Anyone can write a book.

Of course, many years ago your chances of actually seeing your book in print were just about zilch. Your chances of finding an agent, or a publisher, and being paid for your work were next to nothing.

Years ago you had very few options. You could take it down to your local printer and have him print off a copy or two, bind them with a fancy spiral piece of plastic, and then give them to your friends and family. Or, you could self-publish at a printer. But then you’d be on the hook for purchasing a minimum order of 5000 copies or something ludicrous, only to look at all those boxes in your basement years later and wonder what you were thinking.

A few days back, my father-in-law released his first book.

First, using content from one of his thought-provoking blogs and second, using a service called CreateSpace. He now has a book, with a proper ISBN number, that’s being distributed and shipped by Amazon.com, the largest online retailer in the United States.

Total cost for the endeavour? Free.

CreateSpace does everything except the writing. Paul’s book is printed and shipped on-demand, and Paul receives a small royalty from every copy purchased.

You can check out CreateSpace for yourself. That’s not the point of this post though.

The point is this.

I’ve heard it said time and time again, “I should write a book.”

Well my friends, I have good news. If you have something to say, and want to write a book, there’s nothing standing in your way.

I hope you’ll check out Paul’s book, and for a fiver, maybe even pick up a copy.

You can read Paul’s popular blog at Quoteflections.com

On a side note, yet similarly related, check out what Seth Godin’s up to in The Domino Project. Seth is hoping to change the game of traditional book publishing. If there’s anyone who can move things in a new direction, it’s Seth. Check it out.

Interested in earning a billion dollars?

Let me give you a brief introduction to this post, and then I’ll share the secret to making one billion dollars.

The CEO of Zappos.com,Tony Hsieh’s new book, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, comes out today. I had a chance to read an advanced copy last week.

Hsieh discovered his entrepreneurial drive at a very young age and continued to lean into his passion and work towards achieving ultimate success.

After reading of Hsieh’s early stints in the business world, we learn of his first major success during the dot-com boom. Hsieh co-founded, LinkExchange, which was later acquired by Microsoft for $265 Million.

This is where the book sparked my interest. It wasn’t that Hsieh had sold his first company, but rather it was that Tony realized he wasn’t happy.

As part of the deal with Microsoft, Hsieh was required to stay on as an employee for twelve months and then walk away from the deal 12 million dollars richer. He left after a month or so which meant he was walking away from millions of dollars. His reason? He wasn’t happy.

When I told my wife this story, she didn’t believe it. She said, “nobody would walk away from millions of dollars just for sitting around for a year.”

Tony chose happiness over profits and this laid the seeds for what was to come next.

It wouldn’t be the last time Tony would take a major risk with his money. For example, when Zappos was nearly broke and couldn’t find a single investor; Tony took EVERYTHING he had earned, and EVERYTHING he had acquired, even down to selling his apartment at a 40% discount, and bet it on Zappos.

I sent Tony a direct message on Twitter and asked, “Did you really bet the entire farm? Everything? Is that part really true?”

He responded, “pretty much yeah, but things worked out in the end ”

In July of 2009, Zappos was sold to Amazon for One Billion Dollars. Tony’s earnings from the sale were $214 million.

Buy the book. It’s out today, and it’s fantastic!

If you want to win a copy – leave a comment below, and I’ll pick someone at random to receive a free copy.

Without further ado…

How To Make One Billion Dollars in Five Steps.

(Things I learned from Tony Hsieh and his book “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose.”

Step 1:

• Realize money cannot, and will not, deliver happiness…ever! (no matter how much you think it will)
• The way you feel, think, and love now is the same way you will feel, think, and love when you have a lot of money. Sure, you can buy more stuff, but you won’t feel any differently.

Step 2:

• Realize you will win and lose. If you never lose, you’ll never win big. Look at the long-term picture. Aim high.
• Risk only what you can afford to lose.
• Be prepared to lose it all.
• And, as we’ve seen above, be prepared and have the balls to bet it all.

Step 3:

• Have principles you’ll take to the grave. Understand that your business may change over time, but stick to your principles.
• Don’t look for short-cuts. Cheaters will always lose – eventually.
• Patience is a virtue and required for success. Stamina is required to win the game.
• Look around at what everyone else is doing and then do the opposite. Don’t think just because everyone else is doing it, that’s what you should be doing too.

Step 4:

• Never believe you’ve learned everything you need to know. Read books and learn from others. Read more – and then read some more after that.
• Understand that everything you read is great, but if you never do anything with the knowledge, it’s worthless. Put what you’ve learned into action.
• Success is largely determined by the people you surround yourself with. Choose your peers wisely.
• Understand luck and don’t get too cocky. If you win a few times, realize you might have just gotten lucky.
• Again, don’t get too cocky. There’s always someone better than you out there.

Step 5:

• You’ve got to love what you’re doing.
• One hundred percent happiness is the goal. If you’re not happy, don’t fool yourself. You get only one go around in this thing called life – happiness can’t be bought or purchased. Figure out the problem and fix it.

Just a quick book review today.

The next book on the list of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, that I’ve been reading from, is titled “What Should I Do with My Life?” by author Po Bronson.

Funny… I go from being a reading maniac to taking almost two weeks to get through a book called “What Should I Do with My Life?”

What does that tell ya about me?

Bronson found himself in a position many people find themselves in these days, unemployed and at a crossroads of  life. He was at a point in his own life when he was asking himself the same question, “What Should I Do with My Life?”

Po decided that he would look for others who were asking or had asked that question, at some point in their lives, and share those stories with us.

Bronson interviewed over 900 people. The book provides the stories of about 50 of those people who were wondering what they should do with their lives.

The book is interesting because it’s a collection of the types of stories we hear about, but never believe could apply to us.

Stories like a PR executive, on the verge of doubling her salary, leaving her well-paid career to work outside and do low-paid landscaping.

Or a professor with tenure who decided to leave and pursue a new career in law, at 70 years old.

The book offers us both a glimpse and an understanding that we actually do have a choice in life to follow our passion, and a glimpse at those who actually took the plunge and followed it.

Bronson profiled about 50 different people in the book. What I enjoyed about the book is that not every story has a happy ending. It wasn’t always what you expected. Some people made the jump, but then realized it was just another step in the road. They had to keep looking.

It was a great book.

If you’re still wondering, “what should I do with my life?”, this is a great read. At the very least, it will show you that you’re not alone. Millions of us ponder the question at various stages in our lives. This book will give you a look at what happened when people tried to find the answer.

I recommend you read it.