Buy the stinking book!

Yes, you need to continue to learn and grow. Yes, you need the benefit of information and intelligence from experts in areas of interest or importance for your life, family and business. Yes, you must build your skills, enhance your knowledge and improve your abilities. Yes, there are a number of sources where you can get the help and education you are looking for. But no, you don’t have to spend anywhere near as much as you probably do.
Recently I got a direct mail piece from a company I have been doing business with for years. It promoted subject matter that I was interested in. It did a good job of convincing me that I could benefit from the information. It showed that the presenter/author was qualified to teach the subject and made a special offer. With the promised discount, the cost of the CD set and manual was only going to cost me $249.00, a $200 savings. WOW. What a deal. Right? Wrong! I wanted the knowledge and information, but the offering was not for me.
Instead of buying the program offered, I went to Amazon and searched for the name of the author, the name of the course and the name of the book referenced in the promotional material I received. You guessed it. There it was, in living color. The book on which the recorded seminar and CD set was based. So I bought a used copy, in excellent condition, for ... wait for it ... wait for it ... only $7.00; an additional $242 savings!
When I got the book I read it, highlighted areas of importance. I wrote notes in the margins. I turned down the corners of important pages. I made notes about how I could use the information in my business. I then took the book to the office and using the Notes section of Outlook, made my own personal review of the book, complete with notes, quotes, ideas, and suggestions that would allow me to fully utilize what I learned. I guarantee that I learned and benefited more from this process than I would have if I had been a lazy dog and just listened to CDs as I drove around. Now don’t get me wrong, I do listen to some select CD sets when I travel, but I do that to reinforce major concepts and not to learn new ones.
So, my advise is if you really want to learn, benefit from the education, enjoy the personal development and save money: buy the stinking book. Thus far I have never found a course offered that I could not find a related book on, for a greatly reduced price. However, its your money. If you want to waste it, that’s OK with me. I’d rather buy the book and put the other $242 into my retirement account, use it to fund my business, or take my wife out for a real nice night on the town.