The Lessons of History

Historians Will and Ariel Durant present an outstanding distillation of critical historical events that is incredibly useful in illuminating current affairs. It is a thoughtful survey of the human experience packed full of insights that are sure to change how you think about the world and its inhabitants.

What I especially appreciated is that in each chapter, the Durants injected a bit of philosophy and provided "lessons" to assist the reader in digesting the book's contents. Whether you agree or disagree with their viewpoint, you'll be sufficiently challenged on both an intellectual and emotional level. 

The 5 Love Languages

Gary Chapman gives very prescriptive advice on how to identify the often unspoken needs and desires of our significant others which, according to research, typically fall into 5 main categories.  If you want to stay in love after you fall in love, then this book's for you.  

I learned about love languages when I was in business school at Stanford taking an interpersonal dynamics course called "Touchy Feely," and it immediately came to mind shortly after graduation when I entered into a relationship. Over a decade later, I can vouch for the wisdom of this book and I use the insights daily.

The Black Swan

A black swan is a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: it is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random and more predictable than it was. 

So why do we not acknowledge the phenomenon of black swans until after they occur? According to Nassim Nicholas Taleb, part of the answer is that humans are hardwired to learn specifics when they should focus on generalities. 

For years, Taleb has studied how we fool ourselves into thinking we know more than we do. We restrict our thinking to the irrelevant and inconsequential while significant events continue to surprise us and shape our world. In this revelatory book, Taleb explains everything we know about what we don’t know. He offers surprisingly simple tricks for dealing with black swans and benefiting from them.

On the Shortness of Life

Seneca's Stoic writings offer potent insights into how to live, how to reason, and how to have integrity. His elegant work is timeless as it addresses a fear we've long struggled with as humans – running out of time.

The Four Agreements

In The Four Agreements, bestselling author Don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offers a robust code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives into a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.

Does It Matter

This collection of essays by philosopher Alan Watts explores man, money, and material things. He ventures deep into how we use things as symbols for status, not realizing how this way of thinking detaches us from reality.

Watts inspired me to learn how to lessen my dependence on money. I have challenged myself to see money as what it is — just one of many tools for obtaining what we want while not mistaking it for the meaning of life. 

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Although classified as a business and leadership book, there are many personal lessons you can pick up from this enduring text. Stephen Covey focuses on the "character ethic" of incredibly successful people and distills the most favorable traits into a short list of habits he deems to be universal must-haves for reaching your goals.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset.

In this brilliant book, she shows how people with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed.

The Culture Code

Written by Clotaire Rapaille, this is one of the most fascinating studies on human differences I've ever read. As an avid traveler and member of an interracial and intercultural relationship, I loved exploring how to translate these codes to gain a deeper understanding of people who aren't like me. The publisher explains:

Why are people around the world so very different? What makes us live, buy, even love as we do? The answers are in the codes. Rapaille’s breakthrough notion is that we acquire a silent system of codes as we grow up within our culture.

These codes—the Culture Code—are what make us American, or German, or French, and they invisibly shape how we behave in our personal lives, even when we are completely unaware of our motives. What’s more, we can learn to crack the codes that guide our actions and achieve new understanding of why we do the things we do.

Designing Your Life

In this book, Stanford professors Bill Burnet and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are.

The same design thinking responsible for unique technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.

Meditations

This is a series of personal writings and accounts by the great philosopher Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Intended as a private journal for his own personal development, we find the intimate notes and ideas that Aurelius recorded on Stoicism. Central themes in the book are understanding one's self and having a perspective on the world and how you fit into it. He also waxes eloquently about how to be a good man.

A Guide to the Good Life

William Braxton Irvine shows us how Stoicism, one of the most popular schools of thoughts in ancient Rome, still applies to us in modern times. It serves as a roadmap for applying Stoic techniques to the attainment of self awareness, peace of mind, and contentment. 

The Richest Man Who Ever Lived

I obsessively highlighted multiple passages in this book because of all the truths it contains. Though not religious, I can't resist consuming wisdom from those who came before us. Who better to learn from than the supposed wisest (and wealthiest) man to ever live on earth — King Solomon?

Geoge Clason interprets Solomon's proverbs and parables to offer enlightening principles on creating, growing, and preserving wealth. Some time ago, I decided to reset my beliefs about money, and this book provided a lot to ponder. 

The Day The Universe Changed

Renowned historian and author James Burke had a 1985 documentary series and book that opened our eyes to the concept of Zeitgeist. We tend to be confident in what we know, not realizing that knowledge is relative. History has shown that our beliefs and ways of life constantly shift as our body of knowledge changes.

My takeaway is not to be so quick to disregard that which doesn't fit your limited view. What you think to be the "real" truth on how the universe functions will likely become obsolete.