Steven Pressfield's "Turning Pro" got me out of a rut. I usually don't go for this type of book, but it is more or less a couple of hour read and it helped me establish a better mindset that I've been able to build upon.
It really reminded me of the Admiral McRaven speech about making your bed, which is occasionally quoted here:
> “If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another,” he said.
The Cost Of Discipleship by Deitrich Boenhoffer. Being aware and committed to something bigger than myself rather then trying to find the next thing to make money and potentially become, as Tim Ferriss calls it, another fat guy in a red BMW.
These individuals have riches just as we say that we “have a fever” when really the fever has us. – Seneca
There's an idea in my mind I've been trying to make happen. I started learning programming when I was 11 to build it. I've tried numerous times, each time, for a lack of skill it was beyond reach. It's only this year, 15 years later, I feel like I have the knowhow and resources to complete it. It's on this path that I've been following for the last decade and a half, I've gotten into this software engineering career, I met my girlfriend in the office building where I work, I've become best friends with a fellow programmer for the past 10 years, and I find a kind of peace and contentment every time I find myself taking steps to actively pursue this idea. I never knew, never thought about and still don't know whether achieving the idea will make me money, make me more attractive to the opposite sex, or help me become popular and make new friends, but looking back in hindsight, it's because of moments when I didn't think about these "things", when the idea is consuming me and I can't help but try to work on, that I have all these things, today. And it's when I've temporarily given up on my idea to pursue these "things", I lose them.
I'm in what seems like a similar situation. I've had an idea for ten years and have actively or passively worked toward the direction of implementing it since then. At this point the idea has almost become like a living thing in my mind, and when I get distracted from it with other things like work (or even just relaxing instead of thinking about in my spare time) those things suffer, too. It's like the drive towards the idea fuels other, seemingly unrelated aspects of daily life.
I don't think of it as an "it has me or I have it" situation - it's become almost a symbiotic relationship. I help bring the idea to life, it helps me maintain focus and improve knowledge in other aspects of my life. If I abandon it other things seem to suffer, too.
I can't tell you whether something has you or you have it, but I think this quote by Albert Einstein is helpful:
“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”
A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B Irvine.
The last few months of 2014 and the first couple of months in 2015 - when Canadian winter SAD and the stress of starting a new business kicked in - really did me in mentally and I was going through a severe bout with depression.
This book was recommended to me by a friend and founder. It gave me the tools I needed to deal with the ongoing BS life tends to throw at you. Amazing how powerful and still highly applicable a mindset developed centuries ago can be today.
Victor Frankl's, "Man's Search for Meaning". Title says it all. An incredible book that shares an incredible perspective. Helps me get perspective while providing insight so that it doesn't all seem pointless.
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I had pretty much given up on the self help genre but a comment left by a poster on Youtube video led me to the book. Something about the title grabbed me and I read not only The Power of Now but 3 of his other books as well over a 3 week period in December - all of which strongly resonated with me. I live my life - really each present moment - differently because of Tolle's teaching. So my life changing books for 2015 - all by Eckhart Tolle were:
The Power of Now;
Practicing the Power of Now;
Stillness Speaks;
A New Earth
The good gut really changed our lifestyle. Lot of good advice that is actionable with sound research. I try to not use antibiotics, drink kefir in my juices, eat more wheat bran in my diet. Amazing how corporate America has eliminated most of the fiber from our foods. Must read for anyone who wants to improve their lifestyle. It starts with the gut!
Note: I am an atheist, but "Jesus and The Disinherited"[0] was a very influential book for me. I read it after seeing this review[1] by Chris Blattman, social scientist at columbia.
It helped me understand the relationship between fear, oppression, hatred and crime.
It also gave me renewed disdain for the evangelical (as in, spreading of gospel) european and american tradition, a disdain which is probably shared by the author.
Before reading the book, I had never really "understood" Martin Luther King Jr. How could it be morally right to want to integrate, forgive and even love one's oppressors? I feel like I have a better understanding of the civil rights movement in the US, and perhaps a slightly more optimistic view of the future.
After reading these books I am now able to successfully create new habits.
Last year I tried to get into a habit of reading good books and was able to read around 40 good books ( twice of what I had planned)
How do you engineer breakthroughs in your business? How do you get mentally unstuck? How can you optimize and fix what isn't working?
Labeling a book a Life Changer is a bit melodramatic. Still Jay Abraham's "Sticking Point Solution" is worthy and profoundly thought provoking read, impacting that intersection of buiness/personal life. > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6515635-the-sticking-poin...
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[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 16.5 ms ] threadIt really reminded me of the Admiral McRaven speech about making your bed, which is occasionally quoted here:
> “If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another,” he said.
These individuals have riches just as we say that we “have a fever” when really the fever has us. – Seneca
Do I have the idea, or does the idea have me?
I don't think of it as an "it has me or I have it" situation - it's become almost a symbiotic relationship. I help bring the idea to life, it helps me maintain focus and improve knowledge in other aspects of my life. If I abandon it other things seem to suffer, too.
“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”
The last few months of 2014 and the first couple of months in 2015 - when Canadian winter SAD and the stress of starting a new business kicked in - really did me in mentally and I was going through a severe bout with depression.
This book was recommended to me by a friend and founder. It gave me the tools I needed to deal with the ongoing BS life tends to throw at you. Amazing how powerful and still highly applicable a mindset developed centuries ago can be today.
The Power of Now; Practicing the Power of Now; Stillness Speaks; A New Earth
It helped me understand the relationship between fear, oppression, hatred and crime.
It also gave me renewed disdain for the evangelical (as in, spreading of gospel) european and american tradition, a disdain which is probably shared by the author.
Before reading the book, I had never really "understood" Martin Luther King Jr. How could it be morally right to want to integrate, forgive and even love one's oppressors? I feel like I have a better understanding of the civil rights movement in the US, and perhaps a slightly more optimistic view of the future.
[0]: http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Disinherited-Howard-Thurman/dp/0... [1]: https://chrisblattman.com/2015/09/29/fear-and-what-a-centuri...
I'm not baiting you I'm generally interested.
After reading these books I am now able to successfully create new habits. Last year I tried to get into a habit of reading good books and was able to read around 40 good books ( twice of what I had planned)
Labeling a book a Life Changer is a bit melodramatic. Still Jay Abraham's "Sticking Point Solution" is worthy and profoundly thought provoking read, impacting that intersection of buiness/personal life. > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6515635-the-sticking-poin...