1. The Art of Clear Thinking by Hasard Lee
Amazing storytelling and some great ideas on what happens to your brain when under extreme stress. I’ve bought this book for tree people already. I also found this book because the author was doing an “Ask Me Anything” on reddit. His answers were so honest and to the point I had to read the book and was thoroughly delighted.
2. Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
B Lal told me to read this when we were on a golf trip. I had it finished in three days. I loved a lot of it. How to Callus The Mind. The 40% rule. How and why we should sign up for difficult things. He had a childhood you wouldn’t wish upon anyone.
If you need motivation, want to run a marathon (or an Ultra), or just need a “pick-me-up” this book is for you. Every high school student should have to read this book. Love it.
3. Open by Andre Agassi
I found Open on a list of the best sports books of all time. I agree, it’s that good. Andre Agassi opens up about tennis, his life while he went through the ups and downs of being a world class tennis player.
The interesting part is he doesn’t like tennis, he kind of hates it. He’s very open about how he feels about it but also realizes it’s his best bet to make a living in this world.
He doesn’t seem to find happiness until much later in life when he finally realizes that helping people is the magic. When he builds the foundation and school, it becomes his purpose and you an feel inside he’s just happier at that point.
If you’re big into sports you’ll probably love this book. He remembers literally every point of every game he’s played. the drama he goes through in these games is fascinating.
4. The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl’s story about how he came to be a part of so many aspects of the music industry, it’s really a story almost anyone can get something from. I personally loved the stories about the early days with Nirvana, and more specifically, Kurt Cobain.
Growing up I remember listening to Unplugged in New York album on repeat, Smells Like Teen Spirit was an anthem for a generation. So it also hit just as hard when the news came out about him passing. I couldn’t imagine what Dave went through.
It was inspiring to learn how much Kurt and Nirvana practiced. That was incredible.
The work ethic that went into Dave Grohl’s career makes his success seem all that more inevitable.
If you like music you’ll love this book.
5. Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
I think I heard about this book on a Tim Ferriss podcast. It sounded up my alley and had me hooked throughout.
Building a culture around your people and giving them the authority to create “legends” out of moments with guests was a brilliant takeaway from this book.
You can’t do it alone.
6. The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
I find myself quoting this book and I read it over 6 months ago! This book stays with you in a GREAT way.
I already wrote about it here:
An amazing book reviewed. But the lessons of “It’s all invented!”, “Remember rule #6”, and “Giving an ‘A'” have changed the way I look at and do business.
If you still don’t know what they are you need to read the book!
7. How Big Things Get Done by Brent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner
I quote this book to project managers and people trying to do big things. There’s an awfully good chance that your big project will go over time, over budget, or not deliver what was promised. That’s 99% of all projects. I know wild!
So how are we to approach major projects? Build modular. Solar and wind projects were the only two categories that consistently came in on time, on budget and on what was promised for an outcome.
If you work on big project you should have already read this book.
8. Trust Me I’m Lying by Ryan Holiday
I just bought this for our whole team to read. I read it a long time ago and just reread it because of how the internet seems to be going. It’s an eye-opener. The amount of manipulation that happens on the internet without people knowing is pretty incredible. From his first story till the last chapter Ryan has you hooked.
If you are in the marketing space or social media you’ll find this book fascinating. Mr. Holiday has several other books that are GREAT reads.
9. How to Build a Car by Adrian Newey
From out in left field comes a book on building a race car?! Adrian Newey is the Chief Technical Officer at Redbull Racing. He’s build more championship cars than anyone else in the history of Formula 1.
I’m a big fan of F1 currently so this book was as much entertainment as it was educational. I did not know that Newey designed the car that the late Arton Senna was in when he crashed ending his illustrious career and life.
More recently he’s known for designing several Redbull cars that seem to be untouchable to the rest of the F1 grid.
10. The Cuckoo’s Egg by Cliff Stoll
This book was written a long time ago but you’d never know it. It’s about hackers, computer networks, and how to catch an international thief. This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire way.
I found it from a list a client had published on their companies “top 10 favourite books on IT security”. I got it and couldn’t put it down. If you like the internet, computer security or stories about hackers you’re going to like this one!
11. Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
There’s nothing like a good cry, and at the end of this one you will have yourself a good ol’ cry. Tuesday’s with Morrie was recommended to me from a friend, a LONG time ago. I just recently bought it and finished it within a couple days. It’s VERY good.
I will warn you, it is sad. You may tear up a little, but that’s not a bad thing. This is a book everyone needs to read. I bought it for my Dad after I finished it.
12. The Power of Consistency by Weldon Long
Weldon Long is an unassuming inspirational leader, and you have no idea how powerful his story is. It’s an inspiration because you realize ANYONE can be successful, it just takes A LOT of reps. I wrote about it on another post here:
The Amazing Power of Consistency.
What are you doing to consistently get better? In life? At work? At the gym? You don’t need to be a hero or even amazing, you just need to be consistent! Over time, a small drip creates an Ocean. What Ocean are you creating?
13. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin is unlike any other creative you have come across. He’s worked with the best of the best AND he still comes across like a down-to-earth genuine guy who simply loves music. The book is a breathe of fresh air. He talks a lot about how he works, how collaboration works, and how to tap into that side of us that speaks to our art.
If you do or enjoy art whatsoever you will love this book. Highly recommend.
14. Little Black Stretchy Pants by Chip Wilson
I stopped using kitchen cleaner because of this book. I know I know weird takeaway but I really appreciate Chips advice on a lot of things, not just retail business. In the kitchen his recommendation was to use vinegar and lemon, because you probably will eat something off the counter at one point and you don’t want to be eating chemicals!
The story of lululemon is of Canadian entrepreneurial stardom. From the way Chip selected materials himself and was his own quality control department to ways in which the company would grab attention in the media without having to pay for it. If you run a company or are in the marketing industry, you’re going to get a lot out of the book.
The story about the first lulu opening on Robson st. and Chip promising a free lulu outfit to all those who showed up naked. Turns out A LOT more people showed up naked than he thought. He quickly ensured everyone was clothed and it wasn’t the PR disaster it could have been. Quite the opposite really.
Or when they open the New York store and bought an electronic billboard in time square for the day, not to market the company but to celebrate the people who made that store happen.
He always cared about his people and he always cared around quality. Loved this book, had written a post about it here:
Fight the Urge to be Mediocre.
15. Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
It’s the amount of time we have on the earth, approximately. The author challenges you to think about what you’re spending your time on. As Jeff Bezos’s “regret minimization framework”, this book makes you think about how you should be spending your time.
I liked this book because it gives you perspective. You can try to work more and more efficiently, get a never ending amount of tasks done, multitask until every moment of every day is spent doing something of value. But at what cost? When you begin to understand what you need to be spending your time on life gets much better.
16. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph
The story of Netflix is a wonderful entrepreneurial journey, the title of the book was named after the response Marc Randolph got for years when pitching his video on demand idea for a company. Yes, Netflix wasn’t the runaway success that it is now, in the beginning they struggled, got laughed out of meetings, but they never gave up.
It’s an inspiring story of an entrepreneurial dream come true. It’s funny to think of the world before Netflix. I think you’ll like this book.
17. Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
I first listened to
So Many Steve’s, a Pushkin podcast production. It was good, but I wanted to hear more of Steve’s story, how he came to be the comedian he is today. And I wasn’t disappointed at all!
Steve Martin didn’t have a regular up-bringing, you have sympathy for him at times because of what he went through. But I think that’s what I loved about the book, he’s just being super honest. I appreciate that.
When you think famous people have it easy and once you’ve made it life is just simple. It’s plain wrong, this book was an eye-opener.
18. Einstein by Walter Isaacson
The fact that the smartest person in history used to get lost on his way home is a humbling realization. The next time someone makes fun of you for making a mistake, kindly remind them that Einstein, one of the most intelligent people to ever live, had a difficult time with directions.
His life was fascinating. Always tinkering, always curious, and still had time to be a good father. The one story about him on the floor playing with his child as if he was a child was enlightening. He had a beginners mind in everything he did.
So be a child, act like a kid. Keep your mind young.
19. Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, MD, FICS
I talked about this book A LOT during presentations this past year. It was written orignally in 1960 by Maxwell Maltz, a medical doctor and plastic surgeon. He stubbled upon the world of self improvement because anytime he did reconstructive surgery on the face, he noticed something peculiar after the procedure. People felt better, acted more confident, and were generally happier. What could it be?
When you change your look and you think you look more attractive, you act more attractive. But what doctor Maltz realized was you don’t need the surgery to act more confident, you can just do it. The book is about using your brain to make your life better.
Our brain is very powerful and the perceptions we make about life and ourselves are extremely powerful. Your opinion of yourself is the thing propelling you into your future or holding you back.
How’s your opinion of yourself? You should read this book. I love it.
20. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
The story of Nike and how it came to be was not what I expected. The dominate sports apparel brand of our generation was born out of track runners literally trying to make a better shoe for running. That’s it. All the sports they are a part of today all started with a kid and a dream in Oregon.
The inspiring part of this book is you don’t get the feeling that Phil was a runaway success. Quite the opposite really, he fought, struggled, and kept the company a float for long enough for it to take on it’s own personality. And out of the extreme attention to detail came out an incredible sports brand that’s involved in almost every type of sport on the planet. Definitely a classic.
21. Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD
Bet you didn’t think you’d end up reading an entire book on sleep. But yup, you should read it. It goes through why we sleep, why it’s so important to our bodies and brains, some tips on how to get to sleep, and the affects when we don’t sleep.
Focusing on getting good sleep is something more people should be doing. It’s when our minds and bodies get a break, to repair muscles, and to let memories sink in. Going without sleep for any extended period is very dangerous. Specifically driving while tired is putting your life in danger. The fact that when we’re sleep deprived we don’t think we are makes it even more dangerous.
I will refuse to drive if I’m tried or had a bad sleep. Read this book, you’ll understand why.
22. Legacy by James Kerr
I heard about this book on a podcast and bought it instantly. It’s leadership lesson’s from the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby team. And it’s nothing short of amazing. I even named a presentation after a concept in the book: Sweep the Barns. Talking about how the captains of the team stick around after games and practices to sweep them out and clean them up. It’s a message to everyone in the organization that to lead is to serve.
This is a great book on leadership on elite teams. How are you serving the people under you?
23. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jordenson
Coming in last but definitely not least, the peculiar read that is the
Almanack of Naval Ravikant. Tim Ferriss talks about this bloke a lot. He makes you take pause to where you are at and reflect.
I love the one line he has about the power of unconditional love. He was raised by a single mother who loved and cared for him dearly. He said that made all the difference in his life.
Who will you give unconditional love to?
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