4 Books That Could Transform Your Life

You ever heard the saying that readers are leaders? The more you learn, the more you earn. I agree with that to a point. It used to be that I would just buy every single book that people recommended and read it religiously.

In a world of constant information overload, finding truly impactful books can be challenging. Yet, some volumes stand out for their potential to shift perspectives and inspire meaningful change.

As we navigate the complexities of 2024, four remarkable books have emerged as must-reads for those seeking personal growth, fresh insights, and transformative ideas.

Let’s explore these literary gems that could reshape your outlook and approach to life.

Here are 4 books:

• The Happiness Hypothesis
• Atomic Habits
• I Will Teach You To Be Rich
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

The Happiness Hypothesis

Alright, very first book we got, Jonathan, the happiness hypothesis.

What 10 ideas actually work to make people happy? One massive idea I get from this book as I was rereading it, is that ultimate freedom can make you freaking miserable. Okay, now I know this sounds like a paradox because some of you are in jobs right now that you don’t like.

In this book, it talks about one study that I found fascinating. One dominant factor that looked at so suicide rates amongst people. You know what that dominant factor was? Constraints.

That the people who were more likely or less likely to off themselves. It came down to having constraints. Having something outside of themselves that they were responsible for.

That if we don’t have any responsibilities. In other words, if we’re totally free, we can also be totally miserable.

I know this from personal experience.

When I quit my job and I was in my mom’s basement, 30 grand in debt, like technically I was absolutely free. But I would wake up every day like thinking I had to start this business right with this overwhelming crippling anxiety. Cause I’m like, well, I’m starting from scratch.

I have all this freedom in the world, but where do I even start? And then your head gets spinning and blah, blah, blah. It wasn’t until I actually went back and took a part time job working as a middle school counselor with kids. That gave me some constraints.

Took up 20, 30 hours a week that I was able to do this business. Because now, instead of having 12 or 18 hours a day to just work on this business, right, I only had about 5, so I had constraints, and I was more productive. Talks about in nursing homes, you know, patients who were.

Who have something as simple as an animal or even a plant to water every day, they’re much less likely to get illnesses or die early. They have something to take care of. They have a reason.

And the whole book kind of goes over some ideas like that, where we think we want this, but actually science says it’s this. Don’t fall into the trap that doing anything you want all the time, me, me, me, me, me, is the key to happiness. That could be hedonistic and lack fulfillment, because if you’re just living for yourself, eventually that’s gonna get boring.

Living for others, having constraints is actually healthy and scientifically proven, the right ones to make you happy.

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Atomic Habits

When most people go about change habits, they think about tactics. Give me the books to read, give me the techniques. What meditation to do, what manifestation technique.

Most people approach change from three to one. I’m gonna take some actions, and I hope it changes my beliefs or my stories inside. And then, you know, hopefully, if it lasts long enough, I’ll change my identity.

But real change in your life happens when you go one, two, three at the identity level. You rewire yourself, okay? And you adopt a new identity. You create this ahead of time.

It knocks over your stories, and then your actions fall in alignment. In other words, this is the secret to change the identity route. Most people go like this, and they wonder why they’re stuck.

Does that make sense?

One book that opened my eyes to this right is our fourth book right here, atomic habits. Everyone in the comments were telling me to read this for probably a year since it came out.

And I was like, yeah, I’ll get to it. And then I finally did, and I was like, holy moly, that’s a great book. But it talks about this right here. The goal is not to stop reducing cigarettes actions. The goal is to become a non smoker. The goal is not to put on your running shoes and run a marathon.

In the book, James says that every action is a vote for the person that you want to become. So I love that frame in your life today.

Think about that. Big or small, every action you do, or you could say every thought or belief or judgment, casts a vote for the person that you want to become. And again, those votes, if you collect enough evidence for something, they influence your identity level.

So we can approach this of two ways.

We can create this identity and then start casting votes for the person we want to be and reinforce it in. Now, what’s really crazy is most people don’t realize this, and they cast votes against themselves out of alignment with what they say they want to do and who they want to become.

And that’s why a lot of people have this ick in their life. Show up, right? There’s a gap. It’s like who I view myself as and what I’m actually doing right here.

And the bigger this gap is, the more ick we feel inside, the more depression can creep in. Stress, anxiety, overthinking, imposter syndrome. So the secret is changing your identity, rewiring it, and closing this gap right here.

Once you do that, it’s really easy to get up and live life and feel awesome because you’re in integrity with what you say you’re doing and what you’re actually doing. Does that make sense? Atomic habits, great book.

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I Will Teach You To Be Rich

And so I am telling you that that is very long winded way of saying our third book, I Will Teach You To Be Rich. I’ve been recommending this one probably a couple years now, and this really goes into some more of those rules, right, of how to kind of set yourself up for 10, 20, 30 years from now so that you’re going to be well off.

It doesn’t require insane amount of smarts or even insane amounts of income. It requires insane amounts of discipline. You make a million dollars and you spend it.

How much did you make? Zero goose egg. It’s better off to make 100,000, save 40. You are richer at the end of the year than that person who made a million and spent a million.

It’s not about the money you make. It’s about the money you keep. And I love that this book emphasizes that and gives you really practical ways to influence it, using compounding in the long term.

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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

I read this The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, it was just a really fun, light hearted read all about kind of self development and how these ideas, what that rant we just went on with the journal, pretty much like the arts or the science of improving yourself.

The good intention behind that is like, yeah, I’m gonna be better, right?

But if we never apply it, we just have these to dos in our headland that we turn on ourself and we beat ourselves up and we feel guilty on because we’re not applying it. That even if something has a positive intent, doesn’t mean it’s positive for us.

Okay, so I’ll leave it at that. That book was awesome.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, these four powerful books have the potential to spark profound change in your life. Each offers unique insights and practical wisdom that can reshape your mindset, habits, and overall approach to living. Whether you’re seeking personal growth, improved relationships, greater productivity, or a deeper sense of purpose, the lessons within these pages provide valuable guidance.

Remember, true transformation doesn’t come from simply reading - it requires reflection, application, and consistent effort. As you explore these books, take time to consider how their teachings relate to your own life. Experiment with the strategies they suggest, and be patient with yourself as you work towards positive change.

Ultimately, the power to transform your life lies within you. These books are simply tools to help unlock your potential and illuminate the path forward. Which one will you pick up first?