That was awesome. I've been thinking for ages that it'd be cool to get the inside scoop on all the stuff you're doing (both work and personal) and the openness does an amazing job of counteracting the publication bias stuff you just wrote about. 

It'll be useful for you to look back on too - like a diary.

Similar to my response when he asked me the same question, but I tried to talk a little about a couple more ways to see things through a real-life lens if he wasn't starting a business:

"Reading strategy (and business) books has always challenged me a bit. The fact that I get something different out of them every time I read them bothers me because it means I'm never really optimizing. Why didn't I see these ideas last time? I've started doing two things that have helped.

1) Take notes focusing on real world applications. Easier said than done, but there's no better way to read a strategy book than when you're in the midst of starting a business. It all comes to life. If you aren't starting a business, get creative. When I read the 48 Laws of Power, I wrote a fable about each one. When I read Playing to Win, I tried to think of another business that each of their lessons applied to. Taking notes makes this all much more effective, but I have a hard time sticking to it and often end up giving up part way through. 

2) Talk about them. Last month, a couple other guys from the SETT community and I had a discussion about the 50th Law and it was awesome. Encourages you to write down interesting points to remember as you read and talking through the logic and applications makes the ideas so much more real. We're doing Hannibal and Me on the 26th of this month. Feel free to read it and join in."

At first I loved it (both the style and ideas). I wasn't really satisfied with the conclusions on consciousness he came to at the end of the second part. I understand what he's saying, but I struggled with it and in the end decided that it felt kind of unfinished. That's the problem with neuroscience - we aren't quite there yet.

The third part was a waste of time, IMO.

I'd recommend reading the first two-thirds.

Might be better to interpret this the opposite way. Not control causes self-esteem, but self-esteem causes control.

It's a deep, self-validated confidence in yourself and your beliefs (self-esteem) that leads to not meekly bending to the whims of others (control). 

So he's not saying that control is impossible without self-esteem, but that a benefit of deep self-esteem is that it leads to greater control. 

It was great. It's brilliant how Greene's advice can be applied so differently by different people. Talking through it was definitely helpful.

We're going to do Hannibal and Me at the same time on May 26th. One of us will post something about it soon. Hope you can make it.

Reminds me of Reagan's favorite saying when dealing with the Russians - "doveryai, no proveryai" (trust, but verify):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As6y5eI01XE