All Notes
When Breath Becomes Air
A memoir of Paul Kalanithi's life battling stage IV metastatic lung cancer. Just as Paul was about to be finished with his long, arduous neurosurgery residency and about to reach the peak of his life and career, he is hit with some of the most life-shattering news anyone can hear.
Outliers
One of the most influential books I have ever read. This was one of the first books I read in my journey of self-improvement, and it completely changed my mindset on the concepts of success and talent. Gladwell broke
Zero to One
An in-depth look in to Peter Thiel's unique philosophy in how to create a successful company in the 21st century. Thiel was the founder of Paypal, one of the earliest investors in Facebook and now the CEO of Palantir, a company that recently went public.
Deep Work
The most valuable skill to have in the 21st century is the ability to work for long periods at a time in deep concentration. But in a society where we are constantly being bombarded with emails, tweets, and blaring notifications the skill is becoming more and more important to have.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Kahneman who is a Nobel prize winner is able to take complex concepts on psychology and make them easy to understand and intuitive to anyone through examples and practical applications.
Elon Musk's Biography
I watched a one hour long documentary about Elon Musk on Youtube about a year ago so I was hesitant in buying the book. After finishing this book, I concluded that it must now be in my top 5 must reads right alongside Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. You hear about Musk's work
Atomic Habits
This book will no doubt become a classic in the realm of self-improvement. Habits are a way we solve reoccurring problems, and so they become the operating system our lives are run on.
So Good They Can't Ignore You
The book was a relatively easy read, and the author does not waste any of your time. Newport debunks myths and makes bold claims such as how the statement of following your passion can end up leading you into a ditch. However, he has plenty of
The Alchemist
What makes this story different than many fiction books is the way the Coelho is able to intertwine such deep wisdom and philosophy into the story. There are so many themes that can be applied to problems people face on a daily basis. It was also a very fun read, and it had me rooting for the main
The Creative Curve
Such an eye-opening and mind-blowing book. Society has for too long put creativity geniuses as a pedestal and chalk up all their success due to pure god-given talent. Gannett aims to break this misconception and turn creativity into a scientific process
Zero to Sold
Filled with great advice and wisdom for all bootstrappers and indie hackers who are either starting or already running a software business. There is little fluff in this book, which I liked. Arvid who has successfully seen all the ups and downs of
Ego is The Enemy
Media portrays those with larger than life egos as the ones on the top, all the fame, wealth, and happiness. In reality, ego is a poison that slowly kills you until your an empty shell, what the media doesn't show you are the countless downfalls and failures of those
The 4-Hour Work Week
The title may sound gimmicky, however, The 4-Hour Work Week is a timeless classic filled with gems on productivity, traveling, and living the life of your dreams. Topics include outsourcing
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
An all-time classic and a must-read for any marketer or psychologist. However, if you're someone who loves to learn about what makes humans tick or why humans commonly do things that don't make sense then I highly recommend you pick up this book.
The Master Algorithm
The book is extremely insightful if you have previous experience in the machine learning space. You don't need to understand the complex math behind the classic algorithms such as support vector machines or k-nearest neighbors, just a broad understanding
The Productivity Project
Chris Bailey is productivity guru, and this book encompasses all his past experiments, research he has conducted, and knowledge to help you become the best possible version of yourself. As someone who is a nerd for books like these, I knew a lot of what was covered but
The War of Art
Overall it was a decent book. The greatest takeaway is to see yourself as a professional and not an amateur when you look at yourself and your work. The problems with the book are that it had absolutely no scientific evidence or even case studies or examples backing up Pressfield's points
The E-Myth Revisited
This is a must-read for any business owner small or big. It centers around the myth of the entrepreneur. That small businesses are started by entrepreneurs risking capital to make a profit. Gerber gives business advice as he is telling a story of him
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Not your ordinary self-help book. Many times it's almost like a splash of cold water to your face, and I loved it. Mark Manson's writing style is truly refreshing and the way he throws in these odd, peculiar stories and case studies helps to really convey his message.
Choose Yourself
James Altucher's writing style is very unique in that he clearly does not care what others think of him. He didn't write the book to become famous, or to get rich which is great because you know he is writing with the sole intent