Brain Wash
The central idea in Brain Wash is that we have fallen victim to a condition known as “disconnection syndrome.” We have created routines and a world that leads us to be emotionally reactive and disconnected from our rational-thinking brains. Stress, lack of sleep, nature and nutrient deprivation, and instant gratification in the form of technology have all led us to rely less on our higher thinking and react more from our primitive instincts.
There are many solutions to this problem as outlined in the book, and the combine to make up the Brain Wash program including 8 days of recommended actions you can take.
The program includes taking stock of your digital life, empathy in interactions with others, nature exposure, nutrition, sleep, movement, mindfulness, and finally relationships.
These are topics that I like to talk about a lot as they make up the majority of themes for creating a balanced and complete goal wheel for your life.
The chapter on nature and forest bathing was particularly interesting to me as it is a practice that’s been lost in most modern cultures but is starting to see a resurrection in research that is showing a vast array of benefits to being exposed more to nature and particularly the essential oils found in plants that produce fragrance. These “phytoncides” are linked with improving the immune system, reducing blood pressure, handling stress better, and improving mood and energy. As John Muir said, “wilderness is a necessity.”
Overall this book is a good primer on all of the subjects that it covers. Because of the brevity of the chapters and the amount of information packed into them, it somewhat feels like a laundry list of benefits and “studies show that…” which I don’t mind but takes away from making it a great book as there is too much to go into depth on in a 200-page book. For many people struggling with disconnection syndrome, this book format will be exactly what they need to provide a little bit of ammo to combat the pitfalls of our “disconnected” world.
Rating 4/5
The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People
The Seven Habits by Stephen Covey is a perennial seller in the management and personal improvement realm for good reasons. This book is the grandfather of most of the concepts you will read in self-help and management books that line the shelves today.
Whether you are trying to improve upon yourself, build a better business, or become a stronger leader, this book outlines the seven habits that a lifetime of research and reflection has led Covey to identify as the core to effectiveness and living a good life.
You’ve certainly heard of this book before and probably even seen the pages and concepts laid out within it a time or two before and I was surprised after reading it that it took me so long to actually sit down and read this book. Stephen Covey is a great storyteller and writer so this only furthers the support that this great book should line everybody’s bookshelf.
The book is longer than I think it needs to be but it makes more sense considering the number of stories and examples that Covey packs into each chapter from a lifelong pursuit of experience and reading on the subjects he expounds upon.
Life Value: 5/5
Entertainment Value 4/5
Grounded In Gratitude
Grounded In Gratitude - Josh Bryant & Adam benShea
“A longing in the abstract is a dream. However, a dream with a timeline is a goal.”
Life Value 5/5
Entertainment Value 3/5
Grounded in Gratitude by Josh Bryant is a book on building from what you already have in your life to where you ultimately want to be through gratitude practices.
This brief book focuses on a few important practices that can be used to turn dreams into objective goals that can be achieved. These practices include affirmations, reframing yourself with a growth mindset, and writing.
Writing is the main emphasis of Grounded in Gratitude because it can powerfully turn your goals from fleeting thoughts into attainable ideas. By writing your goals down you bridge the gap and synergistically blend the power of the right brain and the left brain. This act of writing down your goals also allows your subconscious mind to pick up on more opportunities through priming.
There are plenty more specific actions that can be taken throughout this book and it contains a seven-week process for completely revamping your life.
The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck
The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck - Mark Manson
Life Value 5/5
Entertainment Value 5/5
The Subtle Art really is written as the first and last self-help book you’ll ever need to read. Even if you’re a self-help addict always digging into the latest trend or opinion on whatever secret will change your life, you should give this book a read. I hated the title when I first saw this book and refused to read it for that reason. It was when Ryan Holiday had it at the top of his list of books to read if you could only read a limited number of books this year that I figured I would give it a shot and dive in.
Mark Manson is a great storyteller and while some of his stories get pretty silly, this book is so entertaining to read that you’ll be burning through the pages. The lessons in this book are so important for so many people to comprehend and take action on towards achieving greater happiness and life satisfaction that you really owe it to yourself to give it a chance.
I’ve heard mixed thoughts on the writing style and some people think that it’s too much “bro-speak” which I can defnintely see being an issue.
The main takeaways:
Only give a fuck about things that are true and are immediate and important.
Happiness requires struggle. We all must suffer from problems.
You are not special - even world-class performers struggle with things. They got to where they are by facing their failures.
Eliminate your shitty values and build your values upon states that are achieved internally.
Take extreme ownership of your life. Even if someone else is to blame for your unhappiness, only you are responsible for your state of unhappiness.
AIM - Action - Inspiration - Motivation. We wait around for inspiration to strike us to get motivated to take action towards a goal but if you reframe it and just start moving you can fire up your own inspiration and motivation feedback loop.
Choose yourself - say no to things that don’t matter to you and eliminate FOMO. Greater success and happiness comes through committing to things long-term.
Memento mori - in the face of the inevitability of death there is no reason to ever give in to one’s fear, or embarrassment, or shame, since it’s all a bunch of nothing.
Choose Yourself
Choose Yourself - James Altucher
“Without rejection, there is no frontier, no passion, and there is no magic. When you give up searching for frontiers, inevitably you end up stuck in a swamp, sinking deeper into the mud the more to struggle to get out.”
Rating 4/5
James Altucher has tried, failed, and succeeded in many different avenues throughout his life. He is as apt to make an example out of his failures as he is his successes if it will make for a great story and help someone else. I don't know if anyone considers James a true expert in any one subject but he certainly likes to make his presences known across many different industries.
I like James. The way he is constantly trying to sell his ideas makes me question his integrity a lot, but I still like the way he writes and the stories he tells; Choose Yourself was no different in this sense.
The book revolves around the central idea that to be happy and create value in the world for others you must choose yourself, meaning that you have to think about yourself and your ideas as an entrepreneur would. James says that the world of the manual labour job is quickly disappearing and that the only way you'll be able to thrive in the future is to become a creator, in other words, someone capable of Deep Work.
The book doesn't follow much of a progression from beginning to end and instead is more like a collection of essays and many of James' ideas on why you must choose yourself. He is an unusual, yet captivating writer and I found myself devouring the pages to see where each story led James next.
Who's This Book For:
- Anyone looking for entrepreneurial inspiration.
- If you like 'mad genius' style thinking, you'll likely enjoy James' sometimes rambling style of writing/thinking.
Who's This Book Not For:
- People who dislike disjointed ideas.
- People content with their 9-5 jobs that don't want to take any risk.
Own The Day, Own Your Life
Rating: 5/5
To own your life begins with building the momentum that comes from owning a single day. Own The Day, Own Your Life is the perfect guidebook for optimizing your day through health, productivity, and well-being/relationships. I had listened to Aubrey Marcus on his and other’s podcasts before but never read any of his blog posts or other writing. I was impressed by his conversational yet polished writing style and his ability to be both motivational and humorous. This book reads like a how-to manual on getting through the day as a human being. From the first moment, you open your eyes to the last minute before you drift off to sleep at night, Own the Day has got you covered.
If you are already well-versed in the realm of self-improvement books or have a dedicated fitness regimen, much of what you read in Own the Day will be an overview (albeit, a well-written one) of things you likely already know. However, Aubrey is into some funky stuff when it comes to human optimization, so you’ll still learn a few things that will surprise you.
For anyone who doesn’t feel their life is in full control or is looking for a place to start for habits and routines that will improve your health and well-being, this is a great book to start with and will leave you motivated to achieve more.
Ego Is The Enemy
Ego Is The Enemy - Ryan Holiday
“If you go looking you’ll find history is made of individuals who fought their egos at every turn, who eschewed the spotlight, and who put their higher goals above their desire for recognition.”
Ego Is The Enemy might be my favourite book written by Ryan. It follows the same structure of most of his other books and works tightly around a central thesis with each chapter offering specific historical examples and support.
Ego, in the modern sense of the term that has been developed, is the not the Freudian meaning of the term of being the driver behind the car is the Id. Ego is that low-level narcissism or self-importance that craves you always be noticed. Ego is the need for more followers on Instagram and likes, comments, and retweets.
EITE might be described as a self-help book but in an ironic way, as most self-help books serve to bolster self-confidence and raise up the individual to grandiose levels, Ego tries to break you down and say that there's nothing special about you. Serve a greater purpose with your work and don't even worry about getting credit for it.
I believe that everybody owes it to themselves to read this book and put into practice many of the lessons it has to offer on separating your purpose, successes and failures from the need to have them always be recognized by others.
The Four Tendencies
The Four Tendencies - Gretchen Rubin
In The Four Tendencies, Rubin expounds upon a framework for how people respond to expectations that she first explored in Better Than Before. The four groupings are broken up as follows:
- Upholders - accomplish both internal and external expectations.
- Obligers - accomplish external expectations but struggle with internal ones.
- Questioners - accomplish internal expectations but need to know the reason why to accomplish external expectations.
- Rebels - do what they want to do. Struggle with internal and external expectations.
This book can help to make sense of different people and how books with a "one size fits all" solution to any problem are not going to work for everybody. As a coach or someone who teaches or tries to help other people with problems, this book can be really useful for communicating effectively. It can also be useful for anyone who is struggling to accomplish things in their own lives and maybe doesn't know what type of Tendency they fall under. Once you've better realized how you consistently respond to expectations you will be able to better structure your life and the strategies you use to improve your life.
An Iron Will
An Iron Will - Orison Swett Marden
“People know that it is useless to oppose a man who uses his stumbling-blocks as stepping-stones; who is not afraid of defeat; who never, in spite of calumny or criticism, shrinks from his task; who never shirks responsibility; who always keeps his compass pointed to the north star of his purpose, no matter what storms may rage about him. ”
An Iron Will was written over 100 years ago and yet many of the passages in this book remain so universally true that it is still a great book to read on finding your drive and willpower to achieve great things.
The book is quite disjointed, as it draws from many examples, some of which are outdated, of those who have achieved great things. It does however, provide many notable passages about forging an iron will and developing the courage and discipline to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve.
This book is now public domain so it is worth checking out, even if you just flip through to find some sections that resonate with you.
The Power of Less
The Power of Less - Leo Babauta
At almost 10-years old now, The Power of Less set the stage for many of the books we see today that are about the magic of tidying up or life-changing impact simplifying has. It's a very simple and straight-forward read, which is why I think it's so great. There's a little bit of everything in it to help you accomplish more by not spreading yourself to thin.
From organizing your tasks, saying no to commitments, setting goals, getting in shape, and staying motivated - this book covers it all in simple terms and to the point.
Better Than Before
Better Than Before - Gretchen Rubin
“Self-measurement brings self-awareness, and self-awareness strengthens self-control”
Better Than Before offers an important framework for coming to better understand your ability to set and achieve goals and how to address others you are trying to help. Gretchen developed the Four Tendencies framework which is a very valuable starting point for figuring out how to help yourself and others.
Before diving recklessly headfirst into any goal, it helps to know yourself and your tendencies first so that you can set yourself up as best as possible for long-term success. Better Than Before is a meditation on Gretchen's Upholder tendency primarily but does offer insights into the other tendencies as well as a great starting point. Her subsequent book on the topic, The Four Tendencies dives into all the tendencies further to identify how best to help yourself or other that fall into the other categories.
Deep Work
Deep Work - Cal Newport
Deep Work is an important read in an age where distraction is the norm and we are rapidly approaching a time where most simple tasks and jobs will be taken over by AI. With these trends in the modern age, the necessity for intense, intellectual focus in the workplace is becoming more and more important.
With the new economy shift, the core abilities that will help individuals to thrive are the ability to quickly master hard things and produce work at an elite level both in terms of quality and speed. These factors necessitate what is called Deep Work.
Deep Work closely resembles and has much in common with achieving a flow state with your work. By putting intense effort into singular focus, one can accomplish much more high-quality work than those who allow themselves to be distracted by notifications and attempts to multitask.
The book is divided into two parts with the first addressing the thesis of why deep work will be so important for those who want to thrive in the new economy and the second part of the book offering practical methods for incorporating deep work into your own routine. This book is quite short, but excellent and packed with compelling information.
12 Rules For Life
12 Rules For Life: An Antidote To Chaos - Jordan B. Peterson
In the past few years, Dr. Peterson has dramatically come under the interrogation light of the media. I don't invest much time into most sensationalized twaddle, but this story has caught my attention as Dr. Peterson is a professor in the psychology department of my alma mater and a number of my close friends were in his classes and absolutely loved him as a professor.
12 Rules For Life is Peterson's attempt at publishing a book for the general public. I call it an attempt because if you've ever listened to any of the podcasts, lectures, or new stories that Jordan has been a part of, you'll know that he processes each point he makes with a fine-tooth comb and you're extremely unlikely to catch him off-guard or contradicting himself. This book does justice to his logic and it is challenging at times to follow his arguments and how they connect together. For this reason, I was hesitant to consider it a book that deserves a 5/5 from me.
Reviewing the books and the notes you have taken on a book are an essential step in the process and only after this step has been completed can a book be properly judged in a reader's eyes. Upon review, I have determined that this book is worth its weight in gold for the right person, at the right time. The complexity and weaving of narrative into the arguments for each of the 12 rules adds to and does not subtract from, the value of the book. I see it this way now, as this book has offered up an opportunity for virtually every open-minded person to gain something useful from most, if not all, of the 12 rules as they are outlined. The book also takes you on a journey into the deepest Hells of human nature, which is something that very few people offering up guidance on "self-help" are willing to do.
Because of the complexity of the book and the arguments, this is the type of book that grows in value as you read it multiple times, argue with it and create a dialogue, and review it for greater understanding. It is for this challenge inherent in the journey that the book takes you on, just like in life, that it is a book I would recommend everyone to read.
Radical Acceptance
Radical Acceptance packs a really powerful punch for those who find it at the right time in their lives.
The subtitle for RA is "Embracing your life with the heart of a Buddha."
This is a book on mindfulness, meditation, and spirituality for those who are into that sort of thing. Like I mentioned I think for anyone who is struggling to find happiness or seems to be bogged down by troubles and sees no escape, Radical Acceptance as a book and as a philosophy can be extremely helpful.
Each chapter in the book addresses a different area in your life that you may be struggling to accept and provides guidance on how to deal with it. Tara is a psychotherapist in addition to being a teacher of Buddhist meditation and so the book is full of stories of Radical Acceptance being applied in tough situations, which might seem like radically anecdotal evidence (pardon the pun), but can be very helpful considering that the whole point is you've got to accept things and let go. There are also plenty of guided meditations included to help you deal with particular situations, which may make this an even better book in audio format.
I find a very close connection between the thesis of Radical Acceptance with the Latin amor fati - "a love of fate" which was embodied in Stoic philosophy.
If you're not quite ready to dive headfirst into something quite so mystical sounding, 10% Happier is a great place to start exploring mindfulness and meditation. Dan Harris actually comically makes mention of Tara Brach in the book several times as he encounters her at mindfulness seminars and warms up to her ultra-serene personality as he spends more time around her.
10% Happier
10% Happier is a book on mindfulness and meditation for people who are sceptical and don't believe in the "woo-woo" positivity that most books on meditation are replete with.
The book explores Harris' discovery of meditation following his on-screen panic attack as a newscaster live on ABC News. Harris knew that his "always on" mentality has led him to the breaking point.
If you don't think that there is anything miraculous about meditation, but think that it could help you be a little more at ease and grounded as the day-to-day stresses come flying at you, then this is a great book to help start you on your journey.