I’m a very picky reader. I’ve begun a lot of books this year but finished very few.
Bill Gates, on the other hand, says he won’t begin a book and then not finish it. Although, you’ve got to look at the opportunity costs of that decision.
Because he very well could have spent that time reading something else. He could have spent that time doing anything else for that matter.
Moreover, your input directly shapes your output. What you consume determines who you become. Garbage in, garbage out.
Thus, every book you read matters.
Hence, I only justify reading the very best. I only justify reading books that intrigue or inspire me to have new ways of thinking and acting in the world.
This article compiles a list of books that have done just that.
Here we go:
The Latte Factor: Why You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Live Rich
By David Bach
This book just came out. I read it on Sunday, and I’ve been singing praises for it ever since. The core message? You’re already richer than you think. You need not wait until you have “enough money” to start saving or to start living your dreams. Instead, you need to start today. You need to pay yourself first and build your own wealth rather than someone else’s. As Bach wrote, “Everyone builds wealth. The only question is: For whom?”
David had been wanting to write this book for 12 years, and you can certainly tell. It reads smoothly and coherently in a parable manner much like The Alchemist. The story follows a young woman who doesn’t have a healthy relationship with money. She’s living paycheck to paycheck and deprives herself of living the life she really wants because she “can’t afford it.”
Although, after being introduced to ‘the latte factor,’ her life starts to change very quickly. She begins ACTING and LIVING rich, which allows her to eventually BECOME rich because she stops clinging on to the fixed mindset she has about her money and her future.
This book absolutely will transform the way you think, earn, and spend each your money and time. Plus, it will only take you 90 minutes to read!
The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing
By Jeff Goins
In a similar fashion, Jeff Goins pleads us to stop living for the future and to instead accept the importance that waiting plays in our lives. We can either be present for the everyday mundane moments of our lives, or we can watch it all speed past as we race around in search of the next big thing.
Which brings the question: Is all the “hustling” worth it or is the pursuit of success costing you something even more precious? It’s a matter of priority, and you need to make sure you have your priorities right because that’s time that you’re never going to get back. As Gary Keller put it in his book, The ONE Thing,
“Time waits for no one. When you gamble with your time, you may be placing a bet you can’t cover. Even if you’re sure you can win, be careful that you can live with what you lose.”
This book is essential reading for the dopamine driven culture that we now live. It’s time to reclaim the joy of being present for our lives; dopamine and confidence are not the same thing.
Smartcuts: The Breakthrough Power of Lateral Thinking
By Shane Snow
This book portrays a simple idea: That the most creative and successful people in the world don’t look for permission before living their dreams; they create it for themselves. For example, snow notes that the most popular US Presidents generally spent the least amount of time in politics.
George Washington spent only 1 year in elected office before becoming a general and then later the president. Woodrow Wilson had been running a university, then spend 2 years as a Governor before becoming the president.
Dwight D. Eisenhower had never held an elected office, he ended up winning the presidential election by a landslide after leading the United States and their allies to victory against Hitler.
Indeed, your level of success is not about your credentials, titles, or “dues-paying;” it’s about your knowledge and experience. It’s not about working really hard, getting all your ducks in a row, or waiting for the “perfect” opportunity; it’s about leverage. It’s about using lateral thinking to go from where you are now to where you want to be without repeating unnecessary cycles.
This book absolutely will challenge you to rethink convention and explain why “Some among us manage to build eBay in the time it takes the rest of us to build a house.” I can’t recommend it enough!
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
By Greg McKeown
There are a lot of conflicting voices and opinions in the world today. There are a lot of things you could do, but only so many things you should do. Thus, you need a way to stay on track. You need a filtering system in order to discern that which is truly important. And thankfully, this book is just that.
Greg McKeown realized the importance of the principles discussed in this book after being absent for the birth of his child in exchange for going to a work meeting. It was this brought him to a hard truth: If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.
This is a book we all need. Only when you live a life built on what really matters, can you live a life that really matters. Because if you’re not doing that which is most important, then what are you doing?