Ever since humans were able to talk we passed on stories. First by word of mouth, later by writing on scrolls and stones and nowadays we've come so far that there are stories on your screen, in the 'cloud'. It is arguably one of the best ways to learn new things and to expand your mind.
Reading isn't as popular as it used to be a century ago, movies and audiobooks have largely taken the role of storytelling devices. Even though they are convenient and surely a great way to spend your time, nothing beats a book. If you've got some time (make some if you don't), take a seat, find the books down below and read away.
Contents
1. The 5AM Club - Robin Sharma
Through the eyes of a struggling Business Woman, The 5am Club will walk you through:
How great geniuses, business titans and the world’s wisest people start their mornings to produce astonishing achievements
A little-known formula you can use instantly to wake up early feeling inspired, focused and flooded with a fiery drive to get the most out of each day
A step-by-step method to protect the quietest hours of daybreak so you have time for exercise, self-renewal and personal growth
A neuroscience-based practice proven to help make it easy to rise while most people are sleeping, giving you precious time for yourself to think, express your creativity and begin the day peacefully instead of being rushed
“Insider-only” tactics to defend your gifts, talents and dreams against digital distraction and trivial diversions so you enjoy fortune, influence and a magnificent impact on the world
An amazing book on productivity, the benefits of waking up earlier (if 5AM doesn't fit your chrono type you can pick whenever and start the morning routine from there) and proven methods to help you get a grip on your day. The important points are worked into the story in a way that makes it easy to comprehend.
2. You Are A Badass - Jen Sincero
In this no-nonsense how-to guide, Jen Sincero serves up 27 bitesized chapters full of inspiring stories, solid advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word, helping you to identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want and creating a life you love.
A serious recommendation. Written in a way that keeps you engaged.
3. Atomic Habits - James Clear
If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.
Learn how to:
Make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);
Overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;
Design your environment to make success easier;
Get back on track when you fall off course;
...and much more.
4. Ego Is The Enemy - Ryan Holiday
Many of us insist the main reason they can't succeed is through forces from the outside world. In most cases, the actual reason comes from within: our ego. Early in our careers, it stops us from learning and the developing of talent. When we're successful, it can blind us to our faults and create future problems. When we experience failure, it blows it out of proportion and makes recovery more difficult. At every stage, ego holds us back.
Ego Is the Enemy tells a story based on stories and examples, from literature to philosophy and history. There's impactful figures like George Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt, who all reached the highest levels of power and success by conquering their own egos. Their strategies and tactics can be ours as well.
In a time that glorifies social media, reality TV, and other forms of self-promotion and ego-stroking, the battle against ego must be fought on many fronts. Armed with the lessons in this book, as Holiday writes, “you will be less invested in the story you tell about your own specialness, and as a result, you will be liberated to accomplish the world-changing work you’ve set out to achieve.”
5. The Art Of Not Giving A Fuck - Mark Manson
A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life. In this down-to-earth guide, a blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people. For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "Fuck positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let’s be honest, shit is fucked and we have to live with it." In his blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is much needed today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has spread through modern society.
6. Mastering fear, a navy seal's guide - Brandon Webb
Drawing on his experiences in combat and business, along with colorful anecdotes from his vast network of super-achiever friends from astronauts to billionaires, Brandon Webb shows how people from all walks of life can stretch and transcend their boundaries and learn to use their fears as fuel to achieve more than they ever thought possible. "Fear can be a set of manacles, holding you prisoner", writes Webb. "Or it can be a slingshot, catapulting you on to greatness."
The key, says Webb, is not to fight fear or try to beat it back, but to embrace and harness it. In the process, rather than being your enemy, your fear becomes a secret weapon that allows you to succeed in even the most adverse situations. In Mastering Fear, Webb and his coauthor, John David Mann, break this transformation down into five practical steps, creating a must-listen manual for anyone looking for greater courage and mastery in their lives.
7. Essentialism - Greg McKeown
Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin? Do you simultaneously feel overworked and underutilized? Are you often busy but not productive? Do you feel like your time is constantly being taken by other people’s agendas? If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist. The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done. It is not a time management strategy, or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter.
By forcing us to apply a more selective criteria for what is Essential, the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices about where to spend our precious time and energy - instead of giving others the implicit permission to choose for us. Essentialism is not one more thing - it’s a whole new way of doing everything. It’s about doing less, but better, in every area of our lives.
8. My Morning Routine - Benjamin Spall
Continuing on the idea of the 5AM club, My Morning Routine focuses on the morning routines of dozens of successful people. In this interview-style book, you get an insight in the lives, and more importantly, the morning routine, of people who used a routine successfully.
It's a great concept of getting more out of your day by starting your morning with things you find important. Divided into different categories, Benjamin Spall focuses on the parts that make a morning routine. Highly recommended when you want to establish a morning routine and are looking for things to include in it. Otherwise a great read.
9. The Oxygen Advantage - Patrick Mckeown
In The Oxygen Advantage, the man who has trained over 5,000 people - including Olympic and professional athletes - in reduced breathing exercises now shares his scientifically validated techniques to help you breathe more efficiently. Patrick McKeown teaches you the fundamental relationship between oxygen and the body then gets you started with a body oxygen level test (BOLT) to determine how efficiently your body uses oxygen. He then shows you how to increase your BOLT score by using light breathing exercises and learning how to simulate high-altitude training, a technique used by Navy Seals and professional athletes to help increase endurance, weight loss, and vital red blood cells to dramatically improve cardio fitness.
Following his program, even the most out-of-shape person (including those with chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma) can climb stairs, run for a bus, or play soccer without gasping for air, and everyone can achieve:
Easy weight loss and weight maintenance
Improved sleep and energy
Increased concentration
Reduced breathlessness during exercise
Heightened athletic performance
Improved cardiovascular health
Elimination of asthmatic symptoms
10. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey
The 7 Habits have become famous and are integrated into everyday thinking by millions and millions of people. Why? Because they work. With Sean Covey’s added takeaways on how the habits can be used in our modern age, the wisdom of the 7 Habits will be refreshed for a new generation of people.
The habits include:
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
This book presents a principle-centered approach for solving both personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and practical anecdotes, Stephen R. Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity - principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.
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