Seven Books that Changed Me

The Seven Books (and one Poem) of the Decade that Changed Me

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. This book motivated me to get my book written. I had so many roadblocks and SNAFUS along the way and Pressfield kept me on track. It’s one of the most inspiring books I’ve ever read – about six times so far, I think!

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. My dad gave me this book 25 years ago and I never read it. While I was cleaning out my parents’ library I stumbled on his personal copy with notes and bookmarks. WOW! This book is literally the history of the world wrapped up in 300 pages. Well worth the read and illustrates Jordan Peterson’s comment (see below) that a story is like a little map of the world.

Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. I love reading this guy’s stuff. He’s so smart and well read. Also I love the attitude - irreverent and unapologetic. I learned a lot in this book and use a lot of his material when I lecture at West Point.

12 Rules of Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson. This book is packed with really powerful information. I wish I read it before tackling his first book, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (a masterpiece, and very dense). A great thinker.

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen. This book caused me to refine my daily operating system and helped me a lot by laying out a tickler file system which decreases stress and helps me be more efficient.

The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life by Geshe Michael Roach. This is a meandering read, but it encouraged me to get back into meditation. I liked his recommendation to create a spot in the house where I go to meditate every day and to spend a few moments straightening up first - sort of a metaphorical cleaning of the mind. Good stuff.

Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen. Excellent discourse on how to have more meaningful and productive conversations with the important people in our lives. This book made me see a different perspective on how to better communicate and understand people.

Honorable Mention Book: An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me about Ingenuity, Determination and Being Prepared for Anything by Chris Hadfield. This book is an enjoyable story of a man hell-bent on getting into space. I actually modeled some of my book on this one. Hadfield is an interesting and creative character I hope to meet someday.

Drum Roll please! The most powerful poem of the decade for me is “Today” by Beah Richards. I heard this for the first-time last fall at my writer’s retreat. It was read by Alonzo Emery, an attorney and lecturer at The Harvard Law School and classmate of mine at the retreat. I was so moved when I heard him read the passages. I have shared this poem with all of my wrestlers, all of my colleagues, and anyone who is interested in being inspired. It’s transformative.   

I’ve already declared that one of my three resolutions for the next 10 years is to read more books. So mark your 2030 calendar to see my far lengthier list of meaningful books of the past decade. Meanwhile, let me know which authors help provide structure and meaning in your life or even what books are guilty pleasures that bring laughs, comfort or whatever you seek. I’d enjoy hearing from you.