The Muscular System Manual: The Skeletal Muscles of the Human Body by Joseph Muscolino
ISBN: 978-0323057233 Read: Daily Rating: 9/10
I originally purchased this book when Joe self-published it many years ago. Joe ran some of his ideas for the third edition by me prior to its completion. I liked his ideas for the updated version, but what interested me the most was the new art work. I especially like how he ghosted in the muscles to show the relationship (depth) of one muscle relative to an adjacent muscle that crosses the same joint(s).
The updated edition also provides you with *all* of the actions for each muscle. I know that does not sound like much, but it really is. Many books don’t provide you with every action for each muscle, which limits the lens through which you see the human body. Massage Therapists, Personal Trainers, Athletic Trainers, and Physical Therapists who work with injuries, prevention of injuries or performance have to know (own!) their muscles. If you only have the money to purchase one book on muscle anatomy – get this book! It will be a valuable resource for many years. I reference this book daily and I recommend it to all of my students.
ISBN: 978-0323039895 Read: Often Rating: 9/10
This is my all time favorite Kinesiology/Biomechanics text book. If you are looking for a great resource on human motion, this book is indispensable. I don’t believe the notion that some people are better visual learners, however this book is a visual masterpiece.
The ability to see and recall the axes, planes and motions in a moment’s notice is an extremely important skill as a Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer etc. I believe you will find this text book to be an excellent addition to your library. This is the first book I reach for when I have a question about human function.
I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else’s Maze
ISBN: 978-1-60944-065-2 Read: 9/11 Rating: 7/10
This book is a short fun read with many powerful messages. It’s a story about three mice named Max, Zed and Big. The three main characters are curious, willing to ask better questions and refuse to spend their entire lives chasing cheese like the rest of the mice in the maze.
Unlike the other mice in the maze, they chose not to buy into the central message in Who Moved My Cheese?
The overiding message in I Moved Your Cheese is this: “the problem is not that the mouse is in the maze, but that the maze is in the mouse.” — Zed
All of the other mice in the maze think that the only thing within their control is how fast they run in search of cheese. To them being more effective and efficient at finding cheese is the goal, and that is all they know.
Max, Zed and Big are different.
ISBN: 978-0-553-80684-7 Read: 12/15 Rating: 8/10
Daniel Coyle noticed a pattern, and asked a very important question: Why do we have talent hotbeds in certain regions of the world? Coyle tells us that many of the people who are extremely talented in certain areas did not have the best equipment, playing field or a lot of money.
In fact, it is not about how much money an individual is born into, and Coyle makes that very clear.
Coaches, Teachers and Learners will find this book to be extremely relevant, and loaded with powerful messages throughout.
If you want to be great at something (anything!): Practice deliberately for short periods of time until you reach 10,000 hours.
“Wooden may not have known about myelin, but like all master coaches, he had a deep understanding of how it worked. He taught in chunks, using what he called the “whole part method” — he would teach players an entire move, then break it down to work on its elemental actions. He formulated laws of learning (which might be retitled laws of myelin); explanation, demonstration, imitation, correction, and repitition. ”Don’t look for the big improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time.” — Excerpt from The Talent Code
Like any great work (art), this book changed me for the better in many areas.
I hope more teachers (coaches) read this groundbreaking book.
ISBN: 978-1-59184-409-9 Reread: 12/24 Rating: 10/10
I read this book when it first hit the shelf in hardcover, and it changed me. I’m not sure which was more impactful, the first or second time I read this book.
If you want to do more great work (art) that changes people (and you!) everyday for the rest of your life…read this book more than once.
You can be (and should be!) indispensable as a Starter (self-empolyed) or an employee working for an organization.
Linchpin is Seth Godin’s most important work. It is truly a work of art and a gift that he has given to the world.
Start something (anything!) because the future (your future!) depends on it.
SHIP.
(Art)
Here are some of my notes from LINCHPIN:
“Do not internalize the industrial model. You are not one of the myriad of interchangeable pieces, but a unique human being, and if you’ve got something to say, say it, and think well of yourself while you’re learning to say it better.” – David Mamet (from the introduction)
“If the factories are our minds — if the thing the market values is insight or creativity or engagement — then capital isn’t nearly the factor it used to be.” – Seth Godin
“Expertise gives you enough insight to reinvent what everyone else assumes is the truth”. – Seth Godin
“Emotional labor is the hard work of making art, producing generosity, and exposing creativity. Working without a map involves both vision and the willingness to do something about what you see.” – Seth Godin
“An artist is someone who uses bravery, insight, creativity, and boldness to challenge the status quo. And an artist takes it personally.” – Seth Godin
“Art is unique, new, and challenging to the status quo. It’s not decoration, it’s something that causes change.” – Seth Godin
“Passion is a desire, insistence, and willingness to give a gift. The artist is relentless. She says, ‘I will not feel complete until I give a gift.’ This is more than refusing to do lousy work. It’s an insistence on doing important work.” – Seth Godin
“Your art is what you do when no one can tell you exactly how to do it. Your art is the act of taking personal responsability, challenging the status quo, and changing people.” – Seth Godin
“The reason the resistance persists in slowing you down and prevents you from putting your heart and soul and art into your work is simple: you might fail.” – Seth Godin
“Great work is not created for everyone. If it were, it would be average work.” – Seth Godin
“Shipping isn’t focused on producing a masterpiece (but all masterpieces get shipped).” – Seth Godin
“The economy is ruthlessly punishing the fearful, and increasing the benefits to the few who are brave enough to create art and generous enough to give it away.” – Seth Godin
“One way to become creative is to discipline yourself to generate bad ideas. The worse the better. Do it a lot and magically you’ll discover that some good ones slip through.” – Seth Godin
“You’d think that the biggest self-doubt would be that something you’re working on might fail. And no doubt, many of us lie awake, filled with anxiety about big failures. Consider the argument that it’s just as likely you back out of fear that something might work.” – Seth Godin
“When you were a kid, beautiful art–questions, curiosity, and spontaneity–poured out of you. The resistance was only starting to figure out how to shout out the art coming from the rest of your brain. Then, thanks to disorganized hazing by friends, raised eyebrows from the family, and well-meaning, well-organized, but toxic rules at school, the resistance gained in strength.” – Seth Godin
“The voice telling you not to yell is your conscience, not your lizard brain. You might feel the same feeling before you cheat on your taxes, go off your diet, or double-cross your partner. Listen to that feeling. It’s not the resistance.” – Seth Godin
“When you set out to do something that generates easy profits, indulges your temper, is selfish or short sighted, it’s unlikely you’ll hear from the resistance. When the lizard brain is getting what it wants, it is definitely not going to slow you down.” – Seth Godin
“Don’t listen to the cynics. They’re cynics for a reason. For them, the resistance won a long time ago. When the resistance tells you not to listen to something, read something, or attend something, go. Do it. It’s not an accident that successful people read more books.” – Seth Godin
“It’s not because the books and classes aren’t good. It’s because the resistance is stronger.” – Seth Godin
“The resistance is everywhere, all the time. It’s goal is to make you safe, which means invisible and unchanged. Visibility is dangerous. It leads to the possibility of people laughing at you, or even death. Change is dangerous because it involves moving from the known to the unknown, and that might be dangerous.” – Seth Godin
“Do you think it’s an accident that the powers that be wanted the disobedient and creative part of your brain to sit down and shut up?” – Seth Godin
“The hard part is distinguishing between quitting because the resistance wants you to (bad idea) or because the resistance doesn’t want you to (great idea). The goal is to quit the tasks you’re doing because you’re hiding on behalf of the lizard brain and to push through the very tasks the lizard fears.” – Seth Godin
“Anxiety makes it impossible to do art, because it feeds the resistance, giving the lizard brain insane power over us. It’s impossible to be a Linchpin if you agree to feed your anxiety.” – Seth Godin
“The resistance will help you find the thing you most need to do because it is the thing the resistance most wants to stop.” – Seth Godin
“So, what’s left is to make-to give-art. What’s left is the generosity and humanity worth paying for.” – Seth Godin
“Art is a personal act of courage, something one human does that creates change in another.” – Seth Godin
“He can find a new solution to a problem that has caused others to quit. His art, his genius, is to reimagine the opportunity and find a new way to lean into it.” – Seth Godin
“We can see what’s right and what’s wrong. We can see opportunities and we can see around corners. Most of all, we can see art. Art isn’t only a painting. Art is anything that’s creative, passionate, and personal. And great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the creator.” – Seth Godin
“Being open is art. Making a connection when it’s not part of your job is a gift. You can say your lines and get away with it, or you can touch someone and make a difference in their lives forever.” – Seth Godin