Hello Fellow Journeyers,
In the vein of Ego is the Enemy, we must dive in to another short read focusing on self-edification: Philosophies of Self-Discipline: Lessons from History’s Greatest Thinkers.
Unlike many self-development books, there are no gimmicky one-off stories or even the author's personal story, it simply blends self-discipline practices with brief histories of eight famous philosophers' ways of using self-discipline based on their differing philosophical views and it works surprisingly well. You'll hear from Plato to Aristotle and Nietzche to Skinner. All having a very different, but altogether helpful view that will contribute to how you view self-discipline and cultivate it.
It's not an overly complicated book, nor is it redundant or simplistic. As someone who wanted to learn how to cultivate greater self-discipline, Hollins plainly communicates approaches that are practical, literally and philosophically. But what really stood out was how cohesive and well the book moves along as one whole. Instead of being 8 separate and uncorrelated practices, Hollins gives instruction that progresses purposefully and it felt completely vital to go from chapter to chapter in order rather than simply jumping around finding practices or applications. This made for a richer experience that grew and developed whilst also providing new information that was continually helpful.
★★★★★ 4.5 Stars - Definitely worth the read if you're looking for a more interesting way of learning self-discipline that is without fluff and is completely practical. Essential Reading!
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.
Rating system:
★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!
★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was fantastic, I really loved almost every aspect of it.
★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very good and worth reading; highly recommend.
★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this story, but it was lacking in certain areas.
★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.
★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.
★★ 2 Stars: It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.
★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.
*I round up based on the system on Goodreads. Also, there is no 1.5 Stars because it does not seem to have enough differentiation.