6 Books to Read in 2019

Here are a few books I liked reading so far in 2019. For me one of the ways to keep motivation ongoing is to keep reading. Reading is one way to be positive about your future and it is also relaxing for me. It also provides a great relief from the negative news cycles. So here are 6 books I enjoyed reading this year.

Loonshots by Safi Bahcall – This is already sighted as one of the best books of the year. It is so well researched with rich examples that will keep us well informed and entertained. A loonshot is a neglected project widely dismissed. For example, Nokia had a similar idea to the iPhone in 2004 but they killed the idea. The other famous one is Edwin Land of Polariod who was well within his reach to commercialize digital technology but didn't go through with it. The few rules mentioned are to separate the phases, to have dynamic equilibrium and embracing a system mindset. The latter was what I liked because it was based on how Kasparov analyzed bad moves he made in his games. He didn't just analyze the bad move but he went through all the decisions he made which led to the bad move. That can be applicable for our lives as well.. You must balance your team with engineers and artists. This is worth a peek for sure.

The Passion Paradox by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness – Well-written book overall thesis is not to just follow our passion with obsession. Make sure it is a harmonious passion that is healthy and does not destroy you. I liked the chapter on mastering the mindset which involves the drive to be from within, focusing on process, being in process of getting better not being the best, embracing failure, being patient and being here now. I reviewed their earlier book Peak Performance and you can check it out here. 14 Lessons on Peak Performance.

Turning the flywheel by Jim Collins– This is a quick read with some splendid examples of how to identify your flywheel and make it work for your organization. This is a monograph. Here is my review of his other books. Greatness is a Choice, How the Mighty Fall, Good to Great, Built to Last

No Hard Feelings by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy - This is an excellent book that emphasizes the need for all of us to show some emotion or embrace it at work. For example, the first chapter encourages to be less passionate about your job and embrace self-care. There is no point in neglecting our health for passion. There is also a chapter on psychological safety and a good one on leadership. There are a lot of cartoons as well.

Outer Order Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin – This is all about clearing the clutter in our lives eventually leading to inner calm. I do agree with the approach for example if we clear our home and remove the non-essentials we do feel better for sure. Breezy read for sure.

Wise Guy by Guy Kawasaki – This is truly a book full of wisdom hacks throughout. His lessons learned from Steve Jobs was good as well. Lot of solid advice across all areas of life. Some of the lessons are to embrace joy vs happiness, adding value to people, appreciate how good you have it and also understand that all good people sometimes do bad things.

These 6 books can help us have a greater 2019. Happy reading.

The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.