These books will CHANGE your life

IN THIS ISSUE 

7 min read

One book can transform your life.

But the harsh truth is that most books are nothing more than 300 pages of fluff surrounding one interesting idea.

So instead of scrambling for the most valuable books, I'm going to share with you some of the books that played a pivotal role in my life—in business, health and my personal growth.

STOICISM

The first book on the list is from one of the grandfathers of the Stoic philosophy, Seneca; this book is called "Letters from A Stoic."

Now, Stoicism has gained a lot of popularity over the past decade, thanks to the efforts of guys like Ryan Holiday who've done just an incredible job translating these ancient works for modern audiences.

Don't get me wrong, those books are great, but if you really want to understand something, you got to get as close to the source material as possible.

Reading from what's called primary sources is the best way to build up a lattice work of understanding around a topic…

This is you're starting at the ground floor in building up your own knowledge base rather than just relying on somebody else's interpretation and summary of that topic.

So, if you really want to learn about the Stoic philosophy, I recommend you go straight to the primary sources, one of which is this book "Letters From A Stoic" by Seneca.

One of the things I love about it is it's just a treasure trove of wisdom broken down into easily digestible sound bites, and this is one of my all-time favorites:

MINDSET

Alright, the next book for developing your mindset is "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz.

I think the world would generally be a better place if everybody was required to read this book as a child.

The lessons are simple yet profound and universally applicable: they are

• be impeccable with your word

• do not take anything personal

• do not make assumptions

• always do your best

Now, you might hear those and think those are incredibly simplistic, and there's no reason to dig any deeper, but in my experience, the most impactful lessons in life are the simplest.

My favorite lesson from this book, or at least the one that's played the biggest role in my life, is that first one: be impeccable with your word.

Truly, I believe that you could accomplish literally anything in the world if you just do this one thing, become the type of person who always does what they say.

This doesn't just apply to the things we say to others. In fact, the most important promises are actually the ones we make with ourselves, and yet those are the ones we most often break.

I can't overstate how big of a problem this actually is because when we break the promises we make with ourselves, we pay a price that's really hard to see in the moment.

It’s a hefty price that’s invisible, that can be avoided if we stood true to our words.

HEALTH AND LONGEVITY

I have read dozens of books on exercise and nutrition over the years, and without a doubt, the best book I've read is "Outlive" by Peter Attia.

This book lays out a comprehensive framework for not only living longer but living better.

What's the point of living until you're 100 if the last 20 years of your life are spent in absolute misery, unable to get out of bed and do the things that you love?

That is not a life I think anybody wants for themselves, so it's important you start doing the work now. But that begs the question, what exactly should you be doing right now to ensure you live a long, healthy, awesome life?

Well, Peter Attia breaks it down into core categories, including exercise, sleep, nutrition, mental health, and relationships. This book is written in a way that you can start applying immediately.

MONEY

An amazing book to change your perception of money is "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel.

The first step in winning the money game is just to change how you think about money.

This is so important because most of us have accumulated all sorts misguided beliefs around money that are unconsciously sabotaging our efforts to get ahead.

How you think about money influences how you feel and ultimately act around money.

And unfortunately, most of us were taught how to think, feel, and act towards money by people who were not winning.

As a general rule, do not take advice from someone you wouldn't trade places with, which means don't take financial advice from somebody who isn't winning the money game.

If you do, you're going to adopt their same thoughts, beliefs, and actions that are keeping them from winning.

So, step one on your financial journey is to break this cycle and learn a new way to think around money, which is where this book comes in.

Here's one of my favorite quotes from this book:

THOUGHTS ON TODAY’S ISSUE?