Read these 12 books every year to maximize your Return on Life

Summary

The video script details a personal journey of self-improvement through reading, emphasizing the importance of reading quality books over quantity. It outlines a four-step process for effective reading: read, reflect, integrate, and repeat. The speaker shares a list of 12 impactful books, including 'Meditations by Marcus Aurelius' and 'Thinking Fast and Slow,' that offer wisdom applicable to life and business, advocating for rereading them annually to foster personal and professional growth.

Takeaways

• 📚 The idea that CEOs read 52 books a year may be a myth, but it inspired the speaker to read more and improve their life.
• 🔄 Reading more books doesn't necessarily make you better; it's about reading better books and understanding them deeply.
• 🤔 The speaker emphasizes the importance of reflection through writing to connect the dots from what you read.
• 💭 Reading is not enough; integration of knowledge into action is crucial for personal and business growth.
• 🔄 The value of repeating the process of reading, reflecting, integrating, and repeating for continuous learning.
• 📘 The speaker recommends rereading the best books that have a significant impact on life rather than constantly seeking new ones.
• 👑 'Meditations by Marcus Aurelius' is highlighted as a timeless book offering wisdom on living a life of value.
• 🧘 Naval Ravikant's 'The Almanack of Naval Ravikant' is praised for its practical wisdom that can be applied to improve life and business.
• 💪 'Anti-Fragile' by Nassim Nicholas Taleb explains how to build systems that not only withstand but thrive in chaos.
• 🤝 'Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion' by Robert Cialdini provides tools for effective communication and understanding human behavior.
• 🧠 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman explores the two systems that drive our thinking and the importance of making deliberate decisions.
• 🎯 'The One Thing' by Gary Keller encourages focusing on the most important task to achieve goals more effectively.
• 💼 Howard Marks' 'The Most Important Thing' offers insights into the psychology and principles of successful investing.
• 🎲 'Fooled by Randomness' by Nassim Nicholas Taleb discusses the role of chance in life and how to navigate it.
• 🛠️ 'The Great Mental Models' by Farnam Street provides a variety of mental models to approach problem-solving from different angles.
• 🌀 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle teaches the importance of living in the present moment and the illusion of time.
• 🎨 'Show Your Work' by Austin Kleon motivates creators to share their work with the world despite fears of rejection.
• 🌟 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor Frankl argues that finding meaning in life, regardless of circumstances, is the ultimate test for each individual.

Q & A

What was the initial motivation for the speaker to start reading more books?

The speaker was motivated to read more books after seeing an ad claiming that the average CEO reads 52 books a year. They believed that by reading more, they could emulate the success of CEOs and turn their life around.

How did the speaker's approach to reading evolve over the years?

Initially, the speaker read over 100 books a year, aiming to be twice as good as the average CEO. However, they later realized that reading more doesn't necessarily make you better. Instead, they learned the importance of reading better, which involves reading deeply, reflecting, integrating, and repeating the process with fewer but impactful books.

What are the four steps the speaker suggests for reading better?

The four steps for reading better are: 1) Read and understand deeply, 2) Reflect on what you're reading, 3) Integrate what you've read into action, and 4) Repeat the process with the best books that have a significant impact.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of reflecting on what you read?

Reflecting on what you read is crucial because it helps you to collect and connect the 'dots' of knowledge. It allows you to think deeply about the material and apply it in a meaningful way, rather than just passively consuming information.

What is the significance of the book 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius according to the speaker?

The significance of 'Meditations' is that it provides personal insights from a powerful historical figure, Marcus Aurelius, who wrote about his internal struggles and reflections on life. The book is eloquently written and offers wisdom that can inspire new insights with each reading.

What is the main idea behind the book 'Anti-Fragile' by Nassim Nicholas Taleb?

The main idea behind 'Anti-Fragile' is that systems can be categorized as fragile, robust, resilient, or anti-fragile. An anti-fragile system is one that not only withstands stress and adversity but actually becomes stronger as a result.

How does the book 'Influence' by Robert Cialdini help readers understand human behavior?

'Influence' provides readers with an understanding of the six weapons of influence: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. These concepts help readers to recognize and navigate the ways in which people are persuaded and influenced.

What is the core lesson of 'The One Thing' by Gary Keller?

The core lesson of 'The One Thing' is to identify and focus on the single most important task or goal that, once accomplished, makes everything else easier or unnecessary. It emphasizes the importance of prioritization and focus in achieving success.

Why does the speaker recommend rereading certain books every year?

The speaker recommends rereading certain books every year because they believe that these books offer profound lessons and insights that can be revisited and applied to personal and professional growth over time.

What is the central message of 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor Frankl?

The central message of 'Man's Search for Meaning' is that finding meaning and purpose in life, regardless of circumstances, is the ultimate test for each individual. It emphasizes the importance of our response to life's challenges and the freedom that comes from choosing our response.

How does the speaker describe the book 'Show Your Work' by Austin Kleon?

The speaker describes 'Show Your Work' as a short but powerful book that encourages creators, artists, and entrepreneurs to share their work with the world despite any internal resistance or fear of being ignored. It provides strategies to overcome these barriers and to embrace the value of sharing one's work.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Power of Reading and Reflecting

The speaker shares their journey of reading over 100 books a year, inspired by the myth that CEOs read 52 books annually. They emphasize that reading more isn't better; reading better is. The speaker introduces a four-step process to improve reading: read, reflect, integrate, and repeat. They advocate for deep understanding of a few key books over skimming many, and suggest writing to reflect on and connect ideas. The speaker also mentions their personal growth and business success through re-reading impactful books.

05:00

🧠 Enhancing Decision-Making and Influence

This paragraph delves into the importance of understanding human behavior and decision-making, citing the influence of Robert Cialdini and the six principles of influence: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. The speaker also highlights the significance of improving judgment in an age of infinite leverage, referencing 'Thinking Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman, which differentiates between fast, intuitive thinking and slow, deliberate thought. The paragraph underscores the value of recognizing when to override intuition with more thoughtful analysis.

10:01

💡 Focusing on the One Thing and Embracing Anti-Fragility

The speaker discusses the concept of focusing on the 'one thing' that, when accomplished, makes all else easier or unnecessary, as introduced in 'The One Thing' by Gary Keller. They also explore the idea of anti-fragility from Nicholas Nassim Taleb's book of the same name, explaining how systems can be fragile, robust, resilient, or anti-fragile, with the latter being able to grow stronger from stress. The speaker advocates for designing anti-fragile systems in life and business to thrive amidst chaos.

15:02

💼 Investing Wisdom and the Impact of Now

The speaker recommends 'The Most Important Thing' by Howard Marks for its insights into the psychology and principles of investing, drawn from the author's investor memos. They also touch on the importance of understanding randomness and its impact on success and failure, as discussed in 'Fooled by Randomness' by Taleb. The paragraph concludes with 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle, which argues that focusing on the present moment is more valuable than worrying about the past or future.

🎨 Sharing Your Work and Finding Life's Meaning

The final paragraph discusses the importance of sharing one's work and ideas with the world, as encouraged by 'Show Your Work' by Austin Kleon. The speaker challenges the fear of not being recognized and emphasizes the potential impact of one's work. They conclude with 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor Frankl, which posits that finding meaning in life, regardless of circumstances, is the ultimate test for each individual. The book suggests that our response to life's challenges is what defines our growth and freedom.

Keywords

💡CEO

CEO stands for Chief Executive Officer, typically the highest-ranking executive in a company. In the context of the video, the speaker mentions a claim that the average CEO reads 52 books a year, which inspired the speaker to read more as a means to improve their life and emulate successful individuals. The concept of CEOs reading extensively is used to highlight the importance of continuous learning and personal development.

💡Reading

Reading, in the video, refers to the act of consuming written content, which the speaker initially believed would lead to success by mimicking the habits of CEOs. The video emphasizes that reading more books does not necessarily equate to being better; rather, it's the quality of reading and the application of knowledge that matters. The speaker's journey from reading over 100 books a year to focusing on a few impactful ones illustrates the shift in understanding the value of reading.

💡Reflect

Reflect, in this context, means to think deeply about what one has read, allowing for the internalization and synthesis of ideas. The speaker suggests that reflecting on reading material is a crucial step in the learning process, as it helps to connect the 'dots' of knowledge. Writing is presented as an effective method for reflection, as it facilitates the connection of ideas and deeper understanding.

💡Integrate

Integration, as discussed in the video, is the act of applying the knowledge gained from reading into one's life or work. It is considered the most important step because it transforms reading from a passive activity into an active, productive one. Without integration, reading is likened to 'mental masturbation,' a metaphor for activities that feel productive but do not lead to tangible outcomes.

💡Repeat

Repeat, in the context of the video, refers to the process of revisiting and re-engaging with the material one has read. The speaker emphasizes the value of re-reading impactful books to gain new insights and wisdom with each reading. This process is part of the continuous learning cycle, where revisiting old material can lead to fresh understanding and growth.

💡Personal Growth

Personal growth is a central theme in the video, referring to the speaker's journey of self-improvement and development. The speaker contrasts their initial approach of reading extensively with a more focused strategy of re-reading and deeply understanding a select few books. Personal growth is depicted as a result of not just reading more, but reading better, reflecting, integrating, and repeating the process.

💡Anti-fragile

Anti-fragile is a concept introduced by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, which the speaker discusses in relation to systems that not only withstand stress and adversity but actually improve and grow stronger from it. The video uses the term to illustrate the idea of building resilience in one's life and business, drawing an analogy to the Hydra from mythology, which grows two heads for every one cut off.

💡Influence

Influence, as mentioned in the video, pertains to the power to affect or change the behavior of others. The speaker references 'Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion' by Robert Cialdini, which outlines six principles of influence: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. Understanding these principles is presented as a way to communicate more persuasively and effectively.

💡Judgment

Judgment, in the video, is highlighted as a critical skill, especially in the context of decision-making. The speaker quotes Naval Ravikant, emphasizing that in an age of infinite leverage, the quality of one's judgment becomes paramount. The video suggests that improving judgment is a key to success, and reading and learning can enhance this ability.

💡Focus

Focus is presented as a vital concept for achieving goals and success. The speaker discusses 'The One Thing' by Gary Keller, which centers on the idea of identifying and concentrating on the single most important task or goal. The video uses the concept of focus to argue that it is more important than time in achieving one's objectives, as it directs energy and effort towards what truly matters.

💡Mental Models

Mental models are frameworks or theories that help individuals understand and interpret the world around them. The speaker mentions 'The Great Mental Models' by Farnam Street, which provides a collection of such models to enhance problem-solving and decision-making. The video suggests that cultivating a 'latticework' of mental models allows for a more comprehensive and versatile approach to challenges.

Highlights

The average CEO reads 52 books a year, inspiring the speaker to read over 100 books annually for self-improvement.

Reading more doesn't necessarily make you better; reading better does.

The four steps to reading better: read, reflect, integrate, repeat.

Reading and understanding deeply 10 books on a topic is more beneficial than skimming 100.

Writing is a powerful way to reflect on and connect the dots from reading.

Implementing what you've learned is crucial; otherwise, reading is just busywork.

Re-reading and repeating the process of reading, reflecting, and integrating leads to deeper insights.

12 books are recommended for re-reading annually to maximize personal and business growth.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is highlighted for its timeless wisdom on living a valuable life.

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant offers practical wisdom from a modern-day entrepreneur.

Anti-fragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb explains how to thrive amidst chaos and adversity.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion provides tools to communicate persuasively.

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is a guide to improving judgment and decision-making.

The One Thing by Gary Keller emphasizes the importance of focusing on the most important task.

The Most Important Thing by Howard Marks is a collection of impactful investing wisdom.

Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb discusses the role of chance in life outcomes.

The Great Mental Models by Farnam Street equips readers with a variety of problem-solving lenses.

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle emphasizes the importance of focus and presence in the present moment.

Show Your Work by Austin Kleon encourages creators to share their work despite fears of rejection.

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl argues that finding meaning in life is essential for overcoming suffering.

Transcripts

I remember years ago getting hit with

one of those ads on Facebook from one of

the skeezy internet marketer types

saying that the average CEO reads 52

books a year and at that point I was

living in the back of the van and just

looking for a way to turn my life around

so when I heard this I thought well hell

CEOs probably have their figured

out so I should probably just take a

page out of their book and start reading

more and I did but I went a little

overboard because for the next three

years I read over 100 books every single

year and I Justified this insane amount

of reading by thinking well the average

CEO reads 52 books per year then I'm

going to be twice as good if I read 100

but that's not how it works not by a

long shot because I've come to realize

something after having met literally

hundreds of successful entrepreneurs

over the years reading more doesn't make

you better reading better makes you

better wow

all right so let's break it down by

learning how to actually read better and

I break this into four different steps

read reflect integrate repeat all right

so step one is to read now a lesson it

took me far too long to learn is that

it's better to read and understand

deeply the 10 best books written on a

topic than it is to skin the top 100

which is why it's so important to then

make time for step two reflect on what

you're reading and the best way I've

found to do this is through writing see

we read to collect dots and then we

write to connect them as Leo Tolstoy

said read less think more our third step

in Reading better is to actually put

what you've read into action this is the

integration step and it maybe is the

most important step because without this

reading is simply mental masturbation it

makes you feel productive but if you

don't Implement what you've learned then

you've simply wasted your time being

busy and not effective the fourth and

final step in Reading better is one that

I struggled with for a really long time

that is repeating the whole process

magic occurs when you go back to the

beginning and re-read that book reflect

on it even deeper integrate again and

then repeat these days I read a lot but

I actually read very few books because I

just keep going back and rereading the

absolute best ones that have had the

biggest impact on my life and in doing

so I've experienced far more personal

growth and business growth than I ever

did when I was reading hundreds of books

at a time but what exactly are those

books worth reading over and over and

over again well for all you hyper

focused entrepreneurs out there I'm

going to save you a lot of time and

energy and just give you the 12 books

that I think are worth rereading every

single year so let's dive in the first

book on this list is not only one of the

greatest books ever written but it's

also one of a kind in that it's the

personal Journal of a guy who thousands

of years ago was the most powerful man

in the world and the beauty of this book

is that this man a Roman Emperor wasn't

writing for an audience he never

intended for this book to be published

in fact you'd probably be mortified to

learn that it was these were simply the

internal thoughts of a man wrestling

with the question what's it mean to be a

good person to live a life of value this

was a man who had the world at his

fingertips but who understood the only

battles actually worth fighting and

winning were the ones being waged inside

with his temper his ego his pride his

place in the universe and perhaps most

remarkable of all is just the simple and

eloquent way in which this book is

written for instance he says this our

life is what our thoughts make it

so simple so accessible and so easy to

understand which is why meditations by

Marcus Aurelius is perhaps one of my

favorite books of all time and the one

that inspires new wisdom and insight

every single time I read it now the

second book on this list was written

about 2 000 years more recently than the

first but it's equally filled with

Incredible wisdom that you can instantly

start applying to improve your life in

business the book is called the almanac

of Naval ravacon and it's simply a

collection of blogs tweets and podcast

interviews featuring that modern day

entrepreneurial philosopher Naval

ravacon now if you're not familiar with

Naval he's a prolific angel investor in

one of the most highly regarded

entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley over the

past two decades and what makes them so

interesting is just his ability to

distill complex topics into simple sound

bites that you can easily carry with you

and apply in all sorts of situations one

of my favorites is this play long-term

games with long-term people his most

famous piece of writing is a tweet storm

called how to get rich without getting

lucky and it is in my opinion the

absolute best step-by-step guide to

building wealth and happiness so go

check it out all right so our third book

was written by one of my favorite

authors which is why he has two books on

this list now the reason he's one of my

favorite is because he has this

incredible ability to take things that

we all look at every single day and to

turn them on their head to present them

in a way that you've maybe never thought

about before each of his books creates a

paradigm shift a fundamental change in

how you view the world in relation to

topics like risk or probability

accountability economics or investing

but of all those the one that's had the

most profound effect on my life happens

to be the name of the third book on our

list it's called anti-fragile by

Nicholas Naseem taleb now the central

premise of This Book Is that a fragile

system is one that breaks or fails when

faced with adversity like when you drop

a light bulb on the floor and it meets

resistance it shatters a robust system

is one step up from a fragile system

that is it has a higher resistance or

tolerance to stress so instead of

dropping a light bulb on the floor if we

drop a rock it's probably not going to

hurt at all that much that's not to say

that the rock can't be hurt but it's

going to require way more adversity and

the next level up from that is a

resilient system or one that can recover

or adapt from failure the example that

taleb gives in the book is out of the

Phoenix which dies in a fiery Blaze only

to be reborn shortly thereafter From the

Ashes now what's important to know about

the resilient system is that it bounces

back to where it was before the stress

not better not worse and this is where

we arrive at the anti-fragile system

which is one that capitalizes on

adversity and chaos to actually come

back stronger than before the adversity

and sticking with mythology this is the

story of the Hydra where for every hedge

you chop off another two take its place

it actually gets stronger when you hurt

it a practical real-life example of an

anti-fragile system are your bones and

muscles which only ever get stronger

after they've been stressed and damaged

an appropriate amount now obviously you

can only stress these systems so much

but before they ultimately give out your

bones break or your muscles tear but the

core concept here is still so damn

valuable because these types of

anti-fragile systems are exactly what we

want to design into our lives into our

businesses so that we can ultimately

Thrive amidst inevitable chaos this book

is the best book I've come across to

help you do just that all right now the

fourth book on our list has not only

made me more money than any other book

I've ever read but it's also given me a

framework to understand why humans do

what humans do which is important

because I believe every single one of us

has a core desire to be seen to be heard

to be valued to connect meaningfully I

mean there are very few feelings in the

world worse than being in a room full of

people you love and respect and yet

feeling absolutely invisible feeling

like nobody values your ideas or that

your words are falling on deaf ears this

book influenced by Robert cialdini gives

you the tools necessary for

communicating your message to the world

both persuasively and with impact in

particular it teaches the six weapons of

an influence which are reciprocity

commitment social proof liking Authority

and scarcity truly if you don't

understand those six Concepts you will

always be at the mercy of the person who

does so pick up this book and arm

yourself next up is the fifth book on

our list and this is maybe the best one

I've ever come across for understanding

how we make decisions now that might not

seem like a big deal but as Naval says

in an age of infinite leverage judgment

becomes the most important skill so

anything that we can do to help improve

the quality of our judgment and

therefore our decisions is always worth

the time and energy this book is called

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel

Kahneman in it he explains two types of

systems that govern our thinking system

one is our intuition it's fast automatic

emotional stereotypical and most

importantly unconscious it's not

something we can control In the Heat of

the Moment now thankfully system one

thoughts are generally pretty accurate

or at least accurate enough to get us

through ninety percent of life for that

other 10 that's where system two

thinking comes in and it's much slower

much more effort people and way more

deliberate it requires intention and the

key to thriving in the modern world is

to recognize those moments in life when

we need to override our system one

intuition and instead turn to the more

deliberate system too to help with this

Kahneman shares a number of heuristics

and cognitive biases that we all

unknowingly default to things like the

anchoring effect which show that we can

be easily influenced by completely

irrelevant numbers or the loss aversion

bias which describes why the pain of

losing is psychologically twice as

powerful as the pleasure of gaining what

I find so fascinating about this book is

it's like reading the human brain's

operating manual which it gives you an

incredible advantage in the world of

business not to mention just life in

general alright moving on our sixth book

is about a brutally basic concept that I

found to be the main difference between

average performers and Elite performers

the reason I reread this book every

single year is because its Core lesson

is one that I personally struggle with I

find it valuable therefore to annually

revisit this book and put this concept

back at the Forefront of my mind the

book is called the one thing by Gary

Keller and it can be summarized with

these words what is the one thing I can

do such that by doing it everything else

will be easier or unnecessary until my

one thing is done everything else is a

distraction now in my personal pursuit

of greatness I've come to realize that

the thing holding me back from achieving

all my goals is not that I don't have

enough time it's simply that I don't

have enough Focus specifically enough

focus on the right things this book

provides a framework that's going to

help you figure out what that most

important thing is that you can move

towards it with clarity now personally I

like to reread this book at the

beginning of each year when I'm sitting

down to set my annual goals because it

helps me get into the right mindset for

planning what I'm going to focus on

bonus points because it's a super quick

and easy read just like our seventh book

on this list which comes from the mind

of one of History's Greatest investors

that most people have never heard of I'm

talking about the founder of oak tree

Capital Howard marks and his book is

called the most important thing one of

the things I love about Howard marks is

that he's been posting his annual

investor memos every year for the past

30 plus years absolutely for free you

get to step into the mind of this

incredible investor in real time to see

how he navigated the 2000.com boom or

the great financial crisis of 2007 which

is important because as Howard himself

says good times teach only bad lessons

that investing is easy now these memos

are a master class of investing wisdom

in his book The most important thing is

simply a collection of some of those

most impactful ones this is hands down

the best book I've ever read about the

psychology and principles of investing

most importantly it's written in simple

plain language that most of us

non-experts can easily understand

alright so this is a good time to

revisit our boy Nicholas Nassim taleb

who is such a fantastic writer and

thinker that he features on this list

twice and if I had to sum up this eighth

book in a single sentence it would be

this nobody accepts Randomness in his

own success only as failure or put it

another way we blame luck when we lose

and skill when we win I actually did a

video on this recently where I broke

down the four different types of luck

and how to Get Lucky by design that

video is called the only reason Alex

hermosi is successful I'm going to drop

a link in the description below go check

it out after you finish this one and

while you're down there don't forget to

subscribe all right back to this

mythical book by taleb which is called

Fooled by Randomness the simple premise

of This Book Is that everything in life

happens along a curve of probability

some things are just more likely to

occur than others which isn't to say

that just because something is unlikely

to happen it therefore won't happen the

important thing for our purposes is just

to understand that most of life is

determined by the consequences of those

very few outlier events that were never

supposed to happen but did think of

things like covid or the great financial

crisis or 911. the problem is we humans

are absolutely horrible at calculating

probabilities in real time which simply

means that we tend to skew the

likelihood or unlikelihood of a

particular event occurring now the

reason I find this book so valuable is

that it helps us see through that Matrix

of probability so we can position

ourselves to benefit in life regardless

of what does or does not happen truly

Fooled by Randomness is a mind-bending

book that's going to give you a new lens

through which to look at the world but

the ninth book on our list is going to

give you dozens of new lenses which is

invaluable because as Charlie Munger

always says to the man with a hammer

every problem looks like a nail so our

goal should be to equip ourselves with

as many tools as possible so we can be

prepared to solve any and every problem

that might come our way to do this we

want to cultivate what manga refers to

as a latticework of mental models and

this is going to empower us to see every

problem through a variety of lenses and

possible options now the book that's

going to give us those tools is called

the Great mental models by Farnam Street

it actually comes in two different

volumes this gives you a ready-made

toolbox of mental models you can

immediately start applying to your own

life and that's the ultimate goal

because as this book points out

understanding only becomes useful when

we adjust our behavior in actions

accordingly which is why I encourage you

to get down to the comments once this

video is over and share with us your top

three takeaways and how you plan to

implement those into your life moving

forward this is called an implementation

intention which Studies have shown again

and again increases the likelihood of

achieving a goal but without a doubt the

single thing that will ultimately

determine whether you are successful in

achieving a goal or just failing

miserably is what you do in this present

moment and that brings us to the topic

of our 10th book The Power of Now by

Eckhart tollway now this is hands down

the most Fufu book on our list and for

many many years I resisted reading it

despite dozens of recommendations from

friends that was a mistake I wish I had

read this sooner truly in many ways this

book reshaped my perception of reality

in particular it Formed my opinion that

time is not in fact your most valuable

asset your focus is and the reason I

came to that conclusion is because as

this book points out time is mere really

an illusion as totally said nothing has

happened in the past it happened in the

now nothing will ever happen in the

future it will happen in the now this

might seem like a game of semantics but

I assure you it's not there's a deep and

profound shift that occurs when you

realize this singular moment right this

instant is all you have and life changes

in unimaginable ways when you make the

now the primary focus of your life which

is it's very easy to say and yet very

hard to do so good luck I recommend you

pick up this book it's going to help you

on that Journey now this leads us to the

11th book on our list in one of my

all-time favorites for all you creators

artists and entrepreneurs out there it's

called show your work by Austin Cleon

this is the shortest book on our list in

fact it'd probably take you less than 30

minutes to read but it packs a powerful

punch for all of you people out there

who have have some kind of message you

want to share with the world but for

whatever reason you're falling prey to

that internal resistance which convinces

you that nobody cares what you have to

say and that nobody's going to pay

attention but here's the thing right now

if if you are not sharing your thoughts

your ideas your writings your art or

your business with the world and guess

what nobody's paying attention anyway so

here's how I think about it nobody's

remembered for the things they didn't do

so you literally have nothing to lose

and everything to gain by sharing your

work with the world but I do understand

this is all easier said than done which

is why most people don't do it this book

will help you get out of your way so

your work finally has the opportunity to

change the world now speaking of

changing the world the 12th and final

book on our list makes the argument that

changing the world begins simply by

changing your perspective to find

meaning and purpose in your life

regardless of circumstance now this is a

grand claim that's easily dismissed as

hyperbole if not for the fact that

Victor Frankel wrote this book Man's

Search for meaning after having survived

the horrors of the Nazi concentration

camp of World War II the core thesis of

This Book Is that the ultimate test for

each one of us is to find meaning in our

lives and as Frankel says between

stimulus and response there is a space

and in that space our power to choose

our response and in our response lies

our growth and our freedom in a very

real way our suffering ceases to be

suffering the moment it finds a meaning

such as the meaning of a sacrifice and I

find this book so incredible because I I

can't really put myself in Victor's

shoes to truly appreciate what he

endured it just it defies comprehension

but it puts into perspective that our

problems in life are only ever as big or

as small as we allow them to be and that

at the end of the day it's our

responsibility to drive meaning from our

lives which is the lesson I don't think

any of us can be reminded of too often

and because I believe as Samuel Johnson

said that we need to be reminded more

often than we need to be instructed I do

hope that you take this list of 12 books

and you revisit them every single year

to uncover the many beautiful lessons

each one has to share

thank you

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