TLDR: A stark reality check on the social media generation. Happy Sexy Millionaire contains challenging view points on mindset, goals and contentment. Featuring genuinely actionable advice and all told from a fascinating perspective, this is a must read.
Length: Slightly too long, the end gets a little repetitive for me
Smell: 9/10 – don’t pretend this doesn’t matter
Total Bookmarks Made: 16
Rating: 8.9/10 – would highly recommend
I first came across Steven Bartlett some 5 years ago on Facebook. He was against a backdrop of his office with his trademark hat and black t-shirt doing a short video on something or other. I’ll be honest, my initial impression was very much ‘oh could this guy be even more cliche marketing CEO know it all’, but the more videos I was being fed (touché to him and his team for that stellar advertising) I quickly realised that actually Steven really knew what he was talking about.
Following his YouTube and Podcast on and off since then I really admired his success but mainly, his attitude and his honesty. So when he posted on his Instagram about a pre-order of his new book, I headed to Amazon before he even finished his sentence.
First of all, this book is damn sexy. I never knew a book could be, especially in this ‘self help’ type category, but it just has to be said even if you do think I’m more than a little strange for pointing it out.
Anyway, onto the more important parts of the book; what’s actually written in it…
Thankfully Steven writes as promised in the opening i.e no bullshit. It’s one of the few books in this category that doesn’t seem to just drag out a point that could easily be made in a 10 page PDF to a 500 page paperback.
The books opens with Steve admitting his unhappiness despite achieving everything he was so sure would make him happy. He had a company worth over £200m, a fancy car, fancy crib, travel, the works! The book is peppered with quotes and illustrations and one of the first is one of the best…
Social Media has made ‘perfect’ look normal, so ‘good’ has become disposable.
Steve goes on to talk about how seemingly everyone nowadays is looking to ‘change the world’ and all manor of other cliches that people think they should be striving for when in truth, they shouldn’t. If for no other reason that its not truly want they want. And even if they manage to obtain such goals they might end up just like Steve; facing that harsh realisation after sacrificing so much to get there.
The grass will always look greener on the other side. Until you start watering the side you’re on.
Steve goes on to talk about how diet is much more than food you ingest; its content you consume as well. If this generation were to receive doctors orders on their diets it would be straight to liposuction and gastric bands. Too many people are busing keeping up with the Kardashians and similarly toxic social media profiles, TV shows and so called influencers. But even the ‘good’ ones can be damaging.
There was no Bill Gates for Bill Gates to emulate. Elon Musk didn’t copy the homework of another space exploring, car manufacturing, payment providing entrepreneur. And yet so many people in this Information Age are desperately trying to emulate figures like Elon in order to ‘change the world’ and ‘Iive their best life’, when their best life is nothing like Elon’s.
The most convincing sign that someone is truly living their best life, is the lack of desire to show the world that they’re living their best life.
Another exceptional point Steve raises is somewhat controversial in today’s ‘hustle society’ and that is that quitting is for winners. He discusses how quitting is vitally important skill that one must master and not be afraid to deploy. He even breaks it down into a super easy flowchart with a few simple questions to determine your action. This in conjunction with a decision making premise practised by none other than Obama, led Steve to quit as CEO of Social Chain; the £200m company he’d worked so tirelessly to build.
Overthinking and the procrastination it creates stems from trying to make perfect decisions in a world where perfect decisions only exist in hindsight.
This is a must read for anyone but particularly those in my generation as there’s so many topics Steve covers with such insight and freakish accuracy. A true page tuner and an honest account of the modern world that really makes you think long after you’ve closed it.
