Read any good books lately?
Read any good books lately?
(OP)
I like to read self-help type books that are related to my career. I'm trying to find a good book that will help motivate me at work. I'm happy at my job but I just feel like I need a good 'pick-me up' because I've gotten kind of lazy and frustrated lately. Any of the career books I've found are about changing careers or finding a good job but that's not really what I'm looking for.
Can anyone recommend a good book that will help me re-ignite my enthusiasm about my job?





RE: Read any good books lately?
Wes C.
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Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
RE: Read any good books lately?
Ed
www.engineerboards.com
RE: Read any good books lately?
The friend who gave it to me wrote a message in the front cover, part of which will never leave me: "...when all I could see was darkness around me, this book was my only light..."
Sure it has nothing to do with work, but it resets my overall outlook on life, and I stop taking things so seriously, which is usually the problem in the first place.
RE: Read any good books lately?
Cheers,
CanuckMiner
RE: Read any good books lately?
-The future's so bright I gotta wear shades!
RE: Read any good books lately?
I like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance--great questions of philosophy with a challenging question of purpose and significance of living. In my friend's copy of the book I found the following inscription:
What Should I Do With My Life, Po Bronson.
Orthodoxy, Chesterton (not what I expected)
Shantaram, Roberts (fun fiction)
Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reason trumps all. And awe trumps reason.
RE: Read any good books lately?
Are there any Brooks fans or Dragonlance fans out there?
RE: Read any good books lately?
I'm kind of looking for inspirational self-help type books. I'm not sure these quite fit the bill but thanks anyways.
I used to be a pretty big dragonlance fan back in the day. I just recently re-read "Dragons of Autumn Twilight" for old times sake. I was planning on reading the whole "Chronicles" trilogy over again but ran out of steam after the first one. I really loved the "Legends" trilogy with Caramon and Raistlin. I might try to read them again someday soon. I never really got too thrilled with any of the other dragonlance books beyond those 2 trilogies though. I bought lots of other ones but they never really were even in the same ballpark if you ask me.
RE: Read any good books lately?
A new job would probably work to re-ignite your enthusiasm. You've posted quite a bit about job problems and such. If it's that bad that you need to talk about it constantly or read self-help books, does that tell you anything about your job? I mean this with all due respect and do not intend any negativity to come through the post.
I notice you have only one post in the technical fora. Posting in the technical fora here at Eng-Tips and helping others by answering questions or providing your own insight will probably help your feelings in general and may even help you other ways with your job or feelings toward it.
RE: Read any good books lately?
RE: Read any good books lately?
I read the first two books off the top since reading this thread and enjoyed both of them.
Millionaire next door
and
Dale Carnegie's book.
Most of the rest are philosphy book that I'm not too interested in.
Anyone else with any to recommend?
RE: Read any good books lately?
The theme is to find a job that matches God's plan for you. I am hoping that it will help me to figure out what I really want to do.
I'll try to let you know how it goes.
Ed
www.engineerboards.com
RE: Read any good books lately?
RE: Read any good books lately?
There appear to be guidelines that try to get you to determine your God-given strengths, likes dislikes, etc...
The book focuses on helping you find your "sweet spot".
I am looking forward to it. I have not really been overly excited in my career thus far. I hope this helps me to find some direction.
Ed
www.engineerboards.com
RE: Read any good books lately?
RE: Read any good books lately?
Ed
www.engineerboards.com
RE: Read any good books lately?
1. Who moved my cheese
2. The Secret
3. The Alchemist
Fortunately all are like children story books but with a strong statement.
RE: Read any good books lately?
Steven Covey.
Success!
RE: Read any good books lately?
The book I mentioned is called "Cure for the Common Life" by Max Lucado. I orginally messed up the title a bit. I am a few pages into it and it looks good so far. I'll try to update you guys.
Ed
www.engineerboards.com
RE: Read any good books lately?
RE: Read any good books lately?
RE: Read any good books lately?
I have developed a greater appreciation for the tools and technology that we take for granted as engineers. The story has also showed me that the nature of engineers, contractors and politicians have not changed in over 100 years.(and probably never will)
RE: Read any good books lately?
rmw
RE: Read any good books lately?
I highly recommend Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". It really motivated me when I first read it. I just wished I would have paid more attention to "sharpening the saw".
=====================================
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RE: Read any good books lately?
the book of Proverbs, ch 3 verse 5 and 6 says "Trust in The LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
This is not just as simple as dropping everything you are doing, looking up to the sky, asking God to tell you what to do next, and then pull up a chair and wait for an audible answer. That is not reasonable.
I cannot begin to consider the thought of being able to explain a fraction of what there is to know about God and The Bible within five minutes. It takes effort and dedication.
It takes a willing heart to start right where you are, (God accepts EVERYone) right where you are, in your current occupation, in your current life situation, to understand that we are nothing without God and we must depend fully on Him alone. It takes time and a willing heart to seek God's will for your life and be obedient to Him. All the answers you will ever need can be found in The Bible. (I speak to any who care to be reasonable)
HVACctrl, you're on the right track. "God's plan for you." To "Trust in The LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" is a hard thought and very unpopular in this individualistic society. But, who should you trust? Man who typically wants to serve their own aggenda or The God of this universe who is the only one who can offer you everlasting life?
"Trust in The LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
RE: Read any good books lately?
RE: Read any good books lately?
h
Cheers
Greg Locock
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: Read any good books lately?
This whole thread is an advertisment.
The OP asked for a recommendation as to what "book might help re-ignite his enthusiasm about my job".
Are you suggesting "red flagging" the OP?
RE: Read any good books lately?
Ed
www.engineerboards.com
RE: Read any good books lately?
All I see is truth in LMatthew's reply. He gave an appropriate recommendation to the original request. In addition, he elaborated just enough to offer concurrence and further insight upon HVACctrl's second reply.
I would'nt change a thing of what LMatthew wrote.
RE: Read any good books lately?
Do unto others.....
I wonder what the teaching of Antoinne Lefay (not sure I spelt that right) would go down? I suspect from what little I know they'd emphasize self help!
Oh great Flying Spaghetti Monster..
On topic don't know about specifice books, used to work in Aerospace/Defense and anything about military A/C or military technology generally did the trick. You could always try watching the History Channel or Discovery, Engineering Disasters anyone
RE: Read any good books lately?
"Failure is not an option" Gene Kranz
RE: Read any good books lately?
The Alchemist
Veronika Decides to Die
By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
---All by Paulo Coelho
and I always review my notes on quotations.
RE: Read any good books lately?
1) Edly's Music Theory for Practical People
It's a great resource for the musically illiterate like me. I'm currently studying guitar and I was just having a tough time with glossing over the "whys" so I decided to learn a bit more about theory.
2) Bioprocess Engineering: Systems, Facilities, Equipment
I've been trying to break into the biotech field for awhile. I can't afford to go to school so I'm trying to do some self-study and see if I can break in.
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How much do YOU owe?
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RE: Read any good books lately?
Lion's Game - One of the better opening sequences I've read
Up Country - I've always been interested in Viet Nam and this provided an interesting viewpoint.
I'm also, on and off, reading Six Days of War which I also find riveting. It's also humbling because of the number of words that I don't know. I finally had to start keeping a list to look up.
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How much do YOU owe?
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
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RE: Read any good books lately?
Next may be a re-read of "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance" (been having QA issues at work). Or a re-re-read of my all-time favourite: "Money" by Martin Amis.
RE: Read any good books lately?
Cheers
Greg Locock
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: Read any good books lately?
I read this years ago and just pulled it back out of my bookshelf. It deals with the experiences of a Civil Engineer, but some the passages dealing with engineering and the pursuit of the ideal solution relate to all engineering disciplines.
RE: Read any good books lately?
RE: Read any good books lately?
(http:
Richard Dawkins: The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
(http://www
Richard Dawkins: The God Delusion
(http
-Christine
RE: Read any good books lately?
ht
RE: Read any good books lately?
Well, it's my birthday today and some kind soul bought me the above book. It's good...
RE: Read any good books lately?
its not work related, it doesnt empower me, but it is a pretty good book...
-nadz
RE: Read any good books lately?
I have just read (on CD audio, does that count?)
Diamond, Jared. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York: Viking, 2005.
I thought this of significance as related to the interesting Kyoto thread and the CO2 is "more important than pollution, life and death" thread.
I think engineers would find this interesting. I also found it important and helped me take some local action.
I am reading at the same time "Grant" and "Lincoln", and the third Gingrich-Forstchen Civil War (war of Northern aggression) book. It is interesting to same the same events and thoughts in a different light.
Begger,
Thanks for the report on "Edly's Music Theory for Practical People". I plan to look into that further.
RE: Read any good books lately?
I was going through a low period at work, banging my head on some thick steel plates, and tired of the system. I drew some interesting comparisons and contrasts and drew something to remotivate myself. Maybe it will work for you...don't know.
Jim
Jim Sykes, P.Eng, GDTP-S
Profile Services
CAD-Documentation-GD&T-Product Development
www.profileservices.ca
RE: Read any good books lately?
Giving a new perspective to the way I look at physical problems. Me being from India, makes a lot of sense of what he says :)
and 'Higher Ground', an anthology of real short stories of survivors from the recent tsunami from various regions that were affected.
As for self-help books, a few on my list would be -
1)Jonathan Livingstone Seagull - a gud motivational book
2)Who moved my cheese
3)First Things First - Stephen Covey
4)FISH, The Book.
Cheers,
SriMat
RE: Read any good books lately?
Regards,
RE: Read any good books lately?
rmw
RE: Read any good books lately?
RE: Read any good books lately?
Sincerely
RE: Read any good books lately?
Woooooo.....
Ha, ha!
Why is my handle 65Roses?
Please visit http://www.cff.org/aboutCFFoundation/About65Roses/ to learn why!
RE: Read any good books lately?
"The lucifer principle" Howard Bloom
"Cryptonomocon" Neil Stephenson
"The selfish gene " Richard Dawkins
RE: Read any good books lately?
RE: Read any good books lately?
The NEW Conceptual Selling
Successful LArge Account Management
5 PAths to Persuasion
Getting to YES
Freakonomics
Get Clients Now!
The Innovator's Dilemma
1776
The World is Flat
Blue Ocean Strategy
Managing the Professional Service Firm
Selling Machine
True Professionalism
Flawless Consulting
Competing on Value
Cracking the Value Code
See more recommendations on my web site.
Rick Beauregard
www.thebeauregardgroupe.com
RE: Read any good books lately?
It's the triumph of reason over superstition. Not the most well written of his books, which are very clear explanations of evolutionary biology, but certainly the most direct.
More inspirational to me than the bible, and with less gore!
-b
RE: Read any good books lately?
Making of the Atomic Bomb and Dark Sun both by Richard Rhodes Some technical details and a lot of insight on a truly large engineering program.
RE: Read any good books lately?
I used to know a doctor who instead of holidays, he often took a locam for a few weeks in a new job, new place. Used to say it worked a treat.
RE: Read any good books lately?
You reviewed "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins.
Did he explain why evolution stoppped? Or how God used evolution to create us? Or if there is progression pattern built into our DNA, so that we evolve by a sequential pattern programmed into our DNA? Did he mention which god owned his mind when he wrote this? Was there self introspection as to who and what drove him to do this?
RE: Read any good books lately?
Evolution has never stopped. Man's short lifetime (probably optimal in length for evolution) means that Joe Blow can't see the big picture. There is no big plan. What works takes over. Theistic engineers, get a life or change jobs.
RE: Read any good books lately?
You can read the reviews on Amazon. I'm not going to debate here. I would suggest you start another thread.
Judging from your questions I would recommend his earlier books that deal explicitly with evolution. I particularly enjoyed "The Ancestor's Tale".
In keeping with the thread, here's a couple of other books I've enjoyed recently:
Freakonomics - already mentioned, but worth another recommendation.
Over the Edge of the World - The story of Magellen's ill fated circumnavigation. This is one of the few historical books that really held my interest all the way through. I had always wondered how they navigated to tiny islands in the middle of the unknown ocean. Now I know: they kidnapped local fishermen and forced them to help.
-b
-b