Before I start my review, let me say this to everyone who was looking at me awkwardly as I spoke (alright, it was close to a rant) about the new FTC rules around reviews and consideration: Ha! It apparently is as important as I was saying, otherwise why would Tony Hsieh have heeded his legal teams advice by asking me to state the following:
- I received one or more free copies of his book “Delivering Happiness”, in exchange for my commitment to review it.
- My review has not been influenced by the one or more copies of his book that he gave me.
OK – now that the legal jargon is done with (for simplicity sake, I could have just added a #sponsored review and I’m sure you would have gotten the gist, but why not make this an opportunity to promote my other blog post about FTC rule 255?), time to start the review.
In an effort to make the review shorter than the actual book, I’ll bullet point my thoughts:
- It’s an easy read, written in a friendly, informal manner. I finished it in about a day.
- It walks through his business life, from his first company at age five all the way to present day. His successes, his failures, and how they have influenced his life – both in and out of business.
- While I don’t subscribe to all Zapposian guidelines on how to live a balanced and fruitful life – I think it is a valuable tool. Just like everything else, read it, put it into perspective, evaluate it against your own needs, wants, desires, and implement what makes sense for you.
- To go a little further, I don’t think that the lessons Tony shares are all or nothing. Just as with his own business career, yours is and will continue to be a learning experience. Successes and failures. Happiness and sadness. Stress and relaxation. Just remember to focus on what is important, and to surround yourself with others who share the same values as you do.
Tony has asked that I include a link to his book (for your benefit, as well as I’m sure a little search engine optimization value). http://www.deliveringhappinessbook.com
In short – it’s a great read. Sometimes we just need a little something to give us focus and direction. Delivering Happiness delivers that. (I wonder how many other reviewers are going to use that line. I intentionally avoided “Delivering Happiness Delivers”. )