Full Calendar-Empty Life

This is an awkward essay for me write.?Especially to you, my LinkedIn friends and acquaintances.?Whether you are lifelong friends, clients, colleagues or friends of my friends, you are a respected community of influencers and kindred spirits.?I value your trust.?That said and in the spirit of transparency I want to acknowledge that I am, of course, biased in sharing with you my son in law—Richie Norton’s new book.?In fact, awkward or not, I would be remiss if I didn’t share it with you.?

This awkwardness feels even more daunting and amplified by the fact that I am at this writing, just 10 days into recovering from an unexpected heart valve replacement surgery after an echocardiogram revealed I was in severe aortic stenosis and my failing aortic heart valve opening was down to the size of a coffee straw.?Fortunately my increased focus on Habit 7–rigorous cardio exercise—that I had adopted when life threatening electrical heart issues?prompted my early retirement 5 years ago, my heart was?strong enough (hiking 2 to 3 miles everyday) that I did not have the usual symptoms of heart failure and survived long enough to receive another miracle of modern medicine—a heart valve replacement.?More on that transcendent moment between the trapezes in future.?

My point? Life is fragile,?and as Richie eloquently discusses in his new book, your time may be shorter than you expect.?

As a neurotic father in law, I originally viewed Richie and Natalie’s novel approach to life as a little unrealistic,?and maybe even —Stupid— to borrow from their earlier bestseller The Power of Starting Something Stupid.?I know many of you have experienced that visceral parental anxiety of worrying whether or not your kids will “figure it out” and be able to thrive in this uncertain world.?Imagine my concern when they?announced they were shunning traditional employment to be gig workers. (Turns out they were ahead of the times. This was a decade before technology made it more feasible and the pandemic made it more acceptable—even heroic.)

I feared Richie was squandering his hard-fought Thunderbird International MBA when he walked away from two highly sought after jobs early in his career—one as a professor at a respected international university and the other, an executive position at an investment advisory firm.?

Interestingly the financial advisory work led him to some of the paradigm busting insights he now teaches in his newest book.?As he interviewed multi- millionaire investors (who were mostly my current age and older), he came to the realization that their greatest regret was having sold out their aliveness and their time with their families for the ever illusive dream of “as soon as _____,?then I’ll be happy and have time for them.?

As most of you know, I have spent much of my career vetting books—making sure the Coveys endorse only the most consequential and credible books out there.?My judgment to that end was informed by following Stephen R. Covey’s admonition to me to read a book a week—which has been my habit now for many decades. I feel comfortable saying I have my 10,000 hours to that end.?As I now wholeheartedly endorse Richie’s?new book, I get a glimpse of how Covey must have felt writing the foreword for his own son’s book—The Speed of Trust.

The good news (and much to my relief): As with The Speed of Trust,?my vote of confidence here is more than warranted.?

Anti Time Management by Richie Norton is a paradigm busting book.?It will permanently shift your relationship with time and life, and like any true paradigm shift, you will never be able to get the genie back in the bottle.

Now,?as I look back on Richie and Natalie’s life together I am floored by their extraordinary vision.?They take this book a?giant leap beyond mere credibility—by not just walking, but fully living their talk.?Their inspiring family and enviable lifestyle are tangible, daily “proof of concept” for their insightful advice.?In the spirit of another favorite book of mine, Essentialism, they embody what they teach and have created an exemplary family culture.

As I tried to wrap my mind around some early drafts of Anti Time Management,?I began to see the genius and deliberate design that my “in the box” limited thinking had previously obscured.?I realized—wait for it—I was wrong.?(Bye bye boomer, as my grandkids like to say.)?My perception of the “out the box,”?lateral thinking brilliance and design for life they are advocating blossomed to the point I realized this is truly a profound and timely book.?As I said,?I would be remiss in not sharing it with you.?

Richie articulates principles merely pointed toward by hundreds of authors over many decades,?but he nails it in a way that will shift the trajectory of your thinking and behavior for life.?As my generation felt when we first read Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, and current generations felt when they first read Covey’s 7 Habits,?“The hand that set down the book after reading it is forever different than the hand that picked it up”. This book is that good.?

Maya Angelo’s profound observation: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel” comes to mind.?You will never forget how Richie’s book makes you feel.?

Initially it dawned on me that I might be too close to it—so I sent a draft to several trusted friends.?. . .

Their response was resounding and consistent. Norton has truly struck a nerve here. Starting with my trusted business partner Stephen M R Covey who said: “Richie simplifies complex layers of work-life freedom that we all grapple with such that I’m already creating more space for my life, family and business in ways that inspire me, give me hope, and bring me joy.”

I do not take a reaction like that from Stephen lightly. He is not prone to hyperbole—The book moved him.?

My longtime friend and mentor Jay Abraham had this reaction: “We all look at time totally wrong! Richie totally reshapes how you use, not abuse your time.?We think lack of time is our problem when it’s really lack of attention. “

Another longtime friend and confidant, Jack Canfield,?said: “Once in a great while a new author bursts on the scene to light a fire under us. Richie Norton is that rare spark.”?

The highest paid executive coach on the planet,?Marshall Goldsmith said: “Powerful!?Anti-Time Management?will help you clarify and prioritize what is really important for your life, and for your time. Richie Norton’s writing is moving and profound with personal stories that will keep you engaged cover to cover.”

My favorite reaction is from someone I don’t know. The Grammy winning recording artist Sirah, who Richie met when he gave a TED X talk in Moldova a few years ago. Sirah said: “Richie’s words rewired my brain and touched my heart. His techniques immediately shifted my perspective and made my future accessible in the now.”?

That’s what we all want isn’t it??

A paradigm shift so profound it rewires our brain.?

Stephen R. Covey and Werner Erhard taught me the power of paradigm shifts in the 1970’s —now neuroscience proves it is not “woo woo,” but science. The humility to know that we don’t know what we don’t know.?As Werner asked in the 70’s: “Can you afford the arrogance of thinking that there is nothing you do not yet know—the knowing of which would change everything?”

?So what is Anti Time management about??Is it worth your time??

I have purposely avoided attempting to summarize or tease out the content of Richie's book here.?Curious??You need to test it from your own experience. Read the book.?It is an experience over which you will never get.?His tag line says it all:?“Full Calendar, Empty Life.”

As Jay Abraham recommends: “… 'game change’ your brain ALL in one or two ‘can’t put down’ reads—this book is the key!”

Ok, for those of you who who need more than my word,?as Paul Harvey always said, “here’s the rest of the story:”?

Most of you know and trust Whitney Johnson,?business partner of my and Covey’s good friend,?the late Clay Christensen,?author of Innovators Dilemma and How Will I Measure My Life??Whitney is a top ten business thinker (as named by Thinkers50),?bestselling author of Disrupt Yourself,?and what to me is significantly more intriguing, she is what I consider one of the most accomplished interviewers out there today. Seriously Oprah, Barbara Walters, Larry King level mastery.?

I know many of you don’t take the time to listen to long-form interviews or "podcasts" as they are now called—Whitney and Richie’s conversation is worth making an exception.?Invest the time.?It may even convert you to be a podcast junkie like I have become (think of them as two way dialogues not the diatribes that some TED talks have become).?

Here is a link to Whitney's engaging inquiry with Richie about Anti Time Management.?Click?https://whitneyjohnson.com/286-richie-norton-value-your-time-and-stop-timing-your-values

Oops wait, for those of you ready to read Anti Time Management by Richie Norton now:??AMAZON: ?https://www.amazon.com/Anti-Time-Management-Reclaim-Revolutionize-Results/dp/0306827069?&linkCode=ll1&tag=stastu-20&linkId=101862363fc0ca29c64d2c487566b212&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl