5 Must Read Books Before The New Year

This year I challenged myself to explore reading again, something I loved to do as a young kid but had gotten away from with age. Initially I decided to dabble again to keep my mind sharp but I stumbled upon some motivation on the way.

The following books (in no specific order) are ones that I personally benefitted from. I would recommend to both, a good friend or a complete stranger. I’ll get right to it.

1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Part of me was bummed that I found this book later in life, the other part of me believes it found me at the right time. “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho is a book I finished in one night simply because I couldn’t put it down. It follows the journey of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy, who decides to act on his aspirations of travel in order to search for an unconfirmed treasure.

"To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation."

- The Alchemist

Who Santiago is and even where he comes from is neither here nor there. This text serves to remind us that we are all heroes of our own story, and if we desire to do something, we should set out to do it; I feel like we lose sight of that sometimes. It's a story that aims to inspire people to follow their own personal legend, whatever that may be. The metaphors in this book tell a different tale depending on what stage you’re at in your life.

A common theme that is correlated with "The Alchemist" is the law of attraction. The law that I personally identify as - Whatever your mindset is and what your mind believes, is usually true. It works both ways: If your thoughts are positive, odds are you'll stay motivated on the task at hand and radiate positive energy, that not only will prove to be beneficial for you but for those around you, as well. If you keep telling yourself you can't do something, guess what? Odds are you can't and won't do it. It's not always as easy as it sounds, but the sooner one processes this psyche, the better off they'll be because of it.

"Everyone has his or her own way of learning things, his way isn’t the same as mine, nor mine as his. But we’re both in search of our Personal Legends and I respect him for that."

- The Alchemist

My personal takeaway: After reading "The Alchemist", I had more appreciation for things in life; things I would've overlooked in adolescence, such as my relationships and life itself. If you travel, take time to admire the beauty and your ability to do so.

"The Alchemist" reminded me of friends, colleagues and mentors that I’ve been fortunate to cross paths with on the course of my own journey. Listen to your heart, follow your destiny, failure in your life is inevitable but the lessons will follow, learn from them and keep going, you may be closer than you think to what it is that you desire. There’s beauty in the journey, not always the destination, itself.

This story will stand the test of time so I’ll more than likely revisit parts of, if I ever find myself not being able to remember it’s value. I recently participated in a book exchange and this was the book I chose to send to a stranger. I look forward to gifting it to others in the future and I highly recommend to all, hopefully it has the same effect on those of you who decide to read it, as it did on me.

2. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

Quirky at times, briefly unrelatable at others due to the author's super stardom. However, that doesn't diminish the value of this read, whatsoever.

I'm not a movie star or a celebrity in any sense of the word but I do enjoy the finer things in life. Which to me includes but not limited to: watching "the game", live music, great company, cold drinks, experiencing new things and meeting new people. McConaughey dives into all of this in "Greenlights".

"Red Lights eventually turn into Greenlights if you stay on course."

- Matthew McConaughey, Greenlights

All in all, I enjoyed this book because he writes freely, whatever he would have said and felt at the time is penned, true creative writing. It works because he's such a great story teller.

After reading and having a few laughs, I thought to myself, "What's the point in enjoying the fruits of my labor if I can't share it with others?" Greenlight.

“Me? I haven't made all A's in the art of living. But I give a damn. And I'll take an experienced C over an ignorant A any day.”

- Matthew McConaughey, Greenlights

My personal takeaway: This read is a breath of fresh air and with so much going on I think we all could use a reminder to never stop livin'. L-I-V-I-N'. Life's hard but it's also pretty damn funny at times, we should stop to notice. Another Greenlight. I've been told this audio book voiced by McConaughey himself is every bit worth the listen.

3. The Greatest Salesman in the World by OG Mandino

I've had this book in my possession for some time and decided to revisit after Matthew McConaughey referenced it on page 94 in "Greenlights". McConaughey credits "The Greatest Salesman in the World" for enabling him to make a life changing decision that proved to be a major turning point in his journey. (I'm not going to spoil it for you).

At first glance one may assume that this book was written solely for those who are adamant about becoming a successful salesman, rightfully so. I'm here to tell you this isn't the case. These 10 ancient scrolls were written to establish a mindset in the reader. A mindset to manifest whatever it is they set out to achieve by following the wisdom in each specific scroll.

"I was not delivered into this world in defeat nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I'm a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep, I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny. I will persist until I succeed."

- Excerpt from Scroll III, The Greatest Salesman in the World

My personal takeaway: Not only will the wisdom shared help one become a great salesmen but it'll help guide them to becoming a great person. The goal isn't to be perfect but to aim for perfection and you'll improve over time, daily.

As humans, it's in our best interest to keep learning and adapting as time marches on. Manifesting your future success is the best place to start your journey to becoming successful.

"I will perform good habits and become their slave"

- Scroll I, The Greatest Salesman in the World

I won't share the scrolls, go find out for yourself! This is a quick and humbling read, I encourage the reader keeps it handy.

4. Do the F*cking Work: Lowbrow Advice for High-Level Creativity by Jason Bacher, Brian Buirge, and Jason Richburg

If you as the reader can handle the vulgarity of this text, I highly recommend giving this witty motivational a look. I say "look" because this book was built on aesthetics just as much as it's built to read. It follows the journey of three graphic design grad students and how they built their brand GFDA, to what it is today. Naturally, they do a significant job visualizing their work on these pages and displaying their marketing genius. Engaging stuff.

"Make your work meaningful.

The sole purpose of your existence is to bring light of meaning into the world. The human condition afflicts us all, and each of us is obliged to strive for a meaningful contribution. You may work to move the whole thing forward or set it back, but no one has the option to sit it out. We're all in this shit together."

- Do the F*cking Work: Lowbrow Advice for High-Level Creativity, page 246

Do you ever have a great idea but never act on it? You're not alone. Time isn't going to wait on you to "get around to it", whatever "It" may be. In fact, time waits for no one, so if you have any desire to begin a personal project, take advantage of the now to get started. I myself am extremely guilty of putting things off; this book was the swift kick in the ass I needed to act on my thoughts. I credit it's message for convincing me to write this piece.

• If you desire to start your own business, do the research.
• If you wish to become a photographer, start taking photos.
• If you want to start a podcast, buy a mic (more on this to come).
• If you want to learn how to do something in 2021, you should probably Google it.
• Want to become a writer? Purchase your domain name and write your first blog on it.

You see where I'm going with this?

My personal takeaway: Similar to a message you'll receive in reading "The Greatest Salesman in the World", it'll be echoed in "Do the F*cking Work": You will fail, you'll hear "No" way more than you'll hear "Yes". You'll eventually succeed because of this by gaining necessary knowledge from the experience, learning more about your craft in the process. If it wasn't for hearing "No", the "Yeses" wouldn't be as sweet when they do come. Do you, take the L's, don't give up. Just get started.

Thanks Jason2 and Brian for the laughs and the motivation. I'm the youngest of brother's and I spent a majority of my life in locker rooms. I'm still not positive I've seen nor heard this many "F" bombs in one sitting until now.

Side note: This should go without saying but these author's are design guys so this book will look wicked awesome on your bookshelf at home, if you're into that kind of thing.

5. Game Changers: What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life by Dave Asprey

"Game Changers", written by Bulletproof CEO Dave Asprey, aims to answer the question "How can I kick more ass at life?" by giving advice and the lifehacks of the world's best - how to perform better, cognitively, emotionally and physically.

“in order to upgrade yourself, you have to pay attention to the spiritual, emotional, cognitive, and physical parts of life all at the same time.”

- Dave Asprey, Game Changers

I won't dive too much into the findings of this book because they are very in depth and once again, the reader should find out for themselves. However, I will say that I've taken multiple ideas and techniques from this text and applied them to my own personal life. My career calls for me to be sharp and operate at optimal levels, mentally. I owe it to myself and my employer to be at my best.

Imagine if someone approached you and said "Do you want an advantage on your competition and do you want to become smarter and healthier?" Sign me up. That is what this book aims to do.

“Your true obsessions are the things you would pursue if you already had what you want in life, when it’s not about making money or reaching a goal.”

- Dave Asprey, Game Changers

My personal takeaway: This book somewhat resembles "Tools of Titan's" by Tim Ferris, in the sense that it's written by diving into the tactics of industry leaders. Some portions of this book may not apply to you and that's just fine. The author even states to skip to the next section if you feel that way, it's only meant to help. Give it a look and something may appeal to you.

In closing

Like most, I'm no where close to having this life thing figured out but I do know I'm evolving, daily. With the knowledge and wisdom of these books under your belt, I believe you'll have a solid blueprint heading into a new year.