#and like ive been watching shows and i read like 200 pages of a book yesterday

[newtness532]

okay i need to find something to crochet or knit or sth cause i really cant spend one more day just sitting in my bed doing nothing

[haplessentity]

tag game from @smalldyke ! i forgot about this post for like a week and a half srry

name: jonathan

gender: oh you know

star sign: scorpio

height: 5′5

time: 6:53pm

birthday: november

fav band: i dont really have "favorite" artists bc i have complicated and insufferable opinions about media but also bc the last few bands ive considered my favorites all broke up

fav solo artist: see above

song stuck in my head: wake up call by maroon 5. i’m not happy about it either

last movie: i actually dont know i dont really watch movies

last show: ditto. im boring

when did i create this blog: 2014 but i lurked on tumblr for a few years before that. i think i was genuinely afraid id get in trouble bc of the 13 y/o age limit

what do i post: bull shit

last thing i googled: i don’t know because i tend to use incognito but the most recent tab i have open is the wikipedia page for “azhdarchidae”

other blogs: so many

do i get asks: only occasionally but when i do i have a lot of fun reading anon messages (not sarcasm i think everyone on this website is unhinged and it’s very funny)

why i chose this url: i am just . a little creachure

following: less than 200 (based)

followers: less than 1k (cringe)

average hours of sleep: i don’t have a “sleep schedule” but last night i took a blind handful of melatonin at like midnight. does this clarify enough

lucky numbers: 13, 21, 8, 0

instruments: ive played the violin for 10 years now :^) and the guitar for probably about.. 3 hours cumulative

what am i wearing: i wear grey jeans and a t shirt every single day of my life and this will not change any time soon

dream job: im in school for veterinary medicine but i have also been told i'd be a good fit for taxidermy, dentistry, and funeral homes

dream trip: part of me wants to visit prague. dont know why

favorite food: not really

nationality: californian

fav song: a lot of them but like. heat waves by glass animals/bummerland by ajr/day gaunts by days n daze/i'm against the government by defiance ohio/судно by молчат дома/etc etc etc

last book i read: the memory police by yoko ogawa

top three fictional universes i’d like to live in: im actually stealing this answer from someone else but professor layton. also tf2 because i want to fuck the medic

i tag @anothertwist @sawyersick @wreith @bloodpusher @iscairot @babysaints and any of my other beloved mutuals but only if u wanna :-) mwah

[ironforgedrp]

hello ! ive been looking at this rp for a while now and even thought about joining but theres a problem : i dont know ANYTHING about gots :/ is it recommended to know the basic story / plot or watch the entire thing?

      hey there friend, i won’t lie it does help to have some understanding of game of thrones as it is the world we set ourselves in.    there are key aspects that you would need to know of the world of GOT/ASOIAF in the same way you would need to know general knowledge about the world; key events, battles, betrayals, religion, places, allegiances. but thankfully, that doesn’t mean you need to have seen the whole show so no, you definitely don’t have to go and watch 100s of hours of the show, or have read the books, to be able to get along here.   many of the muns here are absolute whizzes with ASOIAF/GOT lore so general questions that pop up are easily answered.   i can say that your knowledge is somewhat character-choice dependent  as some have their own family histories,  and i’ll do my best to give a summary as we go.

     IMPORTANT & HELPFUL THINGS TO NOTE***  we are both tv-show canon and book-canon divergent from around the year 300AC (approx. end of season 6), and if you do want a recap of the episodes that are short and a basic summary i would suggest checking out OZZY MAN REVIEWS (GAME OF THRONES RECAP) seasons 1-6.  keep in mind anything beyond season 7 would be somewhat irrelevant here.  each episode recap is about 5mins a piece with ten episodes per season, and you can throw them up on youtube on the side while you’re doing things if you are really set on knowing as much as possible.   isaac hempstead-wright (the actor who plays lord bran stark in the show) actually said that he would watch the ozzy man recaps before the next seasons respective press-junkets because they are very solid and easy to listen to in  the background - so it’s lead-actor approved.

      things like common knowledge of RELIGIONS (of which there are three main ones in westeros), there is the general KNOWN WORLD, you obviously don’t need to  know everything fluently or perfectly - in the same way that you personally would know of places of the world (i.e. i know of italy, but likely can’t name all the cities etc.)      westeros, where everything is set in this RP, also runs on a gender-based monarchy (the oldest male blood relative inherits their house, title, land - unless they are an infant/toddler/child, in which case a casellan [perhaps cousin, uncle] would be appointed, or the mother would rule as lady-regent, until he is of age),  save for dorne who run on  a gender-blind monarchy, meaning the eldest of any gender will inherit the lands, house, title, etc. the great houses would also be general knowledge of those in westeros, and of people from other countries who are well educated. 

    those houses  & families are the oldest houses of westeros, the most powerful and are all  appointed as guardians/wardens of their respective regions.   this map, starting from the south (bottom) to the north we have:

HOUSE MARTELL of sunspear, capitol of the region of dorne.

HOUSE TYRELL of highgarden, capitol of the region of the reach.

HOUSE BARATHEON of storms end, capitol of the region of the stormlands.

HOUSE TARGARYEN of dragonstone, capitol of the crownlands. (they rule everything save for THE RED KEEP, which is always occupied by the royal family of the iron throne, currently it is house lannister)

HOUSE LANNISTER of casterly rock, capitol of the region of the westerlands.

HOUSE TULLY of riverrun, which is the capitol of the region of the riverlands.

HOUSE ARRYN of the eyrie, which is the capitol of the region of the vale of arryn.

HOUSE GREYJOY of pyke, capitol of the region of the iron islands.

HOUSE STARK of winterfell, which is the capitol of the region of the north.

     a lot of what happens here is actually by the creation of our muns, we are set 200+ years in the future at this point so only key cultural aspects have been kept.  a similar question was asked a few days ago, and there’s a few dot points HERE that would help you as well. otherwise, our PLOT PAGE & TIMELINE page is the most important for you to read (the first two sections are relevant GOT recap specifically for people who are unfamiliar with the fandom but are interested in he RP), followed closely by the summaries of the characters you can find on the MASTERLIST.    lastly, the HOUSES pages - now that you know who he big houses are aka. the great houses of westeros, it probably won’t surprise you to know that they have smaller houses who populate their regions and are loyal to one of the great houses.   listed on the houses pages are all our taken characters sorted by their regions of loyalty and allegiance.    depending in the particular character you choose, you might benefit from a look over of that the respective wiki page/s (which we can help you with if needed) or you can pick the brains of the admins and muns for specific help.

   honestly, if you are particularly nervous - i am happy to offer my discord, and many of our muns are always happy to help answer any questions you might have, especially if those questions are about a specific family, house or region.   i know this might seem like A Lot, but please do keep in mind that we have been open for nearly two years so we have built up a lot of our own HCs and lore.   beyond knowing what i’ve summarised above, treat us like any other literate RP, because yes, ironforged is set in the world of GOT but our roleplay stands on it’s own two feet as an alternate universe.    the NAVIGATION page has a bottom category denoted as resources, which has plenty of miscellaneous helpful tips for new people to the world or even period genre.    and honestly, if you are really overwhelmed but still absolutely want to bring your muse/s here, you could easily craft a noble or royal of another country of our known world such as essos, yi ti, ulthos, lys, summer isles etc. which have far less dense history and connections, and the only details we have about them is general ethnicity or aesthetics that is listed in THIS ANSWERED QUESTION (also linked as enthicity help in the navigation page!)

    i’ve put as much information in to this as i possibly can to help with confusing you (i hope!), but our IMs are always open and same with the ask & suggestion box - so please hit us up as much as you like, it’s never a bother !

[adonis-koo]

1 and 10! 🖤

🥺🥺🥺🖤

1. What is your favorite story that you’ve written?

!!! That’s a tough one! I love all of my stories in their own way and I can’t quite say I just have one! The first is actually not a BTS story at all lmao, back before I started really writing for the boys I embarked on a massive journey for writing a Connor/Reader story from Detroit: Become Human (one of my fav games 🥺), it was the last fic I posted on Quotev before I permanently packed up and moved to Tumblr. It’s one of the first stories I was really proud of and the MC is by far my favorite I’ve ever written, she’s so playful and witty and outside of tease- it’s the only story I’ve ever finished in under two months (which stopped at over 200 pages), which for being a writer that’s literally insane lmao. It holds a very dear place in my heart and to this day I still enjoy going back to read it.

Now the BTS fic ive written that I adore is definitely NERVE, it was the first fic I posted on here and it pretty much flopped for a lot of different reasons. I never looked at it like that and never will look at it as an actual flop. I loved the plot line and it was so unique to anything I had ever written before hand, I’d still love to revise it (which I am currently) and repost it as a more...put together fic per say.

10. What inspires you to write?

Anything and everything. I’ve been writing since I was a kid and have been writing fanfiction before I even knew tbere was a name for it. I’ve always had a vivid imagination so watching movies, tv shows and even reading books and other fics gives me probably borderline crazy ass ideas (via tease lmao). I think another inspiration for me is I love storytelling, I love giving moral lessons in my fics and something to ‘take away from’ the story and something the character learned and grew from and hopefully people can also learn from in a way.

It’s the reason I have a hard time reading angst that has a depressing ending with no real lesson or development. Now we’re getting off topic but you get me lmao. The biggest inspiration for me personally, is FF has in a way, kind of become a safe space for me, sometimes when life gets extremely overwhelming it provides a little time to destress and not worry or have anxiety. It’s the same reason I write as I read. Knowing I can provide that comfort or entertainment to other people is something I’ve really come to cherish 🖤

‘33 Asks for Fan Fiction Writers!’

[richpeopleband-blog]

Detachment

I have a long-standing tumultuous relationship with detachment. It’s taken my entire life to come to a place of acceptance of my ways in many areas, and the journey is far from over. When I was a kid I enjoyed building forts, playing with action figures, and rolling around in the snow. I think that most of the kids in my neighborhood were on the same page and we often played together, but I’ve always had this thing about me where I didn’t really care when they left. Don’t get me wrong I was codependent on certain things growing up, but the older I got the more people left and the more time I spent alone. I didn’t even really mind it except when i thought about it too much or compared my situation to others. I started drinking at age 14 or 15 and by age 16 I drank alone and watched movies whenever I wanted to instead of just in social settings. I liked going out and getting wrecked with a crowd, but I also really enjoyed the warmth of sitting down in a quiet place and just indulging and getting out of myself. The party ended pretty early for me because I got to a point where I just ditched the people I called my circle and got into this strange habit of driving around my hometown drinking beers. I would go to these really weird dive bars that would serve me where none of the people looked like me and were all much older so I could just be anonymous. I didn’t care about their opinion of me I just wanted a weird creepy place to get fucked up that wasn’t my parent’s house and wasn’t with any body I knew. By 18 and 19 I was getting into hard drugs and my only company was people I could get something from.

I’ve always had what people tell me is an “old soul”, but I now believe I’ve just always been very cynical and I guess I did have some pretty intense life experience at young ages so maybe I aged quick during a certain time period but I don’t know.

Anyway I liked to be alone, but I also really like people. Sometimes I would push myself to be more sociable but whenever I go too long like that my response to situations and conversations starts to feel mechanical or like I’m repeating myself or being fake. I hear people say “I hate people” all of the time and I couldn’t relate any less. I love people. A big part of me always has had a sunny disposition towards human beings, even despite the way I wear my face sometimes or attitudes Ive held in the past. I’ve recognized that I just need to balance my social setting to quiet recharging ratio.

Sometimes I feel like I have a really intense mission in life and like I’m being rushed thru all of these experiences and relationships to be pushed into something greater. It’s kind of an exciting way to look at life, but it also creates a lot of space for solitude. Recharging at home alone reading a book or doing some inventory work on myself is great but solitude can become isolation very easily for me. I want to be around people who can help me continue to grow, and I want to grow toward a place of accepting that I deserve to be around people who can unconditionally love me without draining or attempting to anchor me. I no longer care when people cannot comprehend what I’m fucking talking about. It’s none of my business where people are at in their processes in life. Call me selfish, and I will gladly accept the title. My actions speak for themselves at this point.

So as I was saying I’ve gone back and forth on whether I’m too detached or not and whether or not that’s ok and my current understanding is that I have attachment to the things that truly matter to me and that attachment is plenty deep and the rest I just let go of easily because from this perspective anything but priority just simply doesn’t exist. I hugged 200 people who walked into Rich People’s release show last weekend. I hugged every single person who walked into that place. I might have missed 10. I meant every fucking hug, and every single face whether I knew the person or not reminded me of how great life is. They seemed happy to be hugged, and I felt love to be hugging. So I don’t really have too crazy of a relationship with detachment I just don’t always accept myself because I look around at how attached some of my old friends are to petty situations and can’t help but question if I’m damaged goods because I truly don’t give a fuck. I’m not though. I’m ok today. Thanks for letting me share.

[lovebunnie]

nick carraway and jay gatsby are both gay and heres why

its 11:30 at night and i have class tomorrow but ive been itching to make this post for about a week so im gonna do it. this wont be centered as much around jay and nick being in LOVE, since id have to read and analyze it a bit more to make honest to god claims and opinions for that, but these r some of the reasons that point to both of these characters being completely gay. also, im going to be issuing some points from others sources, but ill include links to the original texts which i recommend reading!

1

so the great gatsby was written in 1925, a time full of alcohol, financial bliss, and parties like u would not believe. many of these themes are prevalent in the novel, making themselves known all throughout. even the term ‘gatsby-like’ is extremely well known. needless to say, this book is extremely well known in every front. one of the ones i saw the most was calling the great gatsby ‘the greatest love story ever written.’ and before i read the novel myself, i wouldnt have been able to tell u any different. but when u read it, and really, how u analyze it, really shapes how u see the characters. to some people, it really could be an amazing love story. but to me, this story is written about someone obsessed with a facade, denying himself who he is, and a man who watches his downfall and can do nothing to stop him.

one very important thing to acknowledge is how this novel is told: its told completely in nicks perspective. we only know how he feels, we only know these characters based on how nick sees them. it is immediately biased towards nick. and what he does is describe a hell of a lot of people. but it is very distinctive in the way he does it; men and women are very differently described.

nick describes daisy in her voice and the power it has over people. all of nicks flowery language goes into daisys speech, but not in great length about what daisy looked like. with jordan, nick does a bit more describing in the way she is ‘small-breasted’ and had the ‘shoulders of a young cadet.’ these traits are masculine, and we know from the novel that nick does enjoy jordans company and he does say he ‘enjoys looking at her.’ hell, even the name ‘jordan’ is traditionally masculine. nick sees jordan leaning more towards masculinity than femininity. but even still, the flowery language is not as grand as it could be, not as we know nick can get.

its when nick is describing men that things get bold and expressive. even while describing tom does nick go into great and intimate length with him;  ‘ He had changed since his Haven years. Now he was a sturdy straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. Not even the effeminate swank of his riding boots could hide the enormous power of that body he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing, and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. It was a body capable of enormous leverage -- a cruel body’ the author of this paper literally said this passage ‘pulses with sexual energy,’ and this is for a character nick doesnt even like. it obviously means more in the way nick describes him, has more heart and passion put into it.

and now gatsby, who nick, in the final chapters, dwells on even more. we know gatsby is attractive, that much we can tell without nick even really having to describe him. but even in a single paragraph about his smile does it provoke more feeling than anything else about daisy or jordan;  ‘ He smiled understandingly-- much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you might come across four or five times in your life. It faced --or seemed to face-- the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.’

like. damn nick. this is only about gatsbys smile. this was no accident or cruel twist of fate; nick is enamored with jay and obviously finds him attractive and also enjoys looking at him, like jordan. nick sees men and women differently. this could be chocked up to ‘it was the olden days’ and ‘sexism,’ but nick isnt rude to these women, nick is simply not interested in them, at all.

but how do we know nick is gay? wheres the textual proof? its written out word for word, you just have to know where to look. and where to look is at the very end of chapter 2.

so chapter 2 does a lot for the plot; it basically introduces nick to the life these people live and makes him see how unappealing it is. we meet a large cast of characters and expand on others, like myrtle, her sister, and most importantly to the subject of nicks sexuality, mr. mckee.

mr. mckee is described as a ‘pale feminine man’ and nick offhandedly describes the smudge of shaving cream on his cheek. weird right? later in the night, nick describes himself as ‘ Taking out my handkerchief I wiped from his cheek the remains of the spot of dried lather that had worried me all the afternoon.’ nick has been LOOKING at this married man all night and cleaned him up when he was messy like come ON. plus, a ‘pale feminine man’ could very easily be a stereotype of a gay man, especially in the 1920s.

but then comes the most important part about nicks sexuality in the entire book: the ellipses.

the great gatsby is relatively short, only about 200 pages or so, give or take. fitzgerald would not include anything he wouldnt need, as he is also an expert in metaphors and making things seem as they are not. everything is masterfully placed and paced, making it seem to flow like water. 

the scene in question describes mr. mckee and nick on an elevator, leaving the party. mr. mckee walked out, leaving his wife, and nick decided to follow. heres the scene:

Come to lunch some day,” he suggested, as we groaned down in the elevator.

“Where?”

“Anywhere.”

“Keep your hands off the lever,” snapped the elevator boy.

“I beg your pardon,” said Mr. McKee with dignity, “I didn’t know I was touching it.”

“All right,” I agreed, “I’ll be glad to.”

. . . I was standing beside his bed and he was sitting up between the sheets, clad in his underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands.

“Beauty and the Beast . . . Loneliness . . . Old Grocery Horse . . . Brook’n Bridge. . . . ”

Then I was lying half asleep in the cold lower level of the Pennsylvania Station, staring at the morning Tribune, and waiting for the four o’clock train.

LIKE. WHAT.

those ellipses separate the time between nick and mr. mckee on the elevator and nick and mckee at his home, with one in underwear and then nick leaving for the train at 4am. there is a large gap of time missing from this, and nick decided to leave it out while fitzgerald decided to keep it in. it means something, and the use of ellipses gives the audience enough to know what is happening without explicitly telling them. it is the authors ‘wink wink nudge nudge’ to the audience. think of the environment nick was in; tom was cheating with myrtle, the heavy metaphor of the eyes watching over the sins we think no one can see. this party was full of mischief and nick fucked a married man.

mckee does not seem intoxicated, he invites nick out to lunch while gripping the elevator handle, which are always objects shaped like dicks. plus in the novel, the scene does feel somewhat out of place; nick does not spend too much time discussing the interactions between mckee and himself, it seems thrown in. i get the impression that nick almost didnt want to include it it his writing, and put it in last minute. however, nick is fictional and i dont have much to go on off from an almost 100 year old book. its open to personal interpretation, but it seems like nick and mckee had sex and nick left on the 4am train, leaving mckee in his underwear at his own home looking through his pictures.

even at the beginning of the novel, nick is planning on living in a house with another man before the plan falls through and he goes to washington dc. could this be a failed boyfriend? we cant say. but it is a possibility.

nick carraway ends the novel mourning his friend jay gatsby, moving back to the midwest alone and away from the glitz and glam of new york. his ending does not involve getting married and having kids and riding off into the sunset, which seems bittersweet for our narrator. however, given the way things planned out for other characters, this is the best ending we could hope for for nick, one away from the destruction and one where he can at least begin to to to be happy again.

and now we move onto jay.

ill admit, this has little to do with textual evidence; i cant point out a place where jay fucks a dude or describe the way jay sees men and women; with nick being our narrator, again, he only know his perspective. but we do hear things about jay from other characters, how he acts and acted before nick and the type of man he is.

wolfshiem describes jay as ‘ very careful about women. He would never so much as look at a friend’s wife.’ this means that jay knows women and knows when to back off, never advancing on someone he had no claim to. this is very important to me for several reasons.

1. it implies jay is not a cheater

2. it implies jay has been around enough women to know who is who

3. it shows jay is respectful

this also says to me that jay is not bi; he only has eyes for daisy, and not other woman. and those eyes for daisy are questionable.

we know daisy and jay had last seen each other 5 years prior to the events of the novel. in that time, jay had collected numerous things about daisy, built a house just so he could see her, and blew thousands of dollars every weekend for parties in hope that daisy would show up, even obtaining money illegally just to impress daisy.

jay gatsby is obsessed with daisy.

this is obvious from the text, the behaviors he puts forward are strange and creepy in pursuit of daisy. gatsby stares longingly out the window, cant hold a conversation with nick, and flat out bolts out of a restaurant to avoid embarrassment. he is an awkward guy, no doubt. and he lives his life as trying to be someone else, specifically, the man he thinks daisy wants from 5 years ago. when the car crashes with myrtle, all gatsby cares about is how daisy feels; when hes literally about to get ganked all he thinks about is daisy, daisy daisy daisy.

this isnt love, and i think deep down, jay knows it. this is the equivalent of dudebros who go above and beyond to prove they arent gay but end up the most gay of them all. gatsby is compensating for his feelings and trying to push the limit to deny himself more and hide back into the closet. he wants to seem the most manly he can get and basically say ‘wow i love women! i love women so much! look what i did for this woman! look at how much i love her!’

daisy is the first person jay felt he could be himself around, could begin to feel happy. and when he went to war, he no longer had something to push all his feelings onto. plus he was surrounded by other men, and for someone so in denial about their own sexuality, it probably drives them to pretty bad places. pretty obsessive places. he needs daisy, not because he loves her, but because he needs to security blanket. he needs to feel validated.

those glaces and stares out at nick feel like cracks of the real jay poking through, one who likes men but cannot admit it to himself. after all, as a man so attached and desperate for the ‘american dream,’ back in the 1920s, that did not include marrying a man. jay lives with internalized homophobia and tries to calm his nerves with his pretend love of daisy.

i could go on and on about this forever but its 12:30 and i have class.

if u take nothing from this, let me leave u with these main bullets:

TL;DR

nick fucked a dude

nick describes men erotically while he describes women very dully

nick almost lived with another man

jay is obsessed with daisy to repress his emotions

the separation and wartime made things worse for him

his internalized homophobia causes the plot

his longing stares out the window at nick are cracks in his facade

ty and goodnight

[broke-ass-twat]

all of them . . .

Fuck you and fuck the anonymous asker and lets fucking get this shit started. Also do your goddamn work Izzy.

200: My crush’s name is: Hey Izzy. Because that was such a huge secret199: I was born in: October198: I am really: Bored197: My cellphone company is: AT & T (Are you gonna ask my mother’s maiden name and first pet name now?)196: My eye color is: Brown195: My shoe size is: 11?194: My ring size is: Decently large193: My height is: 6 foot tall god192: I am allergic to: Assholes. And cats and dogs and eggs and milk and eggplant191: My 1st car was: I had a first car?190: My 1st job was: I had a first job?189: Last book you read: The first 6 pages of Cat’s Cradle. Alternatively book 25 of Desolate Era (it’s a Chinese wuxia novel)188: My bed is: Comfortable?187: My pet: Don’t have one186: My best friend: I have several185: My favorite shampoo is: Head and shoulders184: Xbox or ps3: Xbox183: Piggy banks are: Chill182: In my pockets: 2 bic pens, typically my phone, wallet, asthma pump, chapstick, and keys181: On my calendar: I don’t really use calendars180: Marriage is: Something I’ll get to179: Spongebob can: Suck my dick (I don’t really get spongebob?)178: My mom: is caring but could use some chill177: The last three songs I bought were? I don’t honestly remember the last time I bought a song. Which is a lie but I don’t know what I bought176: Last YouTube video watched: Vaguely watched the youtube video for Girls by Mura Masa175: How many cousins do you have? Total of 3 I think174: Do you have any siblings? I have a twin sister173: Are your parents divorced? Yes172: Are you taller than your mom? Definitely171: Do you play an instrument? Nope170: What did you do yesterday? Die slowly

[ I Believe In ]169: Love at first sight: Sort of yeah168: Luck: Sort of but not really167: Fate: No166: Yourself: Honestly not really and that accounts for at least 2 rather important problems I can think of165: Aliens: Sure164: Heaven: No163: Hell: No162: God: No161: Horoscopes: They’re fun and sometimes fool me but no160: Soul mates: Not really?159: Ghosts: Sometimes momentarily hen I se shit move in the dark out of the corner of my eyes158: Gay Marriage: Yah157: War: Depends but yah156: Orbs: ????155: Magic: I fucking wish

[ This or That ]154: Hugs or Kisses: Um. Fucking both. but kisses153: Drunk or High: Depends. Mostly drunk152: Phone or Online: Online151: Red heads or Black haired: Read heads are hot150: Blondes or Brunettes: Brunettes149: Hot or cold: Hot148: Summer or winter: Feeling winter atm (I know its odd)147: Autumn or Spring: Autumn 146: Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate when eh. Vanilla when stuff is quality145: Night or Day: Night144: Oranges or Apples: Orange143: Curly or Straight hair: Um. Curly?142: McDonalds or Burger King: McDonalds is my shit (cuz apple pie)141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: Milk chocolate you fucking heathen140: Mac or PC: Mac (theyre prettier tho I know PCs can be better)139: Flip flops or high heals: I don’t really wear either. Both are fine.138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: I can be ugly, sweet, and rich. Tho I guess this means ugly person. Ugly and rich since I’d just do whatever the hell I want and be rich137: Coke or Pepsi: Coke136: Hillary or Obama: Obama135: Burried or cremated: Cremate this mess134: Singing or Dancing: Dancing133: Coach or Chanel: My dude I know fuck all about either brand. Still would go with Chanel132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: Who the fuck?131: Small town or Big city: Big city130: Wal-Mart or Target: They’re both cool. target feels nicer tho129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: I hate them both128: Manicure or Pedicure: manicure127: East Coast or West Coast: This is actually hard. Um. Shit. Hm. Weast coast?126: Your Birthday or Christmas: Christmas. My birthday doesn’t tend to mean a whole lot to me (probably cuz I didn’t really have birthday parties as a kid)125: Chocolate or Flowers: I’ve never gotten flowers and that’d be chill but chocolate124: Disney or Six Flags: Disney probably.123: Yankees or Red Sox: Yankees you fucking heathen

[ Here’s What I Think About ]122: War: Avoid it if possible121: George Bush: No very intelligent120: Gay Marriage: It’s fine119: The presidential election: Kill me118: Abortion: It’s your choice and fuck what other people have to say. Though it’s interesting to think about if one potential person wants the child and the other doesn’t. At which point I feel like whoever really wants it that bad should have sole care of it otherwise it’s unfair to both the child and one who didn’t want it. And if the dude wants the child then it’s still the woman’s choice I feel like? But this is rocky but would make a fun conversation tbh117: MySpace: Stop poking the dead thing with a stick116: Reality TV: Mostly really dumb with marginal entertainment115: Parents: Mine I guess are half really good but hard on me for good reason and the other half I seriously feel like I couldn’t care less about. In general Id hope for them to be caring, understanding, firm, and logical114: Back stabbers: Fuck em113: Ebay: Chill concept I’ve never used112: Facebook: Blackhole for my time111: Work: I hate doing it as it very rarely interests me110: My Neighbors: Chill109: Gas Prices: High I guess?108: Designer Clothes: Can be cool but mostly just why and dumb107: College: Fucking scam but also really cool adult babysitting106: Sports: theyre alright I suppose. Don’t really pay them any mind at all105: My family: I only pay attention to the ones I interact with even though there is a family member I really should talk to but don’t cuz I have a hard time caring although I really should104: The future: Scary

[ Last time I ]103: Hugged someone: Today sorta. If not today then sunday102: Last time you ate: Like an hour ago101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: Thanksgiving100: Cried in front of someone: It’s been a while. Don’t remember99: Went to a movie theater: During spring break like 2 weeks ago98: Took a vacation: like 2 weeks ago97: Swam in a pool: been a while. Swam in the ocean like 2 weeks ago

96: Changed a diaper: I’ve never done that

95: Got my nails done: never94: Went to a wedding: It’s been a few years. Would’ve liked to go to one this year but couldn’t for some pretty shit reasons93: Broke a bone: Never92: Got a peircing: Never91: Broke the law: Um. Like Saturday90: Texted: like 30 minutes ago

[ MISC ]89: Who makes you laugh the most: Things that are funny. Also myself88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: Parents paying for shit87: The last movie I saw: Get out86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: Figuring out my shit85: The thing im not looking forward to: the future84: People call me: Kemi83: The most difficult thing to do is: Have self control and follow through on it82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: Never81: My zodiac sign is: Libra80: The first person i talked to today was: Today a girl named sara cuz I was up and around at 2am79: First time you had a crush: Like elementary school78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: There is no one I can’t hide things from77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: I have no idea. Probably within the last few days76: Right now I am talking to: Well right now I’m not talking to anyone75: What are you going to do when you grow up: Hopefully happy and relatively successful74: I have/will get a job: hopefully over the summer73: Tomorrow: Is another day72: Today: Is my current reality that I really should use a lot more wisely but tend not to71: Next Summer: It’d be nice to be a more productive person70: Next Weekend: Probably gonna be doing fuck all instead of doing work69: I have these pets: I don’t have pets68: The worst sound in the world: Nails on a  chalkboard, velcro ripping, people chewing with their fucking mouths open. I can’t choose one67: The person that makes me cry the most is: Um. Prolly my stepfather?66: People that make you happy: My friends occasionally family when they aren’t disappointed in me65: Last time I cried: I dunno64: My friends are: Chill63: My computer is: Cool but mostly a huge distraction I literally can’t live without cuz I need it for everything. And I also really like it.62: My School: Is meh. Some chill people61: My Car: Don’t have one60: I lose all respect for people who: I suppose cheat59: The movie I cried at was: I dunno58: Your hair color is: Black57: TV shows you watch: I dunno. A lot 56: Favorite web site: Youtube probably55: Your dream vacation: Europe54: The worst pain I was ever in was: I don’t remember feeling pain I thought was all that intense. Like shit has hurt a lot but not like holy fuck I’m screaming53: How do you like your steak cooked: Medium52: My room is: A little dirty atm51: My favorite celebrity is: Um. Gordon Ramsey I suppose? Don’t really have one50: Where would you like to be: In a very nice restaurant sipping very nice whiskey with a lot of money. Ive said this before.49: Do you want children: Maybe eventually. At least 2 but not more than 348: Ever been in love: yeah47: Who’s your best friend: I have multiple46: More guy friends or girl friends: I definitely have more girl friends45: One thing that makes you feel great is: music44: One person that you wish you could see right now: My girlfriend would be nice to just chill with tbh43: Do you have a 5 year plan: Don’t be a failure is sorta just it. realistically grad school.42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: I actually haven't 41: Have you pre-named your children: Nope40: Last person I got mad at: Um. I dunno39: I would like to move to: Somewhere on the west coast38: I wish I was a professional: Chef

[ My Favorites ]37: Candy: Twix is up there36: Vehicle: Teslas are pretty fucking cool35: President: Obama probably wasn’t the best but damn was he chill34: State visited: California never really disappoints me33: Cellphone provider: AT &T I guess? What the hell sort of question is this32: Athlete: Um. Don’t really have one. Ichiro Suzuki seems pretty chill. Curtis Grandson also seems chill. What can I say my stepdad likes the Yankees. Well so does my father31: Actor: Um. idk30: Actress: Idk29: Singer: Adele comes to mind cuz damn that voice. But I probably have others I like more and don’t remember28: Band: Mura Masa is high up there for producers. So is Flume, Ekali atm, Ta-ku, and Snago27: Clothing store: Don’t really have one. Uniqlo is pretty chill26: Grocery store: Fairways is chill25: TV show: Adventure time probably24: Movie: Don’t really have one tbh23: Website: I Don’t per se have a favorite. I like tumblr and Facebook 22: Animal: Deer are chill21: Theme park: Don’t have one. Which ever one has the wildest roller coasters20: Holiday: Um. Christmas19: Sport to watch: Baseball if I had to choose18: Sport to play: Ultimate frisbee17: Magazine: Cooks Illustrated is cool16: Book: Don’t really have one15: Day of the week: Friday or saturday14: Beach: Orange beach atm cuz it’s the nicest one i’ve been to13: Concert attended: Shitttttttt. Alina Baraz and Jauz are really high up there12: Thing to cook: I like making pasta cuz I do all sorts of shit to the sauce and I’m good at it. I also make pretty decent pork chops and shit. I dunno. 11: Food: Sushi probably. Also like steak and curry a lot.10: Restaurant: Um. Five guys? I don’t really have one.9: Radio station: Don’t really listen to radio8: Yankee candle scent: Don’t know any7: Perfume: same as above6: Flower: honeysuckle5: Color: Blue and green4: Talk show host: Don’t have one3: Comedian: Louis C.K. is great2: Dog breed: Cant choose1: Did you answer all these truthfully? Very

[lorata]

Writing ask meme

“First fandom”, asked by @nonpensarci

For the purpose of this question I’m defining “fandom” as not just “a thing I really really liked” but “a thing I engaged in creatively with other people past what was on the page/screen”, which means that my answer is Star Wars.

I was 12, I was hanging out with a friend after church, and I mentioned I didn’t know what it was. Her father declared that ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE, made me phone home to tell my parents I had to watch A New Hope right now, and then for the next 3 weeks we watched IV, V and VI. I had not been spoiled about anything, having never even heard of Star Wars -- and it was amazing.

I watched the original trilogy at my friend’s house. Another friend found out I’d seen it for the first time, and we went to her house and marathoned the whole thing, then she lent me the VHS box collection to show to my siblings. Not long after that the Special Edition came out and we had our own copy, and I watched it 2-3 times a week (including interviews, I never let anyone fast-forward) until I had everything memorized and my poor mother started remarking that if I had time to memorize all the lines from these movies, I could probably stand to commit some Bible verses to memory, too.

That was already great, but when I went to the town library (a one-room building at the time) and saw there were Star Wars novels, that did me in. I read them all, I ordered every book we could get from the library system, saved up my babysitting money for when we made the 2-hour drive in to the closest city with a bookstore and bought my favourites (and some, The Courtship of Princess Leia I am looking at you, that were not my favourites but I somehow spent money on anyway??? man idk), and I read them and discussed them with my friends and the world kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

At some point we started writing. I don’t remember how it started, but somewhere while reading all the books and memorizing all the dialogue and beating every single Star Wars trivia game invented (including Star Wars Trivial Pursuit, my record being all on one turn since we played by “roll till you miss” rules and I never missed), my friend and I made up characters for ourselves. At first we started writing letters to each other in character -- my friend was sick a lot and missed a bunch of school, and her mom was my bus driver so we ferried notes through her -- but then we actually started writing stories. 

And man, let me tell you, that opened up a whole new universe.

Between the ages of 13 and 16, I wrote so much Star Wars fanfiction. I handwrote hundreds and hundreds of pages until I actually gave myself a hairline stress fracture in my left wrist, letters and diaries and full-fledged novels and a giant sprawling backstory for my self-insert OC. I filled giant three ring binders full of my fanfic -- one trilogy of around 200-300 pages each that used the main Star Wars characters and took place right after Vision of the Future, plus the (I think) around 1000-page self-insert extravaganza that went from when she was 8 years old to in her 30s. My friends and I discussed our theories and our headcanons, we made fictional versions of each other and wrote them in -- my little sister and I as well, I’d read her all the books and I wrote her an OC to her specifications and put her in my story, and it was just, it was so fun.

All of this was offline. I didn’t know about fanfiction as a greater thing yet; we used the internet to find Top 10 lists or trivia or spoilers or discussion forums, but that was a “print this thing off to show each other on the bus” type thing, not actual engagement. My fandom was me, my sister, and a handful of friends, and it was amazing.

Eventually my friend moved away, and we sent things back and forth for a while but life happens, and then I found DBZ and the existence of online fandom and fanfiction and that became my new obsession. The last straw came when the ancient laptop I’d been given for Christmas so I would stop monopolizing the family computer to type up my fanfic died suddenly, and the floppy I’d tried to save my writing to corrupted and I lost everything forever. Unlike DBZ I’d never posted any of my Star Wars fic online, and after typing it up I had recycled my handwritten notes because they took up literally half my desk, so that was the end of it.

Except not really, because Star Wars keeps pulling me back in and won’t ever let me go. I don’t write for it like I used to -- for years it was the fandom I wrote the most for, though Hunger Games has since outstripped it -- but I still love it. I’m not interested in the drama or the wank or the controversies, I refuse to sully my love of it by debating ships or assigning moral value to supporting a particular pairing or who knows what, but Star Wars will always be my home.

[lovemesomesurveys]

1. Have you ever seen two movies at the theater in a row?  Nope.

2. If you were to go to Starbucks right this second, what do you think you'd order? Well, I wouldn’t cause it’s 12:02AM so it’s late and it’s closed, BUT I would get their smoked butterscotch latte that they have out right now. Sooo good.

3. Do you own any dice? That come with board games, yes.

4. Do you like to wear cardigans? I do.

5. If I were to ask you nicely, would you please consider making a survey for me and everyone else? No, sorry. I’m not creative enough to come up with questions.

6. What is the worst thing a child has ever done to you while you were babysitting? I’ve only babysat my lil bro and cousins, but man they used to fight and be bratty when they were kids. I would get so frustrated. I used the ol’, “If you don’t stop then I’m going to call mom!” bit, which didn’t always work.

7. If you wear contacts, do they tend to get really dry after only wearing them for just a couple hours? I don’t wear contacts. The idea of putting them on and taking them off freaks me out.

8. Have you ever watched any British television shows? I don’t think so, actually.

9. Do you own a nightgown? Yeah.

10. If you could get any pet right now, what would you? I’m not ready to get another pet right now, but when we do we would get another dog.

11. Have you played Grand Theft Auto: IV? If so, what do you think of it? I have not.

12. How often does your internet disconnect? Not often.

13. Have you ever actually been stuffed into a locker? No. I was actually worried about stuff like that before I entered high school cause of movies and shows I saw as a kid.

14. Do you / did you decorate the inside of your locker at school with stuff? I didn’t have a locker. I didn’t want one.

15. How many teenagers do you know who have babies? Currently none, but in a couple months I will.

16. Is there a fan in the room you're in right now? No.

17. Do you believe that chivalry is really dead? Nah. I’ve seen it, experienced it.

18. If you have one, what's your favorite novel by Chuck Palahniuk? I haven’t read any of his books.

19. Do you get your surveys from your subscriptions page or do you actually go to specific sites and search for them? Normally I just get them from fellow survey takers I follow on Tumblr, but sometimes no one is posting or I can’t find one I like or haven’t taken recently, so I search on Live Journal. That’s where this one came from.

20. How much is your cell phone bill each month? I’m apart of a family plan, and for three of us with our data plan and phones and such it’s like $200 and something. Pretty crazy.

21. And why the heck is Cingular now AT&T? I’m guessing AT&T bought them? It’s been that way for so long that I forgot. When I got my first cell phone it was Cingular.

22. Have you ever made a house out of a giant cardboard box? I might have as a kid, I don’t recall.

23. Have you ever made a tent out of sheets in your bedroom? Yesss. My cousins and I used to do that a lot.

24. What's the coolest thing you've made with Legos? Nothing cool. Just simple stuff.

25. When you make a survey, do you answer your own questions? I don’t make surveys, so.

26. If you could keep your parents or trade them for other parents, which would you pick? I would never trade my parents for anything in the world. They mean the world to me. My mom and I are especially close, she’s my rock. They’re my biggest support system. They have always been there, encouraging and supporting me along the way. They have been through all my ups and downs, and always will be.

27. Do kiwis make you think of testicles or is it just me? I remember when I was younger kids would call them monkey or gorilla balls or something. Kiwis just do not sound or look appealing to me.

28. Do you think it's cool how peroxide gets all fizzy when you put it on a cut? No.

29. Is there a piggy bank in the room you're in? Nope.

30. If I had to power to give you one thing right now, what would it be? A clean bill of health.

31. Do you want to get pregnant right now? NOOOOO.

32. Do you know anyone who doesn't like the internet? Yeah. Or people who don’t go on it that often or spend much time on it when they do. Just like a quick check in or so.  Or maybe they’re just normal and actually have lives. I spend an excessive amount online. Ha.

33. Do your grandparents know how to operate a cell phone? Yes, as they both have one and have had cell phones for a long time now. They both have iPhones. 

34. Have you ever housed a friend for a long period of time because they had no place to live? No.

35. If you have a favorite comedian, have they ever been in a movie? Kevin Hart has been in a shit ton of movies.

36. How many sets of twins do you know? I know of one.

37. Has anyone ever made fun of you for using proper grammar? Not make fun, but they’ll make comments about it because I use it even when I text. I’ve had people tell me how they can’t tell what tone I am using because I guess adding a period at the end makes it sound “serious”. Like when I put, “Okay.” my brother thinks I’m mad or something lol.

38. Do you own any hemp jewelry? No.

39. Have you ever cut carpet with a carpet cutter? Nope, nor have I ever cut carpet.

40. Are there any books you want to read? There’s a lot. I read using the Kindle app, and I have a Kindle Unlimited account. I can access a ton of books through that, so whenever I finish one I look for another. It recommends me books based on what I read previously and such. There’s always something for me to read.

41. Is it before of after 3 pm? It's 12:34AM, so that makes it way before 3PM.

42. If you have younger siblings, are you very protective of them? Yes I am.

43. If you have older siblings, are they very protective of you? I wouldn’t say very protective, no. Not that they don’t care or that we have a bad relationship, it’s just that we aren’t as close as my younger brother and I because we didn’t grow up together.

44. What are your plans for New Year's Eve? New Year’s Eve was just another day. I was not in the celebratory mood whatsoever. Last year was awful, and just a week before my dog passed away. I didn’t give a shit about New Year’s Eve.

45. Would you like a beer? Ew, no.

[trendingnewsb]

10 books every entrepreneur should read in 2017

Image: Mascha Tace/shutterstock

Entrepreneurship is a commitmentnot only to your venture or business, but also to a unique learning process. Where others seek guidance through big universities and established companies, I know many entrepreneurs like myself who have a desire to go their own way and learning becomes a self-guided experience. As a result, Ive gained a whole new dimension to my learning experience, having combined it with what I have chosen to read and what I have learned in the field.

Many entrepreneurs are avid readersnot just out of curiosity, but necessity. I love listening to podcasts and audiobooks because its something I can do while Im on the go whether that is traveling or exercising. Reading is one of the only ways you can learn from the worlds best and brightest, especially those who choose to share their thoughts on paper instead of through a weekly podcast.

Here is an entrepreneurs reading list for 2017 that include ten books that I have been motivating, insightful, and humbling for me. I hope that they leave a positive impression and assist you on your journey toward building something impactful in the world.

1. “All In” by Bill Green

This is a must read for any first-time entrepreneur who thinks building a business is an easy process. Author Bill Green uses “All In” to both inspire entrepreneurs on their quest for greatness and put things in perspective. Starting in a flea market and ending with a publicly traded company, Greens story demonstrates what it means to go all in on an ideaand not stop until the goal is achieved something that stands out for me in terms of the perspective that has helped me in bringing my own business ideas to fruition.

Greens company was Wilmar Industries, a corporation that ended up employing more than 2,300 people. When Wilmar went public in 1996, Fortune rated Wilmar as one of the best IPOs of the year. In 1999, Wilmar was named by Forbes as one of the top 200 Best Small Companies in America. “All In” describes Greens humble beginnings, his bootstrapping mindset and, ultimately, his rise to building a company that today is owned by Home Depot, with revenues topping $1.8 billion.

2. “Top of Mind” by John Hall

In a noisy world of digital marketers, how do you stand out? CEO of Influence & Co. and business thought leader John Hall has some valuable insights. After all, his recipe for staying top of mind with your consumers is the same step-by-step process he used to build Influence & Co to one of Forbes Most Promising Companies In America.

Top of Mind is full of tactics, with insights into how consumer needs and expectations have changed over the past few years; how you can build a brand that serves both your ideal customers and your own employees; and ways to use digital content to build lasting trust with your readers, followers and subscribers. I have put many of these tactics to work already with great success in my own business.

3. “The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs” by Hal Elrod and Cameron Herold

Consider this your wake-up call. Few books can change your daily habits as effectively as “The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs.” Author Hal Elrods original “The Miracle Morning” was a self-development crash course. In this follow-up page-turner, wisdom is added from Cameron Herold, a bestselling author and widely respected business coach, using the Miracle Morning framework as a foundation.

The book has given me six daily practices to create and sustain positive change in my lifepersonally and professionally. I have found that one of the most difficult challenges is to maintain a balance between building a successful business and taking care of myself. It has taught me that if Im off, then the whole picture is off. The principles in this book have put balance back in my life, which has benefitted my business, helped me feel better, and made my family a lot happier.

4. “Grit” by Angela Duckworth

Can success be reduced to a process? Pioneering psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Angela Duckworth thinks it can. She calls it grit. “Grit” does an incredible job of exploring what makes someone exceptionaland, as Duckworth has discovered, it certainly isnt talent or inherent intelligence.

She argues that the most successful people discover their own genius through the daily habit of persistence while always remembering to lead with what they are most passionate about. I thoroughly enjoyed the personal stories as well as interviews with peak performers and industry leaders, ranging from JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon to Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

5. “A Paperboys Fable” by Deep Patel

This book struck me for its title because it made me think about my first job and the other ventures I tried when I was younger.

Part story, part riveting interviews with professors, entrepreneurs, CEOs and more, “A Paperboys Fable” creatively shares some of the most tried and true lessons learned in business. Like the Arbinger Institutes Leadership and Self-Deception, what makes “A Paperboys Fable” a worthwhile read is its ability to take high-level and timeless business lessons and make them both easy to understand for beginners and poignant reminders for us more seasoned entrepreneurs.

6. “Rich20Something” by Daniel DiPiazza

The brand, Rich20Something, was started by Daniel DiPiazza, a recognized digital marketer and influencer. A website, a massively popular Instagram page, and now a book packed with lessons, “Rich20Something” is DiPiazzas story of being a typical twenty-something, unsure of what to do in life, and how he built a brand around the hustling mentality that can turn any young entrepreneur into a success.

Unlike the conventional corporate ladder path, “Rich20Something” is essentially a guide to hacking your way to wherever you want to go. DiPiazza shares his own advice from the trenches along with anecdotes from other successful entrepreneurs and mentors and step-by-step techniques for building businesses around my personal skill set. Its helped me beyond the dream and make things happen.

7. “Managing the Mental Game” by Jeff Boss

Who better to learn mental fortitude from than a former Navy SEAL? In Managing the Mental Game,” Boss reflects on his experiences as a SEAL and walks readers through techniques that build self-confidence, mental endurance and positive habits.

The book is comprised of over 23 mental exercises, covering topics such as how to deal with stress, how to avoid common mental traps, how to handle uncertainty and even the neuroscience behind change. Ive used these in my daily work life to deal with those unexpected issues and barriers that seem to pop up with a startup, which has provided me with a much more measured and logical approach when these do happen.

8. “Disrupted” by Dan Lyons

What is Silicon Valley really like? After 25 years at Newsweek, journalist Dan Lyons lost his job to younger talent. Shortly thereafter, he found himself working for a famed Silicon Valley startup, Hubspot, which had over $100 million in venture capital. “Disrupted” is Lyons take on the idealized entrepreneurship scene in California. As a resident of Silicon Valley, this book hit home in terms of familiar situations and advice on how to navigate the territory here.

One part crash course on entrepreneurship, two parts humorous stories and unfortunate conclusions, this book shows that heavily funded startups arent all they seem to be from the outside. According to Lyons, Its a world where bad ideas are rewarded, where companies blow money on lavish perks, and where everyone is trying to hang on just long enough to reach an IPO and cash out.

9. “Be Obsessed or Be Average” by Grant Cardone

Grant Cardone is a success story, to say the least. In addition to having one of the strongest personal brands, Cardone has made a name for himself by building five successful companies and turning himself into a multimillionaire. “Be Obsessed or Be Average” is like his other NYT bestseller,The 10x Rule a humbling reminder of just how much you have to want success in order to e ventually have it. It reads just like Cardone sounds in his videos and on his podcastfull of energy and motivation. His quotes have stayed top of mind long after finishing the book, which have been inspirational when faced with some critical issues in my business.

From Cardones perspective, success ultimately comes down to three basic rules: first, be willing to set crazy goals, and aim to reach them, every single day; second, value your money and make it work for you; and, third, use your haters as fuel. These rules have worked for me and many colleagues, so they will work for you, too.

10. “The Fire Starter Sessions” by Danielle LaPorte

Theres a reason “The Fire Starter Sessions” has sold over a million copies. Author Danielle LaPorte explains that many of the things we believe about the road to success are actually wrong, and that we end up driving ourselves mad by searching for things that dont actually exist.

Some of the controversial topics covered in this book include the fact that life balance is a myth, that our principles and beliefs might be the very things holding us back, and that happiness has far more to do with how we feel while were working and not necessarily the achievement of our goals. “The Fire Starter Sessions” offers helpful reminders for any entrepreneur who wants to build a meaningful future. Its certainly given me a lot of food for thought on how Ive looked at my own business and leadership style.

John Rampton is serial entrepreneur who now focuses on helping people to build amazing products and services that scale. He is founder of the online payments company Due. If you’re looking for even more to read, check out his book: “Self Employed: 50 Signs That You Might Be an Entrepreneur.“

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10 books every entrepreneur should read in 2017

Image: Mascha Tace/shutterstock

Entrepreneurship is a commitmentnot only to your venture or business, but also to a unique learning process. Where others seek guidance through big universities and established companies, I know many entrepreneurs like myself who have a desire to go their own way and learning becomes a self-guided experience. As a result, Ive gained a whole new dimension to my learning experience, having combined it with what I have chosen to read and what I have learned in the field.

Many entrepreneurs are avid readersnot just out of curiosity, but necessity. I love listening to podcasts and audiobooks because its something I can do while Im on the go whether that is traveling or exercising. Reading is one of the only ways you can learn from the worlds best and brightest, especially those who choose to share their thoughts on paper instead of through a weekly podcast.

Here is an entrepreneurs reading list for 2017 that include ten books that I have been motivating, insightful, and humbling for me. I hope that they leave a positive impression and assist you on your journey toward building something impactful in the world.

1. “All In” by Bill Green

This is a must read for any first-time entrepreneur who thinks building a business is an easy process. Author Bill Green uses “All In” to both inspire entrepreneurs on their quest for greatness and put things in perspective. Starting in a flea market and ending with a publicly traded company, Greens story demonstrates what it means to go all in on an ideaand not stop until the goal is achieved something that stands out for me in terms of the perspective that has helped me in bringing my own business ideas to fruition.

Greens company was Wilmar Industries, a corporation that ended up employing more than 2,300 people. When Wilmar went public in 1996, Fortune rated Wilmar as one of the best IPOs of the year. In 1999, Wilmar was named by Forbes as one of the top 200 Best Small Companies in America. “All In” describes Greens humble beginnings, his bootstrapping mindset and, ultimately, his rise to building a company that today is owned by Home Depot, with revenues topping $1.8 billion.

2. “Top of Mind” by John Hall

In a noisy world of digital marketers, how do you stand out? CEO of Influence & Co. and business thought leader John Hall has some valuable insights. After all, his recipe for staying top of mind with your consumers is the same step-by-step process he used to build Influence & Co to one of Forbes Most Promising Companies In America.

Top of Mind is full of tactics, with insights into how consumer needs and expectations have changed over the past few years; how you can build a brand that serves both your ideal customers and your own employees; and ways to use digital content to build lasting trust with your readers, followers and subscribers. I have put many of these tactics to work already with great success in my own business.

3. “The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs” by Hal Elrod and Cameron Herold

Consider this your wake-up call. Few books can change your daily habits as effectively as “The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs.” Author Hal Elrods original “The Miracle Morning” was a self-development crash course. In this follow-up page-turner, wisdom is added from Cameron Herold, a bestselling author and widely respected business coach, using the Miracle Morning framework as a foundation.

The book has given me six daily practices to create and sustain positive change in my lifepersonally and professionally. I have found that one of the most difficult challenges is to maintain a balance between building a successful business and taking care of myself. It has taught me that if Im off, then the whole picture is off. The principles in this book have put balance back in my life, which has benefitted my business, helped me feel better, and made my family a lot happier.

4. “Grit” by Angela Duckworth

Can success be reduced to a process? Pioneering psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Angela Duckworth thinks it can. She calls it grit. “Grit” does an incredible job of exploring what makes someone exceptionaland, as Duckworth has discovered, it certainly isnt talent or inherent intelligence.

She argues that the most successful people discover their own genius through the daily habit of persistence while always remembering to lead with what they are most passionate about. I thoroughly enjoyed the personal stories as well as interviews with peak performers and industry leaders, ranging from JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon to Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

5. “A Paperboys Fable” by Deep Patel

This book struck me for its title because it made me think about my first job and the other ventures I tried when I was younger.

Part story, part riveting interviews with professors, entrepreneurs, CEOs and more, “A Paperboys Fable” creatively shares some of the most tried and true lessons learned in business. Like the Arbinger Institutes Leadership and Self-Deception, what makes “A Paperboys Fable” a worthwhile read is its ability to take high-level and timeless business lessons and make them both easy to understand for beginners and poignant reminders for us more seasoned entrepreneurs.

6. “Rich20Something” by Daniel DiPiazza

The brand, Rich20Something, was started by Daniel DiPiazza, a recognized digital marketer and influencer. A website, a massively popular Instagram page, and now a book packed with lessons, “Rich20Something” is DiPiazzas story of being a typical twenty-something, unsure of what to do in life, and how he built a brand around the hustling mentality that can turn any young entrepreneur into a success.

Unlike the conventional corporate ladder path, “Rich20Something” is essentially a guide to hacking your way to wherever you want to go. DiPiazza shares his own advice from the trenches along with anecdotes from other successful entrepreneurs and mentors and step-by-step techniques for building businesses around my personal skill set. Its helped me beyond the dream and make things happen.

7. “Managing the Mental Game” by Jeff Boss

Who better to learn mental fortitude from than a former Navy SEAL? In Managing the Mental Game,” Boss reflects on his experiences as a SEAL and walks readers through techniques that build self-confidence, mental endurance and positive habits.

The book is comprised of over 23 mental exercises, covering topics such as how to deal with stress, how to avoid common mental traps, how to handle uncertainty and even the neuroscience behind change. Ive used these in my daily work life to deal with those unexpected issues and barriers that seem to pop up with a startup, which has provided me with a much more measured and logical approach when these do happen.

8. “Disrupted” by Dan Lyons

What is Silicon Valley really like? After 25 years at Newsweek, journalist Dan Lyons lost his job to younger talent. Shortly thereafter, he found himself working for a famed Silicon Valley startup, Hubspot, which had over $100 million in venture capital. “Disrupted” is Lyons take on the idealized entrepreneurship scene in California. As a resident of Silicon Valley, this book hit home in terms of familiar situations and advice on how to navigate the territory here.

One part crash course on entrepreneurship, two parts humorous stories and unfortunate conclusions, this book shows that heavily funded startups arent all they seem to be from the outside. According to Lyons, Its a world where bad ideas are rewarded, where companies blow money on lavish perks, and where everyone is trying to hang on just long enough to reach an IPO and cash out.

9. “Be Obsessed or Be Average” by Grant Cardone

Grant Cardone is a success story, to say the least. In addition to having one of the strongest personal brands, Cardone has made a name for himself by building five successful companies and turning himself into a multimillionaire. “Be Obsessed or Be Average” is like his other NYT bestseller,The 10x Rule a humbling reminder of just how much you have to want success in order to e ventually have it. It reads just like Cardone sounds in his videos and on his podcastfull of energy and motivation. His quotes have stayed top of mind long after finishing the book, which have been inspirational when faced with some critical issues in my business.

From Cardones perspective, success ultimately comes down to three basic rules: first, be willing to set crazy goals, and aim to reach them, every single day; second, value your money and make it work for you; and, third, use your haters as fuel. These rules have worked for me and many colleagues, so they will work for you, too.

10. “The Fire Starter Sessions” by Danielle LaPorte

Theres a reason “The Fire Starter Sessions” has sold over a million copies. Author Danielle LaPorte explains that many of the things we believe about the road to success are actually wrong, and that we end up driving ourselves mad by searching for things that dont actually exist.

Some of the controversial topics covered in this book include the fact that life balance is a myth, that our principles and beliefs might be the very things holding us back, and that happiness has far more to do with how we feel while were working and not necessarily the achievement of our goals. “The Fire Starter Sessions” offers helpful reminders for any entrepreneur who wants to build a meaningful future. Its certainly given me a lot of food for thought on how Ive looked at my own business and leadership style.

John Rampton is serial entrepreneur who now focuses on helping people to build amazing products and services that scale. He is founder of the online payments company Due. If you’re looking for even more to read, check out his book: “Self Employed: 50 Signs That You Might Be an Entrepreneur.“

WATCH:

John Rampton

Read more: http://ift.tt/2qNsQcC

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2qPW4aQ via Viral News HQ