💪Finkel's Fast Five Issue 109 - February 28, 2020

Welcome to Finkel's Fast Five #109. Thanks for reading and subscribing! - Jon

ONE

BOOKS - Little did I know when I wrote Jocks in Chief that there were other authors out there interested in the side talents and skills of the Presidents of the United States - and that they were also working on books.

One such author is Craig Fehrman and I just bought his new book which is brilliantly titled, Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They Wrote. I love this idea and his book is very smart and very fun to read. Fehrman also has a gift for chapter titles. Two of my favorites are: The Poet, The President Who Couldn't Spell, and the Campaign Biography and Reagan and the Rise of the Blockbuster. If US History and writing is your thing, then this is your book.

TWO

PROTEIN - I'm not saying I am one of the world's leading protein bar connoisseurs, but I'm not 'not' saying that. Actually, screw it. I am saying that. I am a legitimate protein bars sommelier. There. I said it. I can tell the difference between garbage and greatness in one bite. And I've recently found greatness.  As you all know, my search for the ultimate protein bar never ends and I judge them on three categories: Flavor, Satisfaction and Healthy Ingredients. After following Mark Lobliner on Twitter for the last few months and seeing his posts about his Outright Bar and what his goals for the bar are, I decided it was time I gave them a shot... And I have to say... They're pretty damn good. I got the peanut butter chocolate bars and they taste clean and sweet and they don't have that fake-peanut-butter taste. The peanuts seems fresh. They have 15g of protein and 280 calories, so it actually feels like you ate something. I'm going to give them the coveted Fast Five GO GET'EM.

THREE

SPORTSWRITING - Every now and then an author publishes a piece where the moons of timing, talent, storytelling and tone perfectly align, and the result is a spotless feature that absolutely nails everything you could ever want about the subject and the topic.  This week writer Mirin Fader reached what I'd say is rarified writing air and completely nailed her important and moving piece on Kobe Bryant's daughter, Gigi, to coincide with the Bryant memorial. The article is called 'The Legacy of Mambacita' and there aren't enough words I could write to encourage you to read the piece. It's phenomenal.

FOUR

MOVIES - Steven Spielberg is no longer directing Indiana Jones 5 & it got me thinking about his movies. Throughout his career he has been wildly & pleasantly all over the place, jumping from CGI masterpieces to dramas to kids' films & back.   The more I thought about it, the more I think it's a philosophy a lot of people could benefit from - so I wrote a an article on Spielberg and why you should never stay "on brand" or follow any other buzzwords or advice that pigeon hole you and it was my most popular post this week. Here it is: Steven Spielberg's Creative Un-Strategy is Brilliant and Here's Why I Follow It

 FIVE

 A great quote about courage and creativity:  "“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced”   – Vincent Van Gogh  IMPORTANT NOTE: To make sure you keep getting the FF5, please add [email protected] to your address book or whitelist us.

 P.S. - A BONUS FATHERHOOD READ

I recommended Phil Jackson's book, Eleven Rings, in the FF5 a few weeks ago and many of the principles have stayed with me longer than I thought. I read it expecting to learn cool stuff about the Lakers & Bulls. Now I'm the Zen Master of my kids. Here are some things I picked up in my new piece: Phil Jackson's 'Eleven Rings' is a Fatherhood Book in Disguise'

Share the FF5 and get TREMENDOUS STUFF:  1 SHARE = Enters you into a raffle to win a free copy of one of the books I mention here in the FF5. I'll do a drawing every 10 issues, but you have to forward the FF5 to a friend to enter.  3 SHARES = 1 Abe Lincoln as Tyler Durden Fight Club Sticker - perfect for your laptop, office, fridge or on your squat rack like Tommy John  10 SHARES = 1 Official Finkel's Fast Five Coffee Mug like this one that my man Marlin won last year  25 SHARES = If you share Finkel's Fast Five with 25 friends who you think would like it, I will take you to the movies... (well, not literally) ...but I will Venmo you money for a ticket to your next movie, on me. We'll cap this at 4 people for now.  FORWARD TO A FRIEND RIGHT HERE  DID SOMEONE FORWARD YOU THIS E-MAIL? GET MY FREE STARTER LIBRARY HERE  FYI: The sharing of the FF5 is cumulative... You don't have to share this e-mail 10 times if you don't want to. It can be 10 issues over 10 weeks or 10 months, whatever... The point is, please share it. We've grown from less than a hundred to a few hundred to a few thousand readers in under two years... Let's see how fast we can get to 10,000! - Jon

And if you haven't yet, you can buy my new book, Jocks in Chief, which ranks every president athletically, right here.