Do You! -- Book Review
[ 12 December 2007 ]
I really do think that in a person’s lifetime, you’re lucky to come across a single book of which you would happily buy a copy for every person you care about. Having said that, I recently found a book that I really think everyone should read.
That book is Do You! by Russell Simmons. The front of the book says 12 Laws To Access The Power In You To Achieve Happiness & Success, & you know what? Do You! really delivers on that.
Make no mistake about it, Russell Simmons is a very interesting man. The co-founder of Def Jam records, he has been stamped with the label of “hip hop mogul”, & has a net worth of approximately $340 million. He is also a vegan & devotee of yoga. He meditates every morning & doesn’t drink coffee. You have to admit that that’s pretty unusual (& pretty cool, too).
I actually picked his book up on a whim, thinking it was kind of funny, but as I stood in the library flicking through the pages, I got the sense that if I sat down with it, I would get more than I bargained for. I am so glad I checked it out! It has really made my brain churn — it’s like a portable light switch. I kept stopping mid-sentence to exclaim, “OH! This book is SO good!” to anyone who would listen!
I think the best thing about this book is that it is about achieving financial success as well as personal happiness. So many books concentrate on one or the other — titles like How To Be A Ruthless, Wealthy, Well-Loathed Shark1 & Being Poor Is Noble2 are all over the place. It is so important for people to realise that they don’t have to choose one thing or the other, & that the two can co-exist! Russell says, “Show me 15 millionaires & I’ll show you 12 unhappy people.” The thing is, Russell has the knowledge to back all this stuff up. He’s not just some average schmoe with vague ideas about what life’s about. He’s BEEN super-wealthy & he knows that it isn’t the answer to all of life’s problems! Some of them, sure; but not all of them.
Russell openly states that he is not the first person to come up with the ideas he outlines in his book. Of course he’s not, but it is really refreshing to hear such ancient wisdom supported by modern examples. Do You! isn’t a rollicking romp through his life — it’s an instructional tome with anecdotal evidence, which makes it really compelling reading. It’s not airy-fairy, though there are some “new age” concepts contained within. It is packed full of practical advice & information that you can actually start applying to your life immediately.
So, what are those 12 laws he thinks are important?
See your vision & stick with it
“Your vision makes your world. If you see the world as a happy, loving place, then that’s where you’re going to live. But if you see the world as a messed up, negative & dangerous place, then that will be your reality.”
Always do you
“From the beginning of my career, I’ve always tried to stay true to who I am. I figured it was about time there was a black man who doesn’t have to give up his blackness in order to play with the white guys.”
Get your mind right
“God has already put a lot of time into you. When you put a little time back into God through prayer or meditation, that investment will always pay off. That’s why when I start my day by reflecting on all the things I have to be thankful for, I’ll have a much more rewarding day.”
Stop frontin’ & start today
“Right now is the only time that there ever is. Yesterday is gone & tomorrow never comes. Whatever you need to do in life, start it today. Put down this book & go follow your dream.”
Never less than your best
“It’s very simple: When you’re working your hardest, the world opens up to you. When you’re not working, your mind becomes cluttered & the world becomes closed.”
Surround yourself with the right people
“No one can find success by him- or herself. When you pick the right team you’ll always win.”
There are no failures, only quitters
“No matter how many times something doesn’t go your way, never give up. That’s because success is a journey, not a destination.”
Plant the good seeds
“Don’t get caught up with always needing to see instant results from your work. Instead, have faith that there will always be a reaction, because that faith is what allows you to make a lifelong commitment toward goodness instead of always looking for the shortcuts.”
You can never get before you give
“Giving, not trading or selling, is the basis of success. The most rewarding thing you can do is just to give the world something good. & ultimately you will be paid so much more for that gift than if you had tried to trade it for something else.”
Successful people stay open to change
“If there’s one message I can get out, it’s how could anybody believe that their god is different, let alone better? They all can’t be nothing but great.”
Be powerful, be heard
“Hip hop is about empowering people to end poverty & ignorance. No matter who we are, we need to create opportunity for those who are locked out.”
Spit truth to power
“We believe that we must continue to tell the truth about the street if that is what we know & we must continue to tell the truth about God if that is who we have found.”
Russell believes that God is inside each of us. He also advocates eating well as well as practising yoga & meditation, but he’s not preachy at all. He presents his opinions in a very non-threatening way, which I really dig, but at the same time he is honest & open & candid about how these things have helped change his life & shape it in a positive manner. His attitude is that the truth is out there, so it’s our responsibility to get hold of it & then do what feels right. I love that.
From reading Do You!, I really get the impression that Russell is a very cool guy. He’s 50 years old & I think he is probably starting to come to terms with his own mortality & feels like he has valuable information to pass on. He does. I’m so glad he wrote this book. So many of the things he outlines are almost what you could call common sense, but in my experience, the advice that appears the most simple is often the most potent. I love, love, LOVE his modern spin on traditional wisdom & I really wish everyone would pick this book up.
If you’re thinking about buying someone a book this Christmas & you don’t know what to get them — & they have even the slightest interest in improving their life — I swear, Do You! is the book to buy. It doesn’t take a long time to read, & if they polished it off between the 25th of December & the 1st of January, they might just kick off 2008 with an incredible new outlook & purpose. Wouldn’t that be the best thing you could possibly give someone? Yes. I think so.
Five cupcakes out of five! Bravo!
[1] & [2] — Note: These may not be actual titles!
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala
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(grins) It’s so cute to hear you say “do you.” I guess cause I’m just used to people who go to my school or to Morehouse say it. (They also have a tendency to say other things like The Streets Is Real and refuse to let certain choice words die with slavery.)
But yeah, definitely, doing you is the only way things will ever turn out in your favor. And I think out of everything, personal integrity is admired most and makes you feel happiest with yourself.
This book sounds like a real good read.Thanks for the review Gala. :) Does he talk about yoga a bunch? I’ve always wanted to try it and I’m gathering information about it lately, because my school is finally offering a class.
Do you know, I never, ever ever pick up ‘self help’ books when I toddle into my nearest bookstore. To me they’ve always just screamed ‘II need help! Help me! I’m desperate!’ I suppose that’s pretty close minded, huh? I’ll definately give this one a go, the guy sounds like he really knows his proverbial. PLus I’m in a sort of rut at the moment, maybe it’s a good time to read something inspirational (besides galadarling.com every morning!)
Thanks for the review Gala!
xx
That sounds good I’ll look into it.
I would like to reccomend a book that I love and would buy for everyone if I could
Shantaram- Gregory Roberts.
Its a true story, not an instructional, but its a beautiful, thrilling, inspirational story.
Check it out peeps.
i really want to read this, i think! i’m so bogged down by ap english lately. everything i’ve been reading (since it’s easier for me to just concentrate on school reading for now) is depressing crap — right now we’re focusing on the life of people living on minimum wage and how they hate their life. it is AWFUL and i just wish my teacher would give us an ounce of support (“You guys are AP and work so hard, you won’t end up like this”) but she just talks about how she’s poor too D:
i’m really going to look into reading this :D thanks gala, i love your reviews. they’re so in-depth and informative.
YOU’re my rabbi ;]
(i picked it up today & have read much of it. it’s delicious!)
Sounds great. A lot of those things are things I’ve been starting to realise lately for myself. I guess age brings a little more maturity and wisedom :D
Disconnecting with negative people and spending time on the positive, having faith that in 3 years or so my PhD project will turn out good, living more in the present… This sounds like an awesome book because these little lessons have made life way simpler and less stressful.
Ariel/thorns — Hee, I’d never heard the phrase before reading this book! I like it though, & it makes total sense.
Mandy — No problem, darling! He does talk about yoga quite a lot, which is what has re-ignited my desire to go back. My first class in aaaages is tomorrow, I’m so happy!
MJ — I think a lot of people have that misconception about self help books. The thing is, the majority of what I write could be classified as self help, too. We all need to be reminded to love ourselves, be good to ourselves & take risks. Self help is about improving yourself as a person & not stagnating. You should definitely have a look at Do You!, it is awesome!
Magpie_Dandy — I started that book but I lost interest & stopped reading. !!!
sarah frost — Yeah, well, Do You! is the perfect antidote to that stuff ;D There are a lot of poor, miserable people around, but you don’t have to be one of them… it’s a choice. I think the book will help reinforce that! xx
de Profundis — AWWWWW. I actually audibly “awwwww”‘d when I read your comment! You lovely girl!
A — It’s so weird when you get to the stage where you realise there is is truth in those simple little statements! I always thought it was placatory nonsense, but it’s not at all!
hmm, I might need to pick up a copy of that.
Oh! Look what I found on my seemingly endless ramblings of Etsy. I thought you might appricate them.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6964443
This guy seems great! i wish i could meet people like him, they are such heroes! I am sooo buying this book for my best friend, she really needs it right now.
MJ – a friend said she went into the bookshop last week & asked “where’s the selfhelp books?”
The book store person went to direct her but hesitated, and said “if I told you it would really defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?”
hahah! xx
Wow, I’m completely shocked, I couldn’t put it down! You’re descriprion of your reaction to this book reminded me of it, I kept stopping and thinking wow this book is so good! But I guess taste in books, like in most things is not a universal constant.
Sounds very interesting! Gonna check it out next time I’m at the bookstore! Thanks Gala for the review!
Hi Gala,
After reading your recommendation, I had a look on amazon.com, where they all seemed to agree on what a brilliant book it was. After much shopping around here from all the major bookstores, I have now ordered a copy through the net & it should be in my hands by January. I can’t wait to start off the year with a shiny new book, that sounds full of promise and inspiration. Thanks so much.
xxx
Thank You so much! I was looking for another book for my Hubs for Christmas. He works in the music industry, and has recently been presented with so much opportunity, all at once. We’re on the verge of a life changing year, so it’s a perfect time to get him this. :) Yay!!
One of my goals for 2008 is to read at least one new book every month. I know 12 books in a year is probably tame to most people, but I’m one of those hopeless fools who very rarely picks up a book these days so I figure… baby steps, right?
Anyways, I just got back from Borders & I went there with the intention of getting another book altogether (Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton if you’re interested – incredible writer) but despite the fact that they apparently had 14 copies of it in-store, I could find a single one! So… I’m wandering aimlessly from aisle to aisle wondering what else to get & suddenly this review pops into my head & I was like omg I simply MUST get it! Luckily they had one in stock & I could actually locate it! I’m just about to make myself a piping hot cup of English Breakfast (*swoon*) and get stuck in! I’ll let you know what I think. ;) xox
Okay so… ME LIKEY! I lubb lubb lubb this book. I feel so inspired & empowered after reading it. I’m trying to convince my boyfriend that he should read it to because I think it would really help him get out of the rut that he’s in at the moment but I’m afraid that’s easier said than done. Anyways, there’s loads of stuff that I feel like I can really take away from this book & apply to achieving my goals for the year. I’ve also been inspired to kick meat (I had some pizza last night while I read the last chapter as a farewell!) & to start yoga again. Thanks for the review Gala! xox