Anything You Want by Derek Sivers

• What I read: Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
• When I read it: July 2025
• Format: Physical book
• My thoughts: Brief and candid. Tone felt like meeting with a friend for coffee. Very entertaining. Sivers founded CD Baby, scaled it, while staying small, then gave the proceeds to charity. Can easily read in a single sitting.

Where to buy: Bookshop.org (supports local bookstores) • Better World Books (used & supports literacy)
• Libro.fm (audiobook, supports local bookstores)

Summary: Derek Sivers is known for starting CD Baby. He reflects on his values, successes and failures in this short book.

Key Takeaways:

• Start small.
• Obsess over delighting yourself, your coworkers and your customers.
• Serve a real need.
• Protect focus. Hell yeah or no.
• Meaning and happiness are more important than growth.
• Ideas are multiplied by execution.
• Know what enough is.

Personal Notes

Key Quotes

“Don't be on your deathbed someday, having squandered your one chance at life, full of regret because you pursued little distractions instead of big dreams.”

“Never forget why you’re really doing what you’re doing. Are you helping people? Are they happy? Are you happy? Are you profitable? Isn’t that enough?”

“In the end, it's about what you want to be, not what you want to have.”

“Just pay close attention to what excites you and what drains you. Pay close attention to when you're being the real you and when you're trying to impress an invisible jury.”

“In the end, it’s about what you want to be, not what you want to have.”

“Make sure you know what makes you happy, and don’t forget it.”

“Even if what you’re doing is slowing the growth of your business—if it makes you happy, that’s OK.”

“The real point of doing anything is to be happy, so do only what makes you happy.”

“But I never again promised a customer that I could do something that was beyond my full control.”

Connections

• Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly
• Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki

Questions & Reflections

• Reflected on my own work at mRelief

  • Meaning over Money. Mission first mindet.
  • Ethical product development. Customer first.
  • "Fix-It Friday" and automation initiatives - design process that make me want to do the work.

• Which parts of my life and job feel like “hell yeah,” and which feel like “obligation”?

Action Items

• [ ] Conduct a "Hell Yes" audit

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