Library Treasures to Enrich Your Life Better Than a Billionaire

Good morning, Live Better than a Billionaire-a-Holics!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so. I know that I am!

I love the library. The bigger the library, the better I like it. I just love to wander around in those stacks looking at books that I've never thought existed. It's great to stop for a moment and start reading something that catches my fancy. I'm sure you've done that in a book store. But have you done it in a library? The choices are better in the library.

Inside any good-sized library, you have the work of more people . . . and more talented people . . . than will ever be on the payroll of any billionaire. And most billionaires wouldn't be caught dead in a library. So you have a chance to use all of the best thinkers from the entire history of the world . . . just for your advantage. Think of that!

Donald Trump may be hiring apprentices . . . but you'll be building on the brilliance of masters. I know which one I would rather be doing.

When I first began the Twenty Times Progress project (see www.fastforward400.com), it was based on a simple observation. All of the best ideas we recently started using were first developed over 400 years ago. Isn't that fascinating?

But there's a practical application, too. That means that the best idea for the year 2405 has already been created . . . AND PUBLISHED . . . somewhere. In fact, that idea may be in your library right now!!

Do you remember the movie, Back to the Future? In one of the sequels, the time machine (that wild looking DeLorean) is misused when people in the present start finding out about the future. It was a wild premise, and probably everyone who saw the movie wished such a windfall could happen to them.

That was fiction. But this is fact. You already have the time machine you need to profit today from knowledge about the future.

The knowledge is that brilliant ideas take at least 400 years to reach widespread use. Find some brilliant idea that hardly anyone pays attention to . . . and the world will become your oyster. It's that simple.

And you can find these ideas better in the library than on the Internet. Why? Because almost all of the books in the library were carefully checked out by a publisher before seeing print. While on the Internet, you can say or do almost anything . . . and people just let you. It's called a free market for ideas . . . better known as a swap meet for untested ideas. Checked-out ideas work better.

That's one reason I've read over 5,000 books so far in my life. I'm not sure of the exact total . . . but I do know that I've read and reviewed over 2,500 since 1998 and put reviews about them on Amazon.com (see http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A1K1JW1C5CUSUZ/104-5889592-2919129 to get an idea that can make you billions . . . or just help you live better than a billionaire on five dollars extra a day).

Let me give you an example. Did you know that there are brilliant (and sometimes genius-level) people who have spent their entire working lives trying to understand almost every single subject you can imagine? You could work 40 lifetimes and not reach the level one of these people has already reached.

But you face a choice. You can continue to do things you way . . . or you can take a little time and have the equivalent of Einstein tutor you to do whatever you want vastly better. I know which choice I want to make. How about you? But you are free to do as you choose.

Some people find the library daunting. Where do you start? If you have no idea, you need to introduce yourself to a reference librarian. Those are the kindly looking people who sit near the library entrance with a little sign that says "reference" on a desk or shelf top. Mostly, they aren't very busy. If they are, they'll work on your problem and get back to you. But most of the time, they can quickly find you a terrific source of information within five minutes. And it's a free service! It's like having a dream concierge of your own in every town and city.

But you may feel embarrassed to admit to someone that you don't yet know how to start a great new business, to lose 50 pounds, to look great with very little exercise, or to redesign your house to look better than the inside of any mansion in town. Get over it. The reference librarian will love your request. They mostly get asked to do really boring things . . . like look up to see if a book is in the library. Reference librarians live for questions about how to improve your life. Chances are that they would like to learn too!

Here's a hidden secret that most people don't apply. Most libraries can also borrow books for free from dozens of other libraries. My hometown library has borrowed books for me from almost every state in the United States. So a good reference librarian is like holding three wishes from the genie in Aladdin's magic lamp!

Here's a challenge for you. I'll grant a free hour of my time to answer your questions over the telephone to the three people who go to a reference librarian and work with the librarian to find a better way to live better than a billionaire on five dollars extra a day. Simply post your entries as comments to this blog entry. I'll review all the comments two weeks from now and assign the winners. You can contact me at ultimatecompetitiveadvantage@yahoo.com to make arrangements for your telephone consultation.

Tomorrow, we'll take a walk together to explore inexpensive, healthy exercise.

On Sunday, I'll look at the spiritual benefits of weight control.

Monday, we'll look into how teaching can make you smarter than a billionaire on five dollars extra a day.

Tuesday, let's consider ways to prepare for spending less on costly heating this winter now that oil prices are going through the roof.

Wednesday, I'll look more closely at how to prepare for the college football season.

Thursday, this blog will explore new ways of promoting your ideas for less than five dollars extra a day.

Next Friday, I'll tell you about an exciting new and inexpensive way for people with dyslexia to learn to read well.

Next Saturday, I'll share with you how you can automatically water your indoor plants while you are away . . . so you can give your butler and maid time off while you're away!

Next Sunday, let's take a minute to think about the best ways to spend a day not working.

Please let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.

If you are new to this blog, be sure to check out the updated table of contents entry that was posted on August 24. It will help you find earlier entries that may be of interest. I'll update this table of contents every week or so for your convenience.

August 17 was the most frequently read blog entry to date. Be sure to check it out!

Thanks so much for your support of this blog. I'm delighted that so many thousands of people have made this blog part of their regular reading habit!

If you like this blog, please let others know who might also enjoy it.

Thank you to my many friends, students, clients and blog readers who are spreading the good word about this blog.

If you are visiting today because someone invited you, I'm delighted to meet you! Let's stay in touch.

May God bless you.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell