Few people that you meet in life will speak to your soul and help you grow as a person. For me, Anthony Frasier is one of them. I’m older than him by a couple months, but every time I speak to him it feels like talking to an elder. The truth is, I owe Anthony Frasier a lot. He taught me what it means to hustle, to explore your ideas, and to reach your full potential. That’s why I’m happy that now there is a means for the world to understand just how inspiring this man is.
Don’t Dumb Down Your Greatness is a book that harbours all the life lessons that a young entrepreneur will need. It also doubles as motivation for black people that have been held back by the standards of society, with the stigma that they can’t make it in the tech world (or any industry for that matter). However, this isn’t simply a “book for black people”, the book is suited to anyone who needs some motivation to follow their dreams.
Anthony’s strength lies in his ability to use his own life experiences to paint a picture. I’ve often read self-help books that had great content, but they were boring to read through due to their lack of visualisation. By visualisation, I don’t mean imagery. I mean the ability to understand the point being raised by taking a look through the author’s eyes. Everything that Anthony teaches in this book is backed up by a real life experience that puts it perfectly into context.
It helps that the man writing the book has so many merits. Anthony Frasier went from unloading boxes from trucks, to pitching his tech start-up in Silicon Valley to the likes of Google. He featured on CNN’s Black in America series, a show highlighting African American entrepreneurs aiming to make it in the world of technology. He then went on to co-found a brand for learning which hosted meet-ups and conferences with some of the most successful entrepreneurs as speakers. It’s also worth mentioning that Anthony and I co-founded a video gaming website back in 2008 with a few good friends.
These are all experiences that Anthony calls upon to teach some of the most logical (and sometimes tough) lessons that will help your growth. Whether you’re interested in being an entrepreneur or not, there’s much to be learned about personal growth in Don’t Dumb Down Your Greatness.
For instance, the chapter titled “Being friends vs Being Cool” is an intellectual take on the difference between friends and acquaintances. The philosophy is that you should differentiate the people who are an integral part of your everyday life, from the people that you simply like to “be cool” with as a value proposition. Networking is something we could all improve on, and this chapter in particular gives you a new way to look at your connections.
Other standout chapters in the book include:
- Hustle + Opportunity + Optimism = Luck
- Just add water
- Process makes perfect
- The hater outside your head
Every one of these chapters includes vital lessons that will have you thinking about your approach to life in a new way. Another personal favourite is Write everything down – which encourages you to keep a notebook at all times so that you can log new ideas, thoughts, sketches and reflections. Anthony breaks down the benefits of writing things down compared to just typing them in your notes app on your Smartphone.
Don’t Dumb Down Your Greatness has so many jewels for success that I recommend it to anyone who needs a good self-improvement book. Not only will it motivate you, but it will also give you a brand new outlook on life. It’s also easy to digest as its just 101 pages. For such a short read it has an unlimited amount of depth, and it’s size makes it all the more easier to refer back to when needed.
Buy Don’t Dumb Down Your Greatness (US)
