20,000 Days and Counting

I just finished reading 20,000 Days and Counting: The Crash Course for Mastering Your Life Right Now last week and I think it’s a great book and well worth your time. If you’re interested in investing an hour or two of your life in a book that can transform your perspective and help you take action, I think this is a great book to go with. Author, Robert D. Smith, is coming from the perspective of a follower of Jesus Christ, sharing what he’s learned from years of study and experience. And he has experience as a high-performing professional and as a mentor to folks such as Michael Hyatt. While I don’t necessarily agree with every word he’s written, I think that enough of it holds up to the standards of Scripture that it’s worth a read. Note: Contains affiliate links I listened to the Audible download version on my way to and from work over the course of two days. The recording is about 1.5 hours long but I listened at double speed so it only took me about 45 minutes to complete the book. The audio quality was great but the real value is in the information Robert presents and in the way he presents it.

My Summary:

In 20,000 Days and Counting, Robert outlines the principles that formed and guided his life and successful career up to the milestone of 20,000 days. And these are the same principles, distilled and hardened through experience and the tests of time that he plans to use as he charts the course of his life for the rest of his days on this earth. His insights are simultaneously simple and profound. They are powerful and transformative. Or at least they can be. None of us knows how many days, minutes, hours, or even seconds we have in this life. And it’s up to us, in our relationship with God to fulfill our purpose and destiny and to leave a legacy for those who come behind us – whether our children and grandchildren or even the people who fill our roles in business. God has called us each to a specific purpose and it’s up to us, with his leading to fulfill that purpose as he breaths life into us. This book, if put into action, can help guide our decisions as we put everything we have been given into becoming everything we are destined to be. It’s a reminder that we will all die some day. That we will all leave something behind. And that, while it’s right to plan for the future, we can only live right now.

Wisdom and Quotables:

Here are just a couple of the pieces of wisdom and memorable quotes I picked up.

Number your days. Literally. (you can do that here)
You’ve been dying since the day you were born.
Never forget who is most important in your life.
Every day is the best day of the year.

And, more than that, Robert presents a very simple way to quickly understand your purpose in life. He posits that motivation is nothing more than a myth. And he shares a quick decision-making hack that will leave your head spinning in its complete simplicity.