“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Albert Einstein
“Do Disrupt” is a cute and small self-help book. Most of its ideas aren´t exactly new – the reader probably as heard most of them. However, my guess is that readers would gain from hearing those ideas once more. Plus, the author makes a god job in presenting those ideas in a fresh and beautiful way.
Mark Shayler is an environmental consultant. His main focus is to help develop ideas and implement them. So far this his first book.
According to the publisher, “Do Disrupt” is about “disruption [,] doing things differently {and] having ideas that will change the world”. I slightly disagree with the publisher. Fundamentally, is about happiness.
To me the book is about the pursue of happiness. In a way, Mark Shayler sees happiness has choosing and playing interesting “games” in our lives. “Games” that we like to play and make our lives better. We should climb to the best “mountains” of our lives and enjoy the ride. Life is better if we enjoy the present pursuing activities with meaning for us.
The author says that not everyone wants to be happy and I agree. I believe the great majority of humanity will say they want to happy. However, there is a great difference between saying that we want to be happy and really taking steps to truly be happy.
Personally, I recognize that so far I am not one of the best examples in choosing and playing the right “games” in life in pursuit of happiness. So, you should listen to what I say and not what I do. 🙂 Perhaps in the future, I will be a good example to follow.
The key concept of the book is very simple as it tries to answer the following question: are we happy? If the answer is yes, the author recommends that we continue to do what we are doing or, at least, most of what we do. In the case of a no, Mark Shayler advises that we should try doing something different.
However, to do something different isn’t a guaranty of happiness. However, it is a very good advice. Like Albert Einstein said once insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
In a short term isn´t true. Luck (or the lack of it) plays a great role in the short. A poker player can make a great play and still lose. However, in the long term things are different. If don’t reach the results you want it is probably because you aren´t doing the right things.
Mark Shayler appeals to action and doesn´t say we shouldn’t do this and don´t do that precisely. “Do Disrupt” is more about questions for the reader and less about giving him answers. The author wants us to think out of box or, at least out of our normal thinking. More, he wants us to think big and go outside our comfort zone.
He presents some exercises to channel our thoughts and ideas. The idea is to help us to find the better paths for us to follow. In a nutshell, don´t accept the status quo if you don´t like it.
Most of the exercises are business related. In a way or another they are connected with our professional lives or even to start a business. But most of the exercises can be adapted to your personal life with some imagination.
If you are considering buying this book go for physical book – don´t buy the digital version. It is necessary to write, draw and take notes. The physical version is better for that.
It is worth doing the exercises as it wil enrich the experience of reading the book.
The publisher defends that this book is about “having ideas that will change the world”. Those are big shoes that are hard to fill. I think that the possibility of having an idea that will change the world is slim to say the least. However, this book can definitely contribute to change the world of the reader.
Ivo Dias de Sousa is a Portuguese writer born in Mozambique. Ivo is also a Professor at Universidade Aberta, Portugal, giving courses on information management. Currently, Ivo is interested in using his experience on information management to construct applications (see http://windit-app.com/ ) for smartphones, in collaboration with others. Ivo holds a Master in Statistics and Information Management (Universidade Nova de Lisboa) and a Ph.D. in Information Management (Universidade Aberta). Amongst his main interests are information management, psychology of luck and literature.
