Honest Chat
Before I dive into this book let me explain why I’m doing this. If you’ve been following my goal setting thought process for the last little while you’ll notice that a lot of the things that I aim for are rooted in purpose in some way or another.
Values-based goal setting is a powerful way of doing this so one of my values that I want to emphasise in 2024 is continuing to learn. There are so many different ways to achieve this but I’ve always felt a calling to put more focus on taking time out to read. So I’ve set myself a target of 1 book per month this year which has started off pretty strong.
It’s great to read and learn but to take it a step further I’m starting up my very own ‘Book Club’ where I’ll write about the book I’ve read in that month which will hopefully reinforce what I’m learning as well as give some ideas to other who may be following as to what’s on my mind at the moment.
First up is a book I’ve wanted to get through from the moment it came out. We’re of course talking about Dylan Buckley’s ‘Honest Chat’.
It goes without saying that Dyl is a top bloke and the significance of this book to me is probably more about that than what’s written in the pages which is by no means an indictment on the content, he’s just that much of a great guy. I was fortunate enough to meet Dylan last year when I appeared on his podcast and I’ve been following what he’s been doing ever since. He’s that type of guy who’s got a great energy around him that’s a little infectious. If I had to describe him as a breed of dog (I do this more often than I should), I’d say he’s the loveable, energetic, friend-to-all Golden Retriever.
That stuff aside, I think what drew me into this book the most was getting the opportunity to read a fully completed, published book from someone I actually know. This may sound a little strange but the fact that most of my friends are not authors is what makes the novelty so appealing to me. Plus, as someone who’s on the edge of diving into the pool of writing a book, I was interested to see what it’s all about.
From the jump, it’s pretty easy to see who this book is for: Literally anyone.
Dyl’s writing approach is one that’s incredibly inviting due to its simplicity and relatability which hopefully makes a read like this super accessible for most people. In the same way that Neil deGrasse Tyson can make astrophysics approachable, Dyl places his experiences and ideas in such a way that it’s no wonder people don’t have a hard time getting what they need from the book.
Broadly speaking, ‘Honest Chat’ takes you through Dyl’s journey from a promising young AFL player with his path fully laid out for him and all the challenges he faced as he was forced to adapt his purpose when things didn’t work out the way young Dylan had dreamed. Through this process, he speaks on how he learned to manage his mental health when times got tough, as well as certain things he’s taken on through talking to hundreds of people on his podcast, and even how helping his own dad through a rough time gave him the perspective he needed to become the awesome father he is today.
After reading this it was pretty easy to see how Dyl is the person I described earlier on. He approaches all of these topics with an openness and vulnerability that paints such a positive picture of what it means to be a young man finding his way through life.
I’ll finish up with my favourite quote from the book that gives you a bit of a window into who Dylan is as a human and if you buy into the human as much as I do you’ll love reading his book.
“Being interested in people is far cooler than being interesting.”
Next up: Limitless - Jim Kwik