Books I Read This Month: January ‘23
Parenting, Martial Arts, and Meditation
With a 31 day month I was able to squeeze in 3 good books, all of which I would recommend if their context applies to you or not.
As always, I recommend reading at least 1–2 a month so that you can continue to improve yourself and learn from years/decades of experiences/mistakes from other people.
Altered Traits by Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson
This is a book that I gave its own story because it was so helpful to me. Essentially, “Dan and Richie” are a pair of highly trained psychologists who wanted to see what the actual scientific effects of meditation are on the mind and body.
At a time where many people talk about how and why you should be meditating, this book will layout a logical scientific argument that should hopefully get you to at least want to try meditating.
Check out my full review for it here.
How You Bear It by Tom DeBlass
Tom DeBlass is one of the most accomplished Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors and instructors today, and this book is less about martial arts and more about the trauma that Tom has had to endure and go through over the course of his life.
It is quite astounding to see what one person can go through over and over, over a very extended period, and still find a way to become one of the top experts in their field.
If you are looking to discover how to “bear it”, and handle the stress and trauma of life, I would recommend this book.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from it:
- “Losing humbles you, but losing on purpose so that someone else can learn humbles you more”.
- “The text was, ultimately, the first of hundreds of comments made to me or at me about how I should quit… It was a rude introduction to how the moment you are on someone’s TV, you cease to become a real person. Your misfortune is equally as entertaining as your fortune.”
- “I don’t know which of these thoughts persuade me to return to the car, or all of them. But I do return and I do something absolutely crazy: I go to the evening jiu-jitsu class. Once we get into sparring, I completely forget about the past few hours. It’s a powerful lesson to me I remember to this day, for all you know the guy you just spoke to could have been about to kill himself earlier in the day.”
- “I wondered if what really fueled me was triumph over adversity. Is that why I had the heart of an old man at 38 years old? Maybe it was time to think of happiness as something that I had gained and could never lose. It wasn’t something I had to re-win over and over again.
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker
I take my role as a father very seriously, so I enjoy reading books about parenting by those who have lots of experience in the field.
Meg Meeker is a psychologist who has spent over 30 years working with children and families, and from what she has observed a father is the single most important figure in a young girl’s life, for multiple reasons.
If you want to become a better father/parent, I would recommend checking this book out.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
- “If you teach your daughter to be good rather than simply happy, she will be both. Teaching your daughter humility is a wonderful gift, and it can only be taught by example.”
- “If you teach her that life has limits and that not all her needs and desires can or should be met, she will learn to accept realism, and she will not live expecting others to be servants to the princess.”
- “To be a father is to be a leader, to make decisions, to intervene on your daughter’s behalf, and to instruct and form her character so that she knows right from wrong, when to say no, and so that she’s strong enough to fight temptation. All that requires you to have moral clarity.”
If you enjoyed this and found it helpful, I’d be very grateful to you for clicking the link below to subscribe to me and support future pieces I will bring to you.
