Book Review – The Best Advice I Ever Got

This is our first book review. We are planning to add more of them as we go. One of MedCrunch’s favorite topics is happiness. I guess it’s many peoples’ favorite topic since it is the ultimate driver of everything we are doing. So here we go.

Today’s book was written by Katie Couric, the anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and is called “The Best Advice I Ever Got” (non-affiliate link). Katie invited famous and inspirational people to tell us about the best advice they ever got. There are people like Bill Cosby, Arianna Huffington, Maria Shriver, Tony Hsieh, Michael Bloomberg, Jeff Immelt, Donald Trump, Jimmy Carter, Larry King, Steven Spielberg, Michael J. Fox and many many more.

Some of the major themes of the book that characterize the stories of several contributors are: fear and how it should and must be overcome. What it means to leave a dent. True happiness. How knowing yourself is necessary to achieve flow, passion and contentment. Here are some quotes from the book:

If you really believe in yourself and your art, then you have to create your own opportunities. You can’t wait for someone else to do it for you. – Susan Stoman –

The best learning lesson I can give you on accomplishment is to listen. Learn how to listen. You don’t learn anything when you are talking. Think about it. – Larry King –

As the late great Jack Lemmon once said, “Failure seldom stops you. What stops you is the fear of failure.”….You will never achieve a deeper understanding of your work, or learn the tough lessons, if you are liked or comfortable all of the time. – Laura Linney –

None of us is entitled to anything. We get what we get not because we want it or we deserve it or because it’s unfair if we don’t get it but because we earn it, we respect it, and only if we share it do we keep it. – Michael J. Fox –

The definition of success changes throughout your life. For me, the most important thing is to live with integrity, and not to give in to peer pressure. Never try to be something that you’re not. – Ellen DeGeneres –

André’s insight that night taught me an important lesson: misperceiving that there is one correct choice is a common mistake. Coming to understand that there are usually a few good choices—and then there’s the one you pick, commit to, and make great—is the best way to make flexible, optimal, good decisions in life. – Marissa Mayer –

Recipes are just descriptions of one person’s take on one moment in time. They’re not rules. People think they are. They look as if they are. They say, “Do this, not this. Add this, not that.” But, really, recipes are just suggestions that got written down….As you cook up your own life, never let anyone else’s recipe for success intimidate you or get in your way. Know your own truth, and live by it. – Mario Batali –

These are just some examples of quotes from the book. There is much more wisdom to be found. This work is really, really rich in insights. Highly recommended read. Enjoy!