Category Archives: review

Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim S. Grover is a book that will either piss you off in the first few pages or completely resonate with you. It’s one of those books. For me, it not only resonated but I found myself compiling a list of others I know who needed to read it too. I even sent one as a gift to a friend only half way though. I knew they would see themselves in there like I did.

Tim Grover is a personal training coach to many top athletes — especially in the NBA. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and many other of the game’s greatest players credit him with a large part of their success. His mission, taking players way past their perceived limits to be the very best. Not just the best in the game or the best playing today but the best of all time. He teaches them how to get into the zone and tap into the relentless and unstoppable potential that is inside us all. He’s the best at what he does and he has the clients and results to back it up. He also makes no bones about that and gives zero fucks about what you think. He is arrogant, cocky, confident, and tells it like he believes it is. Which may be off putting to many readers.

In this book, he gets into the mindset and anecdotes of what it takes to play and live a life at such a high level of excellence, who has that (very few), who doesn’t (the vast majority), and what mindset one needs. This is not a book that will teach you how to get there. This is not a how too guide. It will not teach you how to get into "the zone" and stay there. And, as he makes clear, if that’s what you want then you already don’t have what it takes so he can’t help you anyway. What it is is a litmus test. You will either recognize the qualities it takes to meet this kind of success inside of you already or you will not. It’s very inspirational to the right person or worthless hyperbole to those who don’t get it. But, at the least, you will finally be able to understand what makes a Jordan, Bryant, or Wade tick.

But, there’s also some very interesting and entertaining anecdotes for the long time basketball fan. He talks about specific moments in specific memorable games and provides insight and background to the action that only he and the player involved would know. So, even if you are not a fan of the message the author is delivering it’ll be a fun read for the NBA fan.

In short, The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion by Elle Luna is the best non-fiction book I’ve read in a long time.

Normally, when I read a non-fiction book I highlight key sentences and paragraphs to make it easy to find specific important thoughts so I can easily skim through the book again in the future. It is rare that I will "dog ear" a page. Because, when I dog ear a while page it means everything on the page is important and not a single word is to be missed.

If you look at the picture above you can easily tell by looking at the corner I dog eared a lot of pages reading this book. Several in a row in many cases. It’s that good.

Unlike a lot of the "quit your job and follow your dreams" books, this one is rational, reasonable, and readily admits that jumping off such a cliff is not wise. Instead, it argues that if you can make the time to do the things you should do, and we all seem to find the time to do those things that the world expects from us, you can make the time to do the things you must do. The mists being the things that you were born to do. The things that come from the core of who you are. The things that many of us push to the background for far too many reasons. That if you allow your must dos in, just a little, it will be a success no matter what because you will be allowing in the things that make you the very core of who you are.

The book gives plenty of examples of those who have done just that. A particular favorite is composer Phillip Glass who continued to work as a plumber even as rave reviews of his work were being published in the New York Times.

This is one of those books I now recommend to as many people as I can. Plus, as you may be able to tell from the photos it is beautifully illustrated. Worth getting for that alone. For this reason, you should make sure to get the hardcover. Especially since it is only a few cents more than the Kindle edition. Don’t cheat yourself out of beauty.

You should read The Crossroads of Should and Must. It’s worth your time.

I love pockets. I always have. It’s one of the few benefits to living in a place that offers the full benefits (and downsides) of all four seasons — it means for three of those I wear extra layers or jackets. Extra layers and jackets almost always include more pockets.

I’ve been a fan of SCOTTeVEST for a long time now. I have several of their items including the Travel Vest that started it all. The reason? SCOTTeVEST has perfected the art of building multiple pockets into their clothing without looking like clothes with a bunch of pockets. Functional clothing that looks great. For instance, the aforementioned vest has 24 pockets. Yet, fully loaded for travel, one would never guess I’m carrying so much stuff. In fact, it’s like having a third carry-on.

I recently came into possession of a SCOTTeVEST Hoodie. Like all of their products, it quickly became an instant favorite. It’s soft, comfortable, warm, has tons of nice touches, and, yes, there are loads of pockets. Ten pockets to be exact. Perfect for carrying my phone, notebooks, pens, keys, and all of the other sundry items I may want. I’ve had mine for a few weeks now and it has become my go-to wear for the strange and changing weather we’ve had as of late.

There are a couple of hand warmer pockets as there are with any hoodie but each of these conceal another pocket inside (one side has a largish “secret pocket” and the other a change pocket). On top of the hand warmer pockets are two “drop in” pockets with a snap closure. A smart placement because, when closed, one can barely tell there are pockets there at all. There are also two inside chest pockets that are each divided into two pouches (so, essentially, doubling that number to four). Another thoughtful detail I like is the thumbholes at the cuff for giving your hands a little extra warmth when needed.

All of the pockets are smartly placed so as to look like just any other regular hoodie you might wear. All of the construction and materials are high quality and built to last through a life of travel and adventure (not that I live one). I got mine in red and have gotten several complements on it whenever I wear it out. Even my wife has commented more than once how much she loves it on me.

Seriously, you should check out all that SCOTTeVEST makes. I am a long time customer and have never been dissatisfied. And, if you are in the market for a hoodie, this one should be on your radar for sure.