Get To Know Me #2 - Top 10 Books I've Ever Read
The top 10 most influential books in my life.
Hello everyone!
To those who are new and haven’t seen me in their inbox before, welcome. I hope you enjoyed my e-book and if you want to know what this newsletter is about, click here.
I know, I haven’t been super active, it’s cause I’ve been traveling a fair bit. Last week I was snowboarding in Montenegro, a small mountainous country of 800,000 in the Balkans (south-east Europe). It borders Bosnia, where I’m also from. So the culture was close to home. I was cooped up in a cabin without wifi for most of the time, hence the lack of inactivity.
And well, now I’m in Italy. Palermo, Sicily to be precise, where I’m also from. I got here a few days ago and now I’m not out all day long snowboarding, I can get back to writing. Here’s a photo of this beautiful part of the world for those interested.
Now continuing the last edition of the newsletter of getting to know me more, here are my top 10 favorite books that have impacted me the most. On Sunday I’ll send the normal newsletter out with a section from an article I wrote and the various different usual segments.
Into The Magic Shop By Dr. James R. Doty
This book will teach you the true power that meditation has, and the things that can be achieved through the mind and through the heart. It sounds pretty wishy-washy, right? I thought the same until I applied what I learned.
The author learned about these mindful and compassion skills when he visited a magic shop in the eighth grade, looking to buy some party items to do magic with.
There he met an old woman named Ruth, who taught him what she called “the most powerful magic you’ll ever learn.” And she was right, because all of the success Dr. Doty achieved, he credits it to the practices he learned as a child in the back of this magic shop.
Ruth taught him how to meditate. But specifically how to open your heart to compassion, which is a meditative technique covered in this book that you get taught in very simple steps as you read.
The second technique is what some people call a manifestation or visualization. It involves setting intentions in a meditative state and seeing them come through, something Dr. Doty swears was the main reason for his success in life.
I applied these practices in my own life.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
I can undoubtedly say that this little book has taught me what the meaning of life is: To never lose sight of your dream and always chase it.
It’s a fable of magical realism, incorporating whimsical and fantastical elements into a real-life scenario. The boy is on a quest to fulfill his lifelong dream, he follows his heart, gets guided by the signs of the universe, and most importantly, he never stops searching.
The Alchemist was one of the first books I read at the start of my reading journey, and before that, I was lost in life. I guess you could say that I had no purpose, nothing I was working towards.
It’s an allegory for our lives, it is so much deeper than just a fantastical fable. If I could summarise in one sentence the life-changing impact it had on me, it would be: Don’t ever stop pursuing your passions and dreams, your path of fate will align with where you want to be, all it takes is a constant and relentless pursual.
The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday
The Obstacle Is The Way is one of those books that I always pick up when I’m dealing with a significant challenge in my life, like a breakup for example. I’d class this as my comfort book because it diligently teaches me how to turn suffering into fuel for triumph.
Stoicism in general helps me overcome irrational emotions and makes me focus on staying grounded and calm at all times, this is something I struggle immensely with. So for that reason, immersing myself in this philosophy has been pivotal in my development as a young adult.
One of the most important lessons for me from this book was learning the importance of how you perceive the world. You can either think of yourself as a victim to your circumstances or take the ‘stoic path’ as I like to call it.
“Perception precedes action. Right action follows the right perspective.” — Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is the Way
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
This book is extremely personal to me, it twisted my heart and played with my emotions just because of how close it is to home, literally. It’s a book I am always going to keep by my side to show future generations what happened in my country, to my family, and why it changed our lives forever.
It’s a book detailing the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that took place on 6 April 1992, and was the reason why I was raised in London, not Bosnia.
This historical-fiction novel details the siege of the capital city, Sarajevo. It was the longest siege in modern history.
My father fled a few months after the war broke out. He escaped to London. He always tells me to never forget what happened, not in a bitter way against the other ex-Yugoslav countries, but as a reminder of the capacity for evil that the human race has, and in efforts to never see this happen again.
For me, this book is going to stay by my side for the rest of my days. It is important to know where you come from, and why you are where you are today.
Stillness Is The Key by Ryan Holiday
Another book about Stoicism, what can I say? I am a massive Holiday fan and a huge philosophy nerd. This one is different from the last though because this book is what started it all for me.
This book started my self-improvement journey.
It was the first book I ever read in my late teens (I only started reading again at 16). And it couldn't have been a better choice.
This book however introduced me to three of my most important current habits, which are still to this day, ones that I engage in daily.
Going on peaceful walks.
Starting a daily journaling practice.
Building a consistent morning routine.
Mans Search For Meaning By Viktor Frankl
I don’t know about you, but a central theme in my life is finding meaning. This involves finding out who you are, where you come from, and what your purpose is. This short little sweet book reaffirmed a realization deep within me that my search for meaning is the most important thing in my life.
Our lives are only made worth living through the meaning we give them. Your’s could be to look after your family, raise your children, write a book, or spread whatever your message is through the world.
This book was written by a Holocaust survivor, who lived through the Auschwitz concentration camp. Frankl, a psychoanalyst, saw the bottom depths of what humans were capable of, he witnessed and lived through the worst thing one could endure.
Yet he had a potent realization when he came out the other side after asking himself what is the meaning of life? A beautiful existential exploration from an extraordinary individual who lived through some of the harshest ever times. It blends existential philosophy and psychology (more specificaaaly psychoanalytic theory).
Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
David Goggins is a literal machine. He is a retired Navy SEAL who has competed in physical challenges beyond comprehension.
He has run more than sixty ultra-marathons and once held the Guinness world record for completing the most amount of pull-ups ever.
He used to be dangerously obese and turned his life around in a few months to put himself through BUD/s. A grueling physical and mental test that lasts 24 weeks in order to become a Navy SEAL.
Goggins’ life story entails everything from the tragic abuse, racism, and poverty he lived through as a child, to achieving insurmountable levels of success in the fitness and military world.
You don’t have to be a fitness nut to read this, because the amount of obstacles Goggins has overcome and the amount of power he has over his mind will inspire you beyond any words that I can write. If you want a kick up the ass in order to take action and actually get up and do something, this is for you. It changed my perception on how truly hard a person can be, and that most importantly, anyone can fucking do it.
Walden By Henry David Thoreau
Walden was published in 1854 by one of my favorite all-time philosophers, Henry David Thoreau. This is a classic of environmental literature and it has been pivotal in developing my philosophical and political beliefs on society.
He describes his solitary experiences with nature, from the things such as chopping wood to other aspects of his daily life. It’s a part memoir of his temporary hermit life away from society. Various philosophical ideas are explored in this book which is why I like it so much.
These ideas include the relationship between:
Man
Government
And society.
The core value of this book however is a meditation on living simply.
This book has been very important in forming my central beliefs on the natural world and its beauty. But also in the importance of individualism. Thoreau, (much like his mentor and friend Ralph Waldo Emerson), advocates for taking your own path in life, irrespective of what other people think. And this is why I love this book aswell as Transcendentalism so much.
Self Reliance and Other Essays By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Yet again, another transcendentalist philosophy book. Self Reliance is probably the key philosophical idea in my life and one that has inspired my way of living the most. I mean, I even have a tattoo on half my arm that signifies exactly what self-reliance is about.
The tattoo is of an individual, walking through a path in the forest, alone. As I look down at my arm now and see this tattoo, it makes me so happy. Transcendentalism also advocates for spending time in nature, and that’s also exactly what my tattoo is about.
The act of walking alone, taking your own path, and being entirely independent without falling into the trap of allowing something or someone else to sustain your happiness is what self-reliance is about. And it’s exactly what this short essay is about.
It’s not exactly a book, more so an essay, but I had to include it, seeing as it’s permanently engraved into my skin.
Atomic Habits By James Clear
I know, a very cliche classic self-improvement book. But this book right here, man I don’t even have words for how much it’s changed my life. Because at the end of the day, the way you live your life and who you are as an individual, is determined by what your daily habits are.
So if you can learn about habits on a practical scientific and self-improvement basis to change them, break them, and build them, what else do you need? To me, this is basically a summary of every single self-improvement book out there. It’s the bible of the genre. If I had to pick only one self-improvement book to exist, I’d pick this one.
The way it’s so actionable and digestible is why I am so fond of it. Even though I’ve only read it once, I still vividly remember almost every single chapter in this book. So much so that I use them in my daily life to build better habits and try to break bad ones.
Unfortunately, I rather stupidly gave my one and only copy to a girl, and we never worked out and I never got the book back… So I am yet to re-install this book into my precious bookshelf. Don’t give away the things closest to your heart fellas, lesson learned (just kidding.)
Bonus Book: Quiet by Susan Cain
I’m a massive introvert at heart. But I still am confident and can do fairly well in social situations. What does this make me then? If you have any questions like this, you have to read this amazing book. Achieving an understanding of who I am from a personality psychologist's point of view has helped me in every area of life.
‘Quiet’ is a book about introverts living in a world that has been primed for extroverts.
There were so many intricacies about extroversion and introversion I never knew. This book made me understand why I am the way I am, on a psychological level. I wasn't being weird or boring for staying home, I was just being me, the way my brain is programmed to be.
The thing is, you don’t have to be an introvert to read this. In fact, I’d even go as far as saying it’s more beneficial for an extrovert to read this, to understand their fellow introverts. Because up to 50% of the world is introverted. So there’s a good chance your best friend or long-term partner is one.
There we go, this is the second newsletter that’s more personal in nature hopefully helping you to get to know me better. Here’s the first “get to know me” post for those who missed it.
These books have changed my life, and I’ve read hundreds. I hope you find at least one interesting enough to add to your to-be-read list.
I could have added quite a few more, but that’s for another time.
Sorry for my lack of activity, I’ll send the normal edition of the newsletter this Sunday, promise. See ya soon!