideal “elevator pitch” so that you can powerfully explain who you are and your strengths within just a few seconds.

Elevator pitches are proved to be effective because they are concise, pack a punch and are relevant. Most people make the big mistake of waffling when they try to sell themselves and, typically, the listener switches off after a short time.

The elevator pitch grabs your listener’s interest and delivers all you need say in a fraction of that time.

It’s no surprise that this gem of a book is packed with many practical features such as preparing you for the interview, helping you align your values with those of the potential employer.

Pitch Yourself is an immediately practical gift to give to anyone who is trying to change jobs, or create a new future. Parents may find this book a superb gift to give their adult children.

Both of these books offer you freedom in so many new ways. I hope you enjoy them. Happy reading!