Summary

The article lists five influential books that have significantly impacted the author's life and mindset.

Abstract

The author reflects on the profound influence of five specific books on their personal development, career choices, and approach to life. These books have shaped the author's views on work, finance, productivity, essentialism, and self-improvement. From Tim Ferriss's "The 4-Hour Work Week" to Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad," each text offers unique insights into lifestyle design, financial literacy, and the importance of focusing on what truly matters. Seth Godin's "The Dip" and Greg Mckeown's "Essentialism" provide strategies for overcoming challenges and prioritizing essential tasks, while Maxwell Maltz's "Psycho-Cybernetics" delves into the psychology of self-image and habit formation. The author recommends these books for their transformative potential and invites readers to consider which books have most influenced them.

Opinions

"The 4-Hour Work Week" is not just about reducing work hours but about designing a lifestyle that prioritizes personal values and productivity.
"Rich Dad Poor Dad" is praised for its accessible approach to personal finance and its emphasis on income-producing assets, although the author disagrees with the notion that a home is not an asset.
Seth Godin's philosophy in "The Dip" is highly regarded for its guidance on when to persist and when to quit in the pursuit of excellence.
"Essentialism" by Greg Mckeown is appreciated for its framework on identifying and focusing on what is truly important in one's life.
"Psycho-Cybernetics" is considered one of the best books on habit formation and self-help, with its insights on self-image being key to personality and behavior change.
The author believes that failures are not defining but are stepping stones to success, as emphasized in "Psycho-Cybernetics."
Despite some books being "cliché," the author asserts their enduring value and encourages readers to reflect on their own transformative reads.

5 Books That Changed Me

Some of these are pretty cliché

Over the years, I’ve read more than 5 books. Yes, I am amazing. Don’t be jealous.

Joking aside, some books have left a much more lasting impression on me and my behaviour, desires and actions.

These are the five books that have changed me the most. Some of them are pretty cliché so you have been warned!

1. The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

I first read this book before I started college. That’s more than 10 years ago and I’m still thinking about it!

I re-read it almost on an annual basis. I am constantly amazed at how much I find that I didn’t see the first or second time. Tim made sure this book was more of a resource than a quick read.

The book might be a bit dated now but the principles last forever. Remote work back when Tim wrote this was much less common.

This was the first book I read that questioned the traditional path of a professional career.

Despite the clickbait title, you’ll realise that it isn’t about creating a 4-hour workweek. It is more about lifestyle design, productivity and creating more time to focus on what matters.

“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” — Tim Ferriss

2. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

I read this one after studying in business school and I absolutely loved it.

In business school, they teach you how to manage other people’s money. This book teaches you how to manage your own.

There are so many valuable lessons that I got from reading it and I really enjoyed the style in which it’s written. It’s so accessible and it’s written from the point of view of a child, so it opens you up to learning like a child again.

It is easily one of the best personal finance books of all time.

I don’t agree with everything Robert says though. Particularly, when he tries to convince you that your home is not an asset. Let’s just say he has a preference for income-producing assets.

“There is a difference between being poor and being broke. Broke is temporary. Poor is eternal.” — Robert Kiyosaki

3. The Dip by Seth Godin

Actually, I love anything written by Seth Godin and I am proud to say I have read most of his books.

The Dip really changed how I thought about every new project or task I undertook.

The Dip describes the challenge of starting something new, the steep journey to get good, and asking yourself if it is worth it.

If you understand “The Dip” and you can make far better decisions, waste less time, know when to push forward and when to quit.

It is a very short read based on this single concept. I highly recommend it.

“The next time you catch yourself being average when you feel like quitting, realize that you have only two good choices: Quit or be exceptional. Average is for losers.” — Seth Godin

4. Essentialism by Greg Mckeown

This was something I read a few years ago. And I love it.

After reading so many books on self-help, this one hammered in the fact that most things don’t matter.

This doesn’t mean anything matters. It means, there are only a few things that do.

The book is beautifully written and describes the ideal of the essentialist. And, it provides a framework for you to figure out what is truly important to you.

“Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done. It doesn’t mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.” — Greg Mckeown

5. Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz

Maxwell Maltz was a plastic surgeon who treated patients with physical disfigurements. He also treated patients that didn’t have any obvious undesirable traits.

Throughout his career, he discovered a great deal about habits, identity, change and success.

Some people who came in for surgery would feel unhappy, even if the surgery went perfectly. Others would be absolutely thrilled. He wanted to know why.

In my opinion, this is one of the best books ever written on habit formation and self-help. There are so many important lessons in this book.

In order for change to become permanent, you must believe you are the kind of person that does X. Otherwise, you will easily revert back to the person you were.

“The ‘’self-image’’ is the key to human personality and human behavior. Change the self image and you change the personality and the behavior.” — Maxwell Maltz

Another key lesson I took from this book was that failures are a means to an end. They are not there to define you and they are certainly not there to haunt you for the rest of your life.

“You make mistakes, mistakes don’t make you” — Maxwell Maltz

The original was written in 1960, but I recommend getting the updated version with additional commentary by Matt Furey. I’m so glad Matt decided to update the book for current times.

Those are currently the five books that have impacted me the most. I’m sure there will be others going forward.

Which books have influenced you the most and why?

Other notable mentions would include Atomic Habits by James Clear, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R Covey, and Deep Work by Cal Newport.