Thoughts on Life-Changing Books
[6 Of My All-Time Favourites]
CONTEXT
Some books just stay with you. You know the kind that I’m talking about...
The ones that grab your attention the moment you open them.
The ones you can’t help but talk about, especially that one chapter that blew your mind.
The ones that shift your perspective and stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page - books you'd happily revisit any time.
And when you meet someone who's read the same ones? You instantly bond. 🔥
Here are the 6 books that have done that for me.
THE BOOKS
1. Atomic Habits by James Clear
My Key Takeaways:
Success isn’t about big, life-changing moments - it’s built on daily habits.
Make those habits a part of who you are. Every small action is a vote for the person you’re becoming.
Getting 1% better each day might seem small, but it adds up over time.
My Favourite Quote: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
BTW - Lewis O’Brien wrote a great visual summary on this, check it out here!
2. I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
My Key Takeaways:
Spend freely on the things you love. Cut back ruthlessly on the things you don’t.
Just dive in. (Don’t overthink what to invest in.)
Automate your savings and investing so it happens without effort.
My Favourite Quote: “Why do you want to be rich? What does being rich mean to you?”
3. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
My Key Takeaways:
Make money with your mind, not your time. The best assets work for you—even while you sleep.
Master 1-2 things you're truly obsessed with. No one can outdo you at being yourself.
Get off the hedonic treadmill. (You'll go much further on solid ground.)
My Favourite Quote: “A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought - they must be earned.”
4. Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza
My Key Takeaways:
If you want a different outcome, you need to become a different version of yourself.
Meditation is the key to unlocking your subconscious—and breaking free from old habits.
A memory without emotion is simply wisdom.
My Favourite Quote: “Your thoughts have consequences so great that they create your reality.”
Tip - if you aren’t ready to read the entire book yet, here’s a YouTube video of Joe sharing his insights in a lecture. It’s great!
5. Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
My Key Takeaways:
You’ve got 4,000 weeks (80 years) in a human lifespan—if you're lucky—and that's not a lot of time. Don’t put off living for some distant future. Enjoy the present.
A holiday isn’t meant to make you more productive later. It’s meant to be enjoyed now.
Don’t let “perfect” stop you from getting things done.
My Favourite Quote: “One can waste years postponing precisely the things one cares about the most.”
6. Essentialism by Greg Mckeown
My Key Takeaways:
Focus on doing fewer things, but doing them better. Stack small wins in the areas that matter most.
The pressure to "do more" is often so” on ourselves. (It’s about managing that inner critic.)
"Priority" means one thing. Just one.
My Favourite Quote: “Give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone.”
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