5 Books That Will Change Your View of the World

Update your beliefs about careers, relationships, obstacles, and more.

“Reading is thinking with someone else’s head instead of one’s own.”

— Arthur Schopenhauer

According to Google’s algorithms, there are about 130 million different books in the entire world. If you averaged one per week, it would still take you 2.5 million years (!) to read all of them.

Looks like going through them all to find the one book that will change your life might prove a bit of a challenge. The good news is: You don’t have to.

There are search engines. Book reviews. Forums. Facebook groups dedicated to reading.

But do you know the problem all of these have in common? Bubbles. We humans get drawn towards opinions that conform to our own and reject the ones that don’t, otherwise known as confirmation bias.

We experience it every day.

Suppose a kid pulls on a dog’s ears until the dog has enough of it and snaps at his hand. People will come to very different conclusions about who misbehaved, depending on their previous beliefs about kids and dogs.

Political debates are another prime example. Whether you’re looking at your Facebook news feed or engage in a beer-fueled rant about the government with your buddy Mike, you’re drawn to opinions that match your own.

The result? Both sides think they are right and the other wrong, which cannot be the case per definition. A glitch in the matrix? No, just selective gathering of information.

The problem isn’t the confirmation bias itself, but the consequences it has for us and our lives.

When you reject other’s opinions, you stifle your growth and ultimately get stuck. Learning and development can only happen when we are willing to drop our previous beliefs and knowledge to adopt new ones.

Being wrong hurts — but not as much as being narrow-minded.

You have to deal with information and opinions that don’t match your current world view, even if it’s just to prove them wrong. You have to challenge your own beliefs.

Over the past years, I have read a lot of books. Some of them convey a rather unconventional message. The first time I read them, my eyes squinted in disbelief and the voice in my head uttered a very sarcastic “Yeah, right.”

But the more I thought about it, the more the truth kicked in. These books convey messages and opinions that are contrary to the common beliefs large parts of society hold.

Because their message is so unconventional, they are a perfect opportunity to challenge your view of the world and grow.

“So Good They Can’t Ignore You” by Cal Newport

“Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it.”

— Cal Newport, So Good They Can’t Ignore You

One of the first lessons our parents, teachers, and other adults teach us when we grow up is that we have to find our passion. Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. There are so many versions of this quote floating around that it becomes almost impossible to identify the originator.

Following your passion as a key to satisfaction, becoming excellent, and finding work you love has been so baked into our brains that you will rarely find someone who tells you the opposite.

Enter: Cal Newport. With real-life examples, cutting-edge science, and four simple rules, he debunks commonly held beliefs and myths around the subject. It isn’t as easy as doing what you love and having the money follow — in fact, it’s somewhat of the other way around.

A few words of caution: Newport tends to be longwinded and get lost in his examples. Halfway through the book, I decided to skim the lengthy story and focus on the meat and potatoes, which he summarizes well.

Nevertheless, his message is clear, unconventional, and will challenge everything you believed to know about jobs and careers.

Who is this book for?

For anyone who thinks passion is the key to satisfaction and work you love. For anyone who struggles to find a fulfilling job, frets about what to do with their life, or wants to know how to develop a compelling career.

“Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus” by John Gray

“When men and women are able to respect and accept their differences then love has a chance to blossom.”

— John Gray, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

Do you struggle with understanding the opposite sex? I do for sure, and judging by the conversations I’ve had, other people do as well.

For most men it’s easier to climb the Eiffel tower with their hands tied behind their back than to understand their wife or girlfriend.

While most women do better in terms of empathy and understanding their male counterparts, they are still utterly clueless about why men do or don’t do certain things, such as listening or talking about their problems.

I spent years reading about pickup, relationships, and the psychology behind it. I’ve gone through tons of books and articles and watched countless videos.

Out of them all, this is one of the very few books that I would actually recommend to men and women alike. It explains the differences between the sexes in a calming and insightful way, guaranteeing a lot of “ahhh, that’s why they do that” moments.

No relationship can run on love alone. If you don’t understand each other’s feelings, actions, and ways of thinking, you’re trying to steer a ship blindfolded. It might work for a while because your love gets you through the storms somehow, but you’ll inevitably end up either lost at sea or crashing on a cliff.

Gray’s claims might be stereotypical, which is why you have to use a little bit of your brain and think for yourself. But they will forever change your behavior in relationships and the way you see the opposite sex for the better.

Who is this book for?

For anyone who struggles to understand the opposite sex. For anyone who gets upset and tears their hair every time they have an argument with their partner. For anyone who catches himself thinking “Why does he/she do that?”

“The Obstacle Is the Way” by Ryan Holiday

“There is no good or bad without us, there is only perception. There is the event itself and the story we tell ourselves about what it means.”

— Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is the Way

When we face an obstacle, our default reaction is to roll our eyes and curse -either out loud, or quietly in our minds.

The problem is that our default behavior isn’t very useful. Neither does the wall in front of us get smaller, nor does it make us a better climber.

What you need to do instead is to change your mindset. You need to view obstacles as something that can be turned into an advantage instead of holding you back.

In his #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, Ryan holiday shows you how to do exactly that. By turning ancient Stoic wisdom into practical advice, he shows you how to tear through any adversity.

Life is full of obstacles and adversities, and reading this book won’t change that. What it will change is how you see these obstacles. They will no longer be hurdles on your path, but an opportunity for improvement and ultimately become the path itself.

Who is this book for?

For anyone who has trouble overcoming obstacles. For anyone who feels like life has thrown him one too many punches. For anyone who wants to come out a winner not despite, but because of life’s adversities.

“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” — by Mark Manson

“The desire for a more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience.”

— Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

In his New York Times bestseller with the probably most questionable cover color in the history of books, Manson clears up with the common notation of happiness, positive thinking, and motivational “you can do it” bullshit.

Happiness isn’t about being positive but about having problems and overcoming them.

With brutal honesty and without sugarcoating, he paints an unusual picture of the human mind and shows you how to find your personal values on the way.

This book will not only correct the delusional expectations you have for yourself, but also how you see other people, your relationships, and the way the world works.

Who is this book for?

For anyone who just gets started with self-help and needs a straightforward and no-bs approach to living a good life. For anyone who thinks life is fair. For anyone who has avoided uncomfortable and painful truths. For anyone who can’t give a precise answer to the question “What do you value in life?”

“The Power of Less” by Leo Babauta

“Simplicity boils down to two steps: 1. Identify the essential 2. Eliminate the rest”

— Leo Babauta, The Power of Less

We grow up with the idea of more equals better. More money, more information, more knowledge, more children, more food, more choices.

We live in times of abundance, at least if you’re not born into a third-world country.

In fact we have so many options to choose from that it becomes harder and harder to narrow down on the important things.

With a refreshing approach of less is more, Babauta flips our world upside down. He says that happiness, fulfillment, and success don’t come from chasing more, but from limiting yourself.

Not only that, but he also gives practical and structured advice on how to do that — whether it comes to your goals and projects, tasks, time management, daily routine, or health and fitness.

This book will change the way you see our abundant world and will make you think twice before adding anything to your life.

Who is this book for?

For anyone who feels overwhelmed by their current life and has too much on their plate. For anyone who thinks that the solution to all his problems is having more of something instead of less. For anyone who wants to learn to make the most out of the least.

Challenge Your Beliefs

Some of these books and ideas will resonate with you, some will not. Your brain doesn’t like opinions and notions that don’t conform with your own.

Subconsciously, it tries to defend your own beliefs by dismissing and repelling any concepts that don’t fit in.

I don’t know which of these five books will have the biggest impact on your life, but you can find out.

Go through the list again and pick the one whose ideas you disagree with the most and that resonates with your current beliefs the least. That will be the one you can learn the most from.

Challenge yourself. Let go of old beliefs. Be open to new things. Grow and become a better version of yourself.

Did you notice the sticky notes in the books? They’re part of my 4-step system to remember more from the books I read.

I help men find direction and meaning and create their dream life by being more authentic. Sign up for my free 5-minute newsletter and become part of the Authentic Men Tribe!