Contents
10. Relentless
by Tim Grover
Summary | Kindle | Print
Relentless cracks the top 10 self-help books for first opening my eyes to the power of the dark side.
Contrary to most “find happiness” books Grover says you don’t need to eradicate pain. That rage, that sense of not being enough, those vindictive feelings… You can use them. Tap into your dark side to reach ever-higher highs.
Quote: “To get what you really want you must first be who you really are”
9. The Millionaire Fastlane
by Mj DeMarco
Summary | Audiobook
| Kindle
Two things really got me about this book:
1. The paradox of practice: if authors selling get-rich products got rich selling to you, are they credible? Probably not…
2. Slow lane wake-up call: employees, duped by the compound interest myth, trade invaluable time today for distant (and uncertain) riches.
And the fast lane..? You’ll have to read the book.
Quote: “Dump the damn job. The job sucks”
8. The Happiness Advantage
by Barry Schwartz
Summary | Audiobook
If you, just like the majority of people, thought that to be happy you needed to achieve a certain goal, this book is for you.
It turns that idea upside down as it shows, with data and convincing arguments, that it doesn’t work that.
One is because you will not be happy when you will achieve your goal. And second, because it’s happiness that drives success, not the other way around.
Eye-opening and life-enhancing wisdom.
Quote: “the more you believe in your own ability to success the more likely it is that you will.”
7. Start With WHY
by Simon Sinek
Summary | Audiobook | Print
What’s your WHY, the reason why you do what you do, and the reason why you wake up in the morning?
Simon Sinek’s best seller is a big hit among marketers and advertisers, but finding you WHY runs much deeper than effective communication. Knowing your WHY will breathe renewed vigor and joy into your life.
Quote: “Success comes pursuing WHY we do WHAT we do“
6. Principles: Life and Work
by Ray Dalio
Summary | Audiobook | Kindle | Print
Principles by Ray Dalio is possibly the best book ever on effective company’s (and group) culture.
And it’s also one of the very best self-help books when it comes to mindsets and life philosophy. Above all, I took two principles with me:
1. Radical Open-Mindedness, and the courage to stare naked at your reality, even when it’s not pretty.
2. Pain + Reflection = biggest opportunity for progress.
Quote: “Love reality, even when it hurts“
5. The Obstacle is the Way
by Ryan Holiday
Summary | Audiobook | Kindle | Print
Ryan Holidays draws on stoicism and Meditation by Marcus Aurelius to deliver a breathtaking treaty on how to approach -and turn around- life’s obstacles.
It’s an inspiring and mind-blowing read that can change your approach to life’s problems. A real gem.
I have yet to read Meditation, but I consider The Obstacle is The Way the ultimate treaty on problem-solving.
Quote: “When you’ve truly done it all, relax. The final word is in the lap of the Gods“
4. Deep Work
by Cal Newport
Summary | Audiobook
I particularly loved Deep Work because I realized how full, undivided focus -or lack thereof- is what’s holding me back the most when it comes to productivity.
But what I loved even more was the idea of a life of Deep Work, leading to a Deep Life.
A Deep Life means to be fully focused on what you are doing, whatever it is that you are doing.
Time with the family? You are fully present, listening, and sharing.
Out on a date? You are 100% there, connecting and bonding.
Working? You are fully immersed in the task at hand, allowing for no distractions.
Supporting the Deep Life is the fact that: 1. You can afford it since you’re being highly productive in your work; 2. You cannot sustain more than a few hours of deep work per day, and the rest you’re wasting time.
Result? An overall vastly improved life.
Quote: “what we choose to focus on and what we choose to ignore—plays in defining the quality of our life“
3. Awaken the Giant Within
by Tony Robbins
Summary | Audiobook | Kindle | Print
Could anyone draft a top 10 of the best self-help books and not have Tony Robbins featured in it? My personal favorite from Robbins is an audio product called Personal Power II.
But Awaken the Giant Within is the book overview of most that Robbins preaches. It’s equally inspiring and motivational as it is practical and applicable.
No small feat.
Quote: “People are rewarded in public for what they practice in private“
2. Man’s Search for Meaning
by Viktor Frankl
Summary | Audiobook | Print
Tears swell into my eyes when I think of Man’s Search for Meaning.
Viktor Frankl went through the dark years of the Holocaust, experienced the horrors of concentration camps, and lost their mother, brother, and wife. And he has nothing but wisdom and faith in humanity.
This is a monument to humans’ spirit strength and magnificence. This leaves me little space for life-changing content, but here are two:
1. Happiness cannot be pursued: it must ensue (same for success)
2. You’re always free to choose your attitude in any circumstance. Nobody can take that away from you.
Quote: “He who has a why can bear almost any how“
1. Mindset: Psychology of Success
by Carol Dweck
Summary | Print
Why is Mindset the N.1 of our best self-help books reading list? It’s because a growth mindset underpins the success of the highest kind, including wealth, relationships, and happiness.
It’s the bedrock of living fully. Putting our egos aside, relishing new experiences, and being openly vulnerable… They are all key consequences of a growth mindset (also read developing a growth mindset).
Mindset opened my eyes not only to key mental roadblocks standing in my way but also helped me better understand human psychology.
With Mindset, suddenly, human behavior made so much more sense.
Quote: “Talent isn’t passed in the genes; it’s passed in the mindsets“
Also, Read
- Best communication skills books
- Best leadership books
- Best dating books for women
- Best dating books for guys
- Best red pill books
- Best relationship books
- Best personal finance books
- Best health and nutrition books
- Best psychology books
Note: quotes are not necessarily taken from the authors but are my way of summing up what the book meant to me.
If you are interested in getting the best insights from hundred of self-help books check Power University.
