Books that made a difference

I've heard so many people say that they want to read more this year and I was just reflecting on some of the books that have made a difference in my life. I thought I'd share some of them.

In the last 10 years I've read or listened to about 400 books start to finish. This is not a list of 'favorites' - there's a difference between a favorite book and a book that has impacted you as a person. Here are some that have risen to the top for me - in no particular order. Share some of yours in comments if you like.

Endurance: Shackelton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

Who can forget the classic job posting, "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success."

Ernest Shackelton accomplished in 1915 what many modern explorers today with all the latest gear have tried and failed to do. "The quality I look for most is optimism: especially optimism in the face of reverses and apparent defeat. Optimism is true moral courage." -Ernest Shakelton.

Free to Choose by Milton Friedman

Want to understand what is happening in society? Follow the money in a way that only economist Milton Friedman can. This book opened my eyes in a lot of ways.

"The great virtue of a free market system is that it does not care what color people are; it does not care what their religion is; it only cares whether they can produce something you want to buy. It is the most effective system we have discovered to enable people who hate one another to deal with one another and help one another."

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

Don't settle for the movie or the broadway. The music is inspired, but the book is more so.

"It is nothing to die; it is dreadful not to live." -Victor Hugo

There are no words for the depth of emotion found in Les Misérables. If I had to choose one secular book to read every year, it would be this one.

"Those who do not weep, do not see" and at the end he rests where grass covers and rain effaces, not so much as a name remains. :(

Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy by Mo Gawdat

On a happier note... whew... solve for happy is an entire lecture series on the Johnson family motto: "lower your expectations until you're happy"

“Is there anything ever under our total control? Yes, two things are: your actions and your attitude" -Mo Gawdat

Read this book and then read it a couple more times... then look at life like the gift that it is.

The Book of Mormon translated by Joseph Smith Jr.

The Book of Mormon makes a unique claim among books; that is, one will "get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."

For me, it has lived up to its claim (though as a Near Eastern Studies major, the Old Testament does have a special place in my heart).

If you believe the Book of Mormon is just made up by an uneducated seventeen year old, it's worth reading on account that no other seventeen year old in the history of the world has ever written something so complex and comprehensive.

It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by Michael Abrashoff

OK... this book really awakened me to the idea that management is not a top-down sport.

Before there was Culture Code, Drive, Big Potential, or The Advantage there was Captain Abrashoff.

“As a manager, the one signal you need to steadily send to your people is how important they are to you. In fact, nothing is more important to you. Realize your influence, and use it wisely. Be there for your people. Find out who they are. Recognize the effects you have on them and how you can make them grow taller.” -Capt Abrashoff

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

A poignant reminder that follows nicely with Victor Hugo's concept of "those who do not weep do not see" or, as Dumas puts it, "There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness." To those who want to stay firmly in control of a known outcome in this life, we are left with the thought, "Until the day when God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words,—‘Wait and hope." -Alexandre Dumas

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

As an entrepreneur, this book has captured my attention multiple times over. This book is an allegory that teaches us to find our paths and our contentment in the twists and turns that inevitably accompany our life's journey.

"It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."

I'm having fun remembering all these books, but I'm maybe 50% done. I think I'll leave the list here and maybe do a sequel next year. :)