4 Books I Read In 2020 That Changed The Way I Think
One of them is Bill Gates’ most favorite
Last year, I kept my resolution to read 50 books from various genres. This year was slightly difficult. Although I managed to much lesser this year most of the books challenged me to think differently.
1. Educated by Tara Westover
The first book on this list is Educated by Tara Westover. This is a memoir based on Tara’s bizarre life — living with Mormon parents. Her father believed that the govt was spying on them, and believed that doomsday was coming.
He didn’t send any of his children to school and they were mostly treated at home by their mother, no matter how serious the injuries were.
Tara was unaware of the outside world. Her idea about the world and people were limited and she had to teach herself everything.
She was gaslighted by her family and faced severe physical abuse from her brother.
The way Tara gets out of her traditional and controversial upbringing and gets herself admitted to Cambridge shows her struggle and strength.
This is the book you’d have seen Bill Gates carrying around in his Netflix documentary, Inside Bill’s Brain. He calls himself a lifelong learner, which is why he was moved by Tara’s story of learning and evolving after been brainwashed by her parents.
The memoir was an eye-opener for me. We believe everything we hear from our parents and close ones. We never question, we don’t have our reasons and virtues. We get accustomed to our things that have been happening in our homes that we stop asking questions and carry on the same beliefs in our lives. After reading the book, I have started questioning myself — am I questioning anything or blindly believing everything I am told?
2. Choose Yourself by James Altucher
James Altucher is one of my favorite writers. His book Choose Yourself is a book that I recommend to everyone who wants to make the most of the internet world. The book talks about why we shouldn’t wait for anyone to fulfill our dreams. The cavalry is not coming to save us and the book talks about how we can save ourselves.
The prime message of the book is to take responsibility for our lives.
The author shares his story of losing millions of dollars; and getting back on his feet.
The book talks about how the internet allows us to monetize any skill and idea that we have with real-life examples and steps to pursue them.
James doesn't believe in the traditional way of following our dreams — where the power resides in the hands of people sitting at the top of the ladder.
Instead of going to a traditional publisher and begging them to publish your work, James suggests publishing your book through Amazon. Instead of waiting for a record label to sign you, he challenges people to choose themselves by taking the responsibility to share their on Youtube, SoundCloud, etc to have full right to their craft.
Having gone through multiple rejections in my content career, this book taught me how to be self-sufficient. It showed me multiple ways to choose myself and take control of my life.
“The only truly safe thing you can do is to try over and over again. To go for it, to get rejected, to repeat, to strive, to wish. Without rejection there is no frontier, there is no passion, and there is no magic.” ― James Altucher
3. Zen and the Art of Happiness by Chris Prentiss
Zen and the Art of Happiness, is a book that explains the wisdom of zen to achieve fulfillment and happiness. Chris breaks the concept of Chinese philosophy into 10 chapters covering Taoism, the language of the universe, and mindful happiness among many others.
Before I knew anything about Zen philosophy, I was a stress machine. After implementing the learnings from the book, I started being mindful of every action and reaction.
The author talks about how everything that happens to us is the best outcome and we choose to decide how we feel about it.
This book forces you to present and enjoy life as it comes.
I understood the power of being here and now.
This book was a perfect 2020 read and saved a lot of my energy by not fretting about things I couldn’t control. It made me live more consciously. It contains a lot of nuggets from ancient Chinese philosophy for which I will keep rereading.
When you realize nothing is lacking, the whole world belongs to you. — Lao Tzu
4. Ikigai
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Albert Liebermann and Hector Garcia has become widely popular this year. The book talks about Okinawa, the Japanese village of longevity; and what makes the people of this village live longer and happier.
The meaning of the Ikigai is — a reason for being.
The reason behind the longevity of people from Okinawa is not only what makes them get up every morning, but what they do throughout the day. The food they eat, the sense of connectivity and friendship, and body movement play a vital role in their life. And the reason they happily follow a holistic regime is that they have a reason a life — their Ikigai.
The book is backed by tons of scientific research validating the lifestyle of the villagers. The nuggets and anecdotes mentioned in the book are insightful and makes us question how we live our life.
The biggest takeaway from this book the concept of Hara Hachi Bu — eating until you are 8 parts full. Imagine your body as a motor, you need to fuel it regularly, but what will happen if you over fuel it every day? It can affect your performance and may lead to disruption. Your body works in a much similar manner.
Once you discover your Ikigai, pursuing it and nurturing it every day will bring meaning to your life. — Francesc Miralles
Lastly
These 4 books changed my outlook on life and made me think if I was living my life the way I want to live. Some books need to read multiple times to make the most of them, like the list above.
I hope you enjoyed this article, and if you are remotely intrigued by these books, I suggest you add them to your 2021 reading list.
Happy reading!
If you enjoyed this list, you’d indeed like this one
