Warren Buffett credits many of his great money decisions to his voracious reading habit.
The best books can inspire you to pursue your passion project or build the life you want. This year, I’ve committed to finding and reading all of the life-changing books I can track down.
If you are looking to start a successful side project, advance your career, improve your skills and become more effective in life and work, you will find these books useful.
1. The extraordinary science behind what actually determines success and most importantly, how anyone can achieve it
Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong by Eric Barker
“Fundamentally, your brain doesn’t like or want to believe in randomness. It always believes you have some control, even when you don’t.
It may be delusional but we’re happier deluded. And delusion ironically makes us perform better on average.”
Confidence makes it very hard for us to learn and improve. When we think we know all the answers, we stop looking for them. Marshall Goldsmith says, “Although our self-confident delusions can help us achieve, they can make it difficult for us to change.”
2. Jeff debunks the myth of the starving artist by unveiling the ideas that created it and replacing them with timeless strategies for thriving
Real Artists Don’t Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age, by Jeff Goins
“We are either becoming more of our true selves or drifting into a false self.
“When the right people advocate for your work, your success becomes more likely. Being good is necessary, but it is not sufficient. Skill is a prerequisite for creative success, but talent is only part of the equation. The rest is network.”
3. How to find your perfect career
The New Rules of Work: The ultimate career guide for the modern workplace by Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathryn Minshew
“To succeed in today’s constantly changing work environment you could waste time, stress yourself out, and spin your wheels following the questionable advice of career experts who don’t know anything about you — or you could buy this book. Save yourself years of struggle: start with this book.” — CHRIS GUILLEBEAU, New York Times bestselling author and host of Side Hustle School
4. A powerful invitation to live a life that is not only happy but filled with purpose, belonging, and transcendence
The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters by Emily Esfahani Smith
“A riveting read on the quest for the one thing that matters more than happiness. Emily Esfahani Smith reveals why we lose meaning in our lives and how to find it. Beautifully written, evidence-based, and inspiring, this is a book I’ve been awaiting for a very long time.” — ADAM GRANT, author of Originals and Give and Take; professor at the Wharton School
5. How to harness the power of your intuition, curiosity, empathy and imagination
Hunch: Turn Your Everyday Insights Into The Next Big Thing by Bernadette Jiwa
“Filled with success stories, reflection exercises, and writing prompts, Hunch is the indispensable guide to embracing your unique potential and discovering your own winning ideas.
Jiwa shows you how to harness the power of your intuition so you can recognize opportunities others miss and create the breakthrough idea the world is waiting for.”
6. A sharp, entertaining story of youth, ambition, love, money and technology’s inability to hack human nature
Startup: A Novel by Doree Shafrir
“The story, told from three alternating perspectives, focuses on two companies renting space in a Manhattan office building. TakeOff, a mindfulness app, is on the verge of revolutionizing the world — or of failing miserably, depending on whether founder Mack McAllister can secure the next round of funding.”
“Smart, amusing… a coming-of-age novel for these digital times…. Doree Shafrir manages to hold our interest for more than 140 characters as she pokes fun at a group of young overachievers in this old-school written form.” — Clea Simon, The Boston Globe
7. Ryan reveals how we can we create and market creative works that achieve longevity
Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts by Ryan Holiday (Expected on 13th July 2017)
“Holiday reveals that the key to success for many perennial sellers is that their creators don’t distinguish between the making and the marketing. The product’s purpose and audience are in the creator’s mind from day one. By thinking holistically about the relationship between their audience and their work, creators of all kinds improve the chances that their offerings will stand the test of time.”
8. The cognitive and neurochemical factors that drive performance in all domains
Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness
“Brad Stulberg is one of the most gifted science writers of our times, a master at translating fascinating findings into concrete strategies. Peak Performance provides actionable insights from the cutting-edge research on how people excel. This book will be a must-read for anyone who wants to up their game, transcend boundaries and get out of their comfort zone.” — Kelly McGonigal, Stanford psychology instructor and author of The Willpower Instinct and The Upside of Stress
9. A collection of essays from today’s most acclaimed authors on the realities of making a living in the writing world
Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living by Manjula Martin
“Publishing is a business based on fiction — and not only the fiction that is packaged between book covers or sold as digital downloads. In order to convince harried, distracted people to set aside hours or even days to read hundreds of pages of non-animated words, we in the publishing business must manufacture an aura of success around a book, a glowing sheen that purrs I am worth your time.”
10. A groundbreaking investigation into the most valuable currency of the 21st century: people’s attention
Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction by Derek Thompson
“People prefer paintings that they’ve seen before. Audiences like art that gives them the jolt of meaning that often comes from an inkling of recognition.”
“Quality, it seems, is a necessary, but insufficient attribute for success.”
“Most consumers are simultaneously neophilic, curious to discover new things, and deeply neophobic, afraid of anything that is too new. The best hit makers are gifted at creating moments of meaning by marrying new and old, anxiety and understanding. They are architects of familiar surprises.”
11. A guide to applying the latest research in brain science to leadership — to sharpen performance
The Leading Brain: Powerful Science-Based Strategies for Achieving Peak Performance by Friederike Fabritius and Hans W Hagemann
“Combines neuroscience and leadership in a way that is both highly informative and fun. The Leading Brain covers a vast array of fascinating topics, such as habit formation, emotional regulation, intuition, and optimal decision making. There are tons of useful strategies in this book that you can apply to your life and your work right away!” — Scott Barry Kaufman, co-author, Wired to Create: Unravelling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind
12. The author of Contagious explores the subtle, secret influences that affect the decisions we make
Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior by Jonah Berger
“As he did with Contagious, Jonah Berger takes us deep beneath the surface of things, with mesmerizing results. Invisible Influence is a book with the power to transform the way we see ourselves and our place in the world.” — Arianna Huffington, author of Thrive
“Whether you want to influence others, make smarter decisions, or just better understand the mystery that is human behavior, this book will show you how. A terrific, insightful read.”— Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
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Originally published at journal.thriveglobal.com