I wanted to tell you about my new favorite book, and no, it is not “The Spectrum Mindset.”

This is a book that actually has a ton of similarity with the mindset principles of my book, but at times explains what I was trying to communicate in a much clearer way. The authors are also proponents of an infinite mindset as opposed to having a finite one.

The book is “10X is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More By Doing Less” by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy.

While the book is for entrepreneurs and business leaders, I think it has a lot of principles useful to anyone’s life, just as my book connects most with parents, but can be useful to anyone.

When we have a spectrum mindset, we picture the factors of our lives on many different spectrums, we have health, wealth, career, purpose, faith, family, relationships, etc. spectrums that we try to improve each day. As I advised in the book, never do nothing, always do something, and just try to move in some small way today along your desired spectrum.

Dan and Benjamin put a more expansive view on that growth in their book. They say that most people are shooting for 2x growth in their business and life, but that’s what everyone is trying to do. So everyone is thinking the same way, trying to get the same results, holding onto the same things they’ve always had, and competing in highly competitive arenas.

But there’s a lesser traveled path to growth, one that will force you to reimagine your life and redefine your standards constantly as you grow. This path goes for 10x instead of just going for 2x.

Why 10x…
Because 10x is so big it immediately forces you out of your current mindset and approach. It will also force you to look for solutions you never saw before and make you bring in new people to help you.

Dr. Hardy writes, “Going for 10x forces you to stop almost everything you’re doing. In 2x, there’s not enough distinction in what you want to force clarity about which direction to go. There’s also not enough difference to discern what among the many things you’re now doing is ultimately a waste.”

This is a big part of 10x thinking, auditing and editing your life to remove the 80% that is holding you back and keeping you where you are. This is why the book opens with the story of Michaelangelo creating his 1504 masterpiece, “David.” Michelangelo explained, “It’s simple. I just remove everything that is not David.”

This is what 10x thinking is all about, the simplification of your focus down to the core essential. Then you remove everything else.

This is also why the authors argue that 10x is actually easier than 2x. It’s not about hustling harder as most entrepreneur influencers would leave you to believe. It’s truly about working smarter and shifting your mindset.

Shifting your mindset should come with upgrading your standards. Dr. Hardy writes, “10x is committing to your ambitious vision and making that vision your standard. Define and choose your own minimum standards, no matter how seemingly impossible to yourself and others.”

Besides businesspeople, this book will also resonate with creative people because it talks about flow state and unique ability. Dr. Hardy writes, “Being in a flow state occurs when you embrace your Unique Ability because you’re not overly editing yourself based on external approval, attachment to outcomes, etc. Instead, you’re just purely free to be and do and create as you want and in the way you want.”

As someone who creates, it is really easy to feel stuck and stagnant. It can also feel lonely when you seek external approval and don’t receive it. I love these questions and advice from the book, “What is your 20% that would become 10x more valuable if you went all-in? What are the few things you do and few people you work with that produce most of your success and excitement? What is your 80% that is keeping you grinding away, and ultimately a distraction for your biggest future jumps?” Dr. Hardy’s advice, “Invest your time in a limited few tasks that only you can do uniquely better than anyone else.”

If you needed one more reason to check out this book, Dan and Dr. Hardy have also published a few other books which they briefly describe in this book because the principles apply to 10x. It was like getting all 3 of their books in 1. Their book, “The Gap and The Gain” is about appreciating your progress/gain, and not getting stuck in the gap which is dwelling on what you don’t have and where you should be. Their other book, “Who Not How” is about finding the right people when faced with a problem. Don’t ask “how” you will solve your next problem, ask “who” can help you solve it?

The sharing of the principles from these two books within their 10x book, really made this one of my favorite books and possibly the winner in this year’s Coach Tony’s Top Book List. The year is only halfway through so we will have to see.

Have you read this book? Will you check it out now?

Read “The Spectrum Mindset” first of course 🙂 Will you help us push through 100 reviews? It’s time to make a run for 100 and I need your help. Please leave a review here.

-Tony Frezza