“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.” — George R.R. Martin

If you’re privileged enough to attend university, you’re in a situation that will transform your life in significant ways along countless dimensions. There is a good reason many call those years in your early twenties the transformative years. As I just finished my bachelor’s degree and look back at this time in my life, I attribute a lot of my development as a person to not only the experience at university itself but to a lot of books and thought work (going beyond my studies) I was exposed to. Some of my friends ask me whether I can give them a list of books I’d suggest reading. I don’t know why they ask me, however, there’s been plenty of books that influenced me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Hence, I am attempting to compile a somewhat comprehensive list of books that had the biggest influence on my thinking and development up to this day. I suggest it’s best to just read what you are most intrigued by. Following your natural curiosity is perhaps the best recipe for transformational development in any area.

When you seek direction in life…

1. The Why Cafe by John P. Strelecky
2. Let Me Tell You A Story by Jorge Bucay
3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coello
4. On the Shortness of Life by Seneca
5. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
6. 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson
7. Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday
8. The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy
9. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
10. The 4-hour Work Week by Tim Ferris
11. Mindset by Carol S. Dweckk
12. Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
13. Solitude by Anthony Storr

When you want to learn business…

1. Growth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday
2. Zero to One by Peter Thiel
3. The Purple Cow by Seth Godin
4. This is Marketing by Seth Godin
5. The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh

When you want to be more effective…

1. Essentialism by Greg McKeown
2. Atomic Habits by James Clear
3. Deep Work by Cal Newport
4. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
5. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

I wish you great fun interacting with the works of some of the greatest minds of our time. If you want to chat about anything you learn from these books, never hesitate to reach out. Fiat Lux.

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