Isn't It Obvious? Eliyahu Goldhart

This book is about retail business:textiles.

Got to learn a lot about how they operate,about how inventory,investment and sales relate to profit.

The ultimate line to take from this book

"I divide people into two camps.Those who measure themselves by how they do relative to some reference,and those who couldn't care less about what others have achieved.These individuals measure themselves according to the inherent potential of the situation they are in Everybody compares themselves to their competitors and as a result are satisfied with what they are achieving.And it is so difficult,impossible to open their eyes to the fact that there is so much more;that the solid potential that they had created,(have) can be used to dwarf whatever they had already achieved."

Application to life

You know if I apply this to daily life,whenever I get up late at weekends like around 9.00 and Arjun scolds or makes fun of me that I have wasted 3 hours of the day,I argue that "There are people who get up at 11,12 in the afternoon,I am so much better off".He says "It does not matter when other people get up,whether you wanted to get up or not is the question and whether you can or not.Never complain that you do not have time to do this or that again"Even when my parents point out something I just give reasons that my other friends are much worse in this,I atleast did only this.

So,now I resolved that I will join the second group of people and never compare myself to others whether it is for achievement or my faults.I have a sense of what is good,bad,my capabilities and dreams and will measure myself by targets I set for myself.

Other messages to be taken

The other message this book gives is--

The protagonist of the book has a hard time convincing the other people in his company that the ideas he has to improve profits will work,though he had results,figures to show them .

How people are scared to venture on new procedures,think,try new methods,implement their new ideas.They follow old,traditional methods with the reasoning that this is how the system works,this is what everyone follow ,and it works for everyone,so why I should I adapt to something else which I am not sure whether it will help or not.People are scared to change,any kind of change.

So I can say in a nutshell

"Inertia is not good,try new things,dare to change,bring the change and see what you can achieve"

Why is the title so?

The ideas of the protagonist were just based on simple rules which are so obvious that everyone are surprised that if it is so simple and obvious why business units never used them before.

Answers to any problem can be obtained by just attacking the root cause and solution will stare into our face and we shall say "It was so obvious"

Hence the title of the book "Isn't It Obvious".