Shoe Dog | Best Non-Fiction?
I have always been fascinated by fictional stories, but it was the first time I was hooked to a non-fiction book.
When I say reading books comes easy to me, and I thoroughly enjoy it, I am most often than not talking about fiction and specifically detective novels and suspense thrillers. On the other hand, I have to push myself to read books on other domains and genre, but this time it was different.
Shoe Dog is a memoir by Phil Knight, the man behind Nike. Through the book, you get to live the journey of this sportswear giant with its many struggles and milestones. This passionate journey with Phil’s motto of “Life is growth. You grow or you die.” is truly a page-turner. While the story itself is powerful, the way its written with a mix of humour and suspense makes it a gripping tale.
It would be unreasonable to compare this book to any fictional novel since the learnings from the book are immense. Whether you are a budding entrepreneur, a designer or an engineer, it holds many life lessons within its treasure.
Some of the quotes from the book that I yearn to remember are:
‘I wasn’t much for setting goals, but this goal kept flashing through my mind every day, until it became my internal chant: Fail fast.’
‘Some of the hardest things ever said in our lifetimes are said softly.’
‘Sometimes you have to give up. Sometimes knowing when to give up, when to try something else, is genius. Giving up doesn’t mean stopping. Don’t ever stop.’
‘All iconic brands — Clorox, Kleenex, Xerox — have short names. Two syllables or less. And they always have a strong sound in the name, a letter like K or X, that sticks in the mind.’
‘It didn’t seem all too likely that, at this late date in history, something so new, so revolutionary, was going to be dreamed up. “Air Shoes”…’
Apart from Phil himself, the person that most stuck with me was Bowerman. A man of few words, he was an inventor and a teacher. It was inspirational to read about a person, who constantly experimented and looked at a subject of running as not just a single task but a combination of the runner, the environment, the track, the energy drink, and the shoes — all of it.
Lastly, some fun facts that I didn’t know and enjoyed reading were: Nike’s logo, a swoosh, depicts the sound of someone going past you; The phone number of all Nike’s offices around the globe end with 6453.
Just Do It.
Thanks for reading through. :)