Book Review | The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone

Self improvement books usually fall into one of two categories. They either give practical advice with specific things one must do to accomplish whatever the book is promoting (we'll call these Practical Books), or they give broad, general tips on achieving something; and usually the latter has more to do with changing your way of thinking and seeing obstacles through a different lens(We'll call these Mindset Books). Generally, I prefer books with more practical advice. I like books that tell me, "If you do this at this time and that at that time then this will happen." Easy! But books with more general guidance are also helpful and necessary. A mindset book usually serves as motivation. These books typically ask the reader to think about their goals, their ambitions, as well as their pit falls and shortcomings. They ask the reader to reflect on their thought patterns, or at the very least, they give you a "better" thought pattern. I will review more practical books than mindset books on this blog, but today we will be talking about mindset.

Have you ever seen a motivational video on YouTube, or listened to an inspiring podcast, and been incredibly encouraged to do something in your life that you have been putting off? When David Goggins posts something on Instagram, or a Gary Vaynerchuk video goes viral, this feeling of inspiration grows inside of me. Sometimes friends will repost something Andy Frisella said or Jocko Willink will post a picture of his watch and I get the same effect. The media we consume is more important than we give it credit for. The people we follow on Instagram and twitter, the music we listen to, the YouTube videos we watch, and the books we read all have an effect on our mood and thought pattern. I love listening to John Frusciante but if I'm being honest, his music bums me out and puts me in a mood that is not productive. It makes me a little sad. Not so sad that I want to curl up in a ball and cry, but just pessimistic enough that my outlook on life is a little more gloomy. The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone is the type of book that will light a fire under you and encourage you to take action. The good thing is that it does this incredibly well. The bad thing is that it does not offer more than that.

As I mentioned earlier, I like self improvement books that are practical. Think of the Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. This is a finance book where there author gives you seven steps to follow in order to achieve financial independence. It's great! Follow those seven steps and you will accomplish what the author is promising. Think of the 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. Similar concept. Ferriss does not give you seven steps, but he lays out very plainly what actions you can take to achieve the freedom and lifestyle he is promoting. The 10X Rule is more like watching a David Goggins post on Instagram where he tells you to stop being a punk and work harder. It is great fuel for the fire, but is it worth $15? The message of this book can be simplified to "work harder." The word choices and tone that Cardone uses are more eloquent than that, but you get the idea. He fills the book with inspirational chapters on how you should view success, how you should view failure, and personal stories of how his work ethic has helped him overcome adversity. After each read, I felt a burst of inspiration to go after the things I want, but after the events of the day take over, the chapter I read earlier that day is forgotten. I realize that not every book will offer seven steps one must take in order to accomplish something, and some self improvement books exist only to inspire you. The 10X Rule does a good job of that. It encourages the reader to take more risks, view success as an obligation rather than an option, and to commit to things you say you will do. All of these lessons are true, and valuable, but if I'm being honest I get the same results by listening to Andy Frisella on a podcast. Better results actually, because Frisella will provide a practical approach to take advantage of the inspiration he just filled you with.

Overall, The 10X Rule is pretty good and I recommend it to anyone who is in a mental funk. If you lack motivation and feel stuck, this book is very good at getting the reader going and building momentum. If you know already what goals you want to accomplish and what steps you have to take in order to accomplish them, this book will definitely provide the spark to get you started. If you are already deep in the self-improvement world and have had inspiration beaten into your head for years, save your money and go look at another picture of Jocko's watch. The book is very good at what it does even if  I did not find it useful, but I know there are certainly people who will. My rating reflects that.

My Rating: ★★★★☆
Get the book here | Grant Cardone