Books are amazing. Among other things, they can:
- Expand our knowledge
- Challenge our beliefs
- Improve our imagination and creativity
- Increase our empathy
- Build our vocabulary and communication skills
- Inspire and motivate us
- Reduce stress
- And so much more…
Here’s the best part: books are not that expensive, so it’s an activity that will not break the bank. With libraries and book sharing, you can even get all of these benefits for free. Not bad.
But with so many books to choose from, where should you begin?
Let me help you with that. I love reading, and have devoured numerous books over the years. In particular, I enjoy reading books about:
- Personal Finance
- Investing
- Economics
- Behavioral Psychology
- Self-Help (in general)
- Non-Fiction (in general)
- Fantasy and Sci-Fi
I found some of these books especially transformative, useful and interesting. These are the books I will be recommending below. This list will grow over time, so come back every now-and-then to see my updated book recommendations.
Books to Get More Out of Life
I want to have a satisfied, fulfilled life. I’m sure you do, too. One of the challenges I face in accomplishing this is feeling busy much too often.
If this sounds familiar to you, then I highly suggest reading the book Busy: How to Thrive in a World of Too Much, by Tony Crabbe. I found it to be the most powerful book that I have read in a long time. Seriously!
Just a Taste of What’s Inside: Define your 2-3 core values, manage your attention (not your time) to align your actions with these values, and focus on impactful, creative work which can differentiate you from the rest of the pack.
YouTube Video: I made a YouTube video discussing more key ideas from the book. Watch it here to get even more info to inspire you to read the book, too.
Free 1-Page Summary: I also wrote a 1-page summary of the book. Click the link to download it and keep it as a continued reference.
I loved this book so much that it was the first book review that I wrote on Fat, Broke and Stupid. You can read the full article by clicking this link.
I sincerely recommend checking out the current price of the book on Amazon. Your future, less-busy self will not regret it.
Books to Start a Business
In his book Skin in the Game (which I also highly recommend checking out on Amazon), Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s advice for people looking to change the world for the better is:
“You must start a business. Put yourself on the line, start a business.”
-Nassim Nicholas Taleb, his advice to those who want to impact the world
While initially afraid and hesitant to do so, I finally mustered up the courage to start my own business thanks in large part to the books of another wise author, Chris Guillebeau. I have read three of his books already. They are:
- Born for This: How to Find the Work You Were Meant to Do
- The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future
- Side Hustle: Build a Side Business and Make Extra Money Without Quitting Your Day Job
Individually they are all wonderful, and collectively they guided and inspired me to finally start a business and actively pursue the work that I was born to do.
YouTube Videos: I made YouTube videos for each of these books. Check them out by clicking this link to my YouTube channel.
Free 1-Page Summaries: As you probably expect, I also wrote a 1-page summary for all three of the books. Click the links below to download them.
If you have ever wanted to start your own business, these three books by Chris Guillebeau are an excellent resource for you to consider. Click these links to check out the current pricing on Amazon:
- Born for This (Amazon)
- The $100 Startup (Amazon)
- Side Hustle (Amazon)
Click these links to read the full articles I wrote about each of the books:
- Born for This (Article)
- The $100 Startup (Article)
- Side Hustle (Article)