The Five Books That Have Shaped Me (So Far)
Hi team,
A common trend amongst high performers is their ability to dedicate time to reading. Not only does reading have the capacity to support our learning and understanding, but there may be a number of books that fundamentally shift your thinking and send you down a new path.
So far in my life there have been a selection of books that have caused this shift within my own thinking and I want to share them with you.
The Pressure Principle by Dr Dave Alred
I have always loved to play sport and yet, I went through a period in my later teenage years when I was struggling to perform at my previous levels. Having read The Pressure Principle, I have realised that I was battling with performance anxiety and the awareness of my declining performance was creating a self-fulfilling cycle of issues.
Since reading this book, I have become more aware of the signs for anxiety, particularly in any element of my life which requires performance. Whilst there is definitely a sporting tone throughout this book, it can still prove useful to anyone looking to handle pressure better in their general and working lives.
Limitless by Jim Kwik
Jim Kwik was one of those people I came across when one of his memory training videos surfaced on my YouTube feed. Since that day I have become a keen follower of Jim’s work and was over the moon when I heard about his book Limitless.
The book includes subjects such as goal planning, finding a working flow, memory training and study tips. I really love how this book is easy to understand and makes the process of learning exciting. This really shifted my mentality to believe that anyone can develop their brain and I have consistently used a number of the methods over the last few years.
The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco
This was a book recommended in a YouTube video from Ali Abdaal and it was a huge influence behind exploring more business opportunities online. The book provides the realisation that the world of business has changed and will continue to change, with opportunities out there to seize.
It was from this book that my appreciation for passive income channels was developed and it very clearly sets out that a successful business will solve problems, fill needs and add value. Gone are the days of traditional businesses being physical entities, run by big teams, but we are now seeing opportunities for individuals to earn well as Solopreneurs, if they choose.
Sleep by Nick Littlehales
I remember hearing of this book, coming out from the sleep coach for a number of stars, which at the time included the Real Madrid football team. This book packs a whole host of wisdom about sleep, many of the methods I still carry with me to this day, having first read the book in September 2017.
The biggest impact to me, was around redefining the amount of sleep that I needed. Littlehales recommends shifting your thinking to how much sleep we need in cycles, with one cycle amounting to one and a half hours, and five cycles per night the optimum for most. Since that first read, I created myself a cycle logger, which simply tracks how many cycles I had the night before and whether I get any daytime naps in. The target I aim for is always 35 cycles per week and whilst I rarely hit this, it is a really good gauge that if I feel good, I tend to be on track with my cycles and the opposite when I am well off the target.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
My final selection is my only novel and it is less the content but the context that helped to shape me. When we were in school, The Great Gatsby was on the syllabus for study and as you do, we analysed every line, pulling out each metaphor possible from the book. I absolutely hated it, thanks to the constant over analysis of the potential metaphors that lay behind this story.
Fast forward around eight years later and I suddenly had the urge to revisit the book, just to see if my enjoyment would be altered. At the time, I couldn’t understand how I had such a dislike for a classic. Thankfully, I absolutely loved The Great Gatsby. Take away all the school analysis and I had the freedom to explore the book how I wanted to, not how I was told to. This was a great lesson to me in revisiting various subjects and content over time, as something may have impacted your potential enjoyment and who knows whether you may have a change of view.
If any of these books sound appealing, then I would highly recommend that you grab yourselves a copy. If you have already read any of these and have thoughts, or have a book you would recommend, then please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.
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