Comments and discussion with Eyes Wide Open author Isaac Lidsky
At Evolution Capital Partners our purpose is to serve and inspire small business owners that we identify as Evolutionary leaders: continuous learners trying to build something bigger than themselves, something having a sustainable impact on the employees and communities they serve. Recently, I was inspired by our guest on an episode of The Second Stage: Author, entrepreneur and visionary, Isaac Lidsky. Mr. Lidsky’s new book Eyes Wide Open: Overcoming Obstacles and Recognizing Opportunities in a World That Can’t See Clearly is an inspirational read packed with best practices and mindsets that allows greatness to be achieved.
You can listen to our interview with Mr. Lidsky below. My goal in discussing the book is to tell you how it made me feel and what it made me think about personally. Here it goes.
Isaac Lidsky, are you kidding me? This guy starred in hundreds of TV commercials, was one of the lead characters in a national TV program (Saved by the Bell: The New Class), graduated from Harvard (math & computer science) at age 19, co-founded a tech company, graduated from Harvard Law, clerked for two U.S. Supreme Court Justices and then erected a $150 million construction company, all while building a family. Ok, I’m feeling like I need to step up my game x 10……. Then when you find out Isaac is blind you start looking at the world in an entirely different light!
Personal Balance Sheet: For over 25 years, I’ve created a monthly personal financial balance sheet for myself and my family. I literally started this on green bar paper, putting my assets, liabilities, thoughts and plans on a piece of paper. Over time, I went from paper to Lotus 1,2,3 and now Excel. I include trend lines, projections, comments, analysis and I actually look forward to working on it. It lets me know if I have made progress toward my goals. Isaac takes personal balance sheets to a whole new level – he incorporates the review of core values and non-financials goals. So back to the drawing board for me….and I’m excited to do it! I encourage everyone to track personal goals in a way that will make you look forward to it every month or quarter!
Eyes Wide Open is about seeing with your heart, not your eyes. It reminds me of the Albert Einstein quote: “There are two ways to live: You can live as nothing is a miracle; or you can live as everything is a miracle.” Isaac takes the phrase everyone has heard before, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade and asks you to consider an alternative in life. He asks readers to learn to see lemons and choose to make lemonade. It is about seeing and taking action. Think of everything as a miracle – it is extremely refreshing.
There were many, many more nuggets in the book, but would encourage you to read and let me know your thoughts and take-aways. I look forward to hearing from you!
Isaac was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to chat with Jeff and me about his life, book and goals. Here is our conversation: