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What are some of the best life-changing books?Below I have a list of 15 books that have all changed my life for the better.And what more, they are free on Amazon Audible.Amazon.com: A Promised Land (Audible Audio Edition): Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Random House Audio: Audible Audiobookshttps://www.amazon.com/A-Promised-Land-Obama-Audiobook/dp/B08HGH9JMF/ref=zg_bs_audible_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YRWAJEH1RNK5MH0E9937&_encoding=UTF8&tag=shehuab-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=5a1a2df109c8c1624c8d9b0c367d0b2f&camp=1789&creative=9325A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making - from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy.In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency - a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.Obama takes listeners on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office.Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of US partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings listeners inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about US strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune’s Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden.A Promised Land is extraordinarily intimate and introspective - the story of one man’s bet with history, the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage. Obama is candid about the balancing act of running for office as a Black American, bearing the expectations of a generation buoyed by messages of “hope and change”, and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes decision-making. He is frank about the forces that opposed him at home and abroad, open about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment. Yet he never wavers from his belief that inside the great, ongoing American experiment, progress is always possible.This beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama’s conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day.Audible Membership Plans - CompareHow does the free trial work? Audible is a membership service that provides customers with the world's largest selection of audiobooks as well as podcasts, exclusive originals and more. Your Audible membership is free for 30 days. If you enjoy your Audible trial, do nothing and your membership will automatically continue. We'll send you an email reminder before your trial ends. Download the free Audible app to start listening on your iOS or Android device. You can also listen on any Alexa-enabled device, compatible Fire tablets, Kindles, Sonos devices and more. You can cancel anytime before your trial ends and you won’t be charged. There are no commitments and no cancellation fees. How much does Audible cost? Plans start at $7.95 per month after free trial. No commitments, cancel anytime. Audible Plus $7.95/month: listen all you want to thousands of included titles in the Plus Catalog. Audible Premium Plus $14.95/month: includes the Plus Catalog + 1 credit per month for any premium selection title. Audible Premium Plus Annual $149.50/year: includes the Plus Catalog + 12 credits a year for any premium selection titles. What is included with my Audible membership? Premium Plus members get credit(s) good for any titles in our premium selection (1 credit = 1 title.) Premium Plus members get access to exclusive sales as well as 30% off all additional premium selection purchases. All members can listen all they want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, originals, and more in the Plus Catalog. *Number of credits vary based on your membership plan. Credits expire after one year. Are there additional benefits for Amazon Prime members? Amazon Prime members are invited to start an Audible trial with 2 credits (1 credit = 1 title) that can be used on any titles from our premium selection . A standard trial includes 1 credit. After trial, all members receive 1 credit per month. Do I have to commit for any period of time? There are no commitments. You can easily cancel your membership at anytime. All titles taken during trial and purchased with a credit are yours to keep forever. You will get an email reminder at least 7 days before your trial ends.https://amzn.to/3bduLNQWhat does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research.Humorous, surprising, and informative, Dr. Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street.What does the nervous system of the lowly lobster have to tell us about standing up straight (with our shoulders back) and about success in life? Why did ancient Egyptians worship the capacity to pay careful attention as the highest of gods? What dreadful paths do people tread when they become resentful, arrogant, and vengeful? Dr. Peterson journeys broadly, discussing discipline, freedom, adventure, and responsibility, distilling the world's wisdom into 12 practical and profound rules for life. 12 Rules for Life shatters the modern commonplaces of science, faith, and human nature while transforming and ennobling the mind and spirit of its listeners.In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers" - the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.Brilliant and entertaining, Outliers is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.Forget the old concepts of retirement and a deferred life plan. There is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. For living more and working less, this book is the blueprint.This expanded edition includes dozens of practical tips and case studies from people who have doubled their income, overcome common sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book. Also included are templates for eliminating email and negotiating with bosses and clients, how to apply lifestyle principles in unpredictable economic times, and the latest tools, tricks, and shortcuts for living like a diplomat or millionaire without being either.From the Academy Award-winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.“Unflinchingly honest and remarkably candid, Matthew McConaughey’s book invites us to grapple with the lessons of his life as he did - and to see that the point was never to win, but to understand.” (Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck)I’ve been in this life for 50 years, been trying to work out its riddle for 42, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last 35. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs, and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: If you know how, and when, to deal with life’s challenges - how to get relative with the inevitable - you can enjoy a state of success I call “catching greenlights”. So I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is 50 years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths, and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts, and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops. Hopefully, it’s medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot’s license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears. It’s a love letter. To life. It’s also a guide to catching more greenlights - and to realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green, too. Good luck.In the spirit of Steve Jobs and Moneyball, Elon Musk is both an illuminating and authorized look at the extraordinary life of one of Silicon Valley's most exciting, unpredictable, and ambitious entrepreneurs - a real-life Tony Stark - and a fascinating exploration of the renewal of American invention and its new makers.Elon Musk spotlights the technology and vision of Elon Musk, the renowned entrepreneur and innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, who sold one of his Internet companies, PayPal, for $1.5 billion. Ashlee Vance captures the full spectacle and arc of the genius' life and work, from his tumultuous upbringing in South Africa and flight to the United States to his dramatic technical innovations and entrepreneurial pursuits.Vance uses Musk's story to explore one of the pressing questions of our age: Can the nation of inventors and creators who led the modern world for a century still compete in an age of fierce global competition? He argues that Musk - one of the most unusual and striking figures in American business history - is a contemporary, visionary amalgam of legendary inventors and industrialists, including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Howard Hughes, and Steve Jobs. More than any other entrepreneur today, Musk has dedicated his energies and his own vast fortune to inventing a future that is as rich and far reaching as the visionaries of the golden age of science-fiction fantasy.For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare - poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man with no future into a US Armed Forces icon and one of the world's top endurance athletes. The only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller, he went on to set records in numerous endurance events, inspiring Outside magazine to name him The Fittest (Real) Man in America.In Can't Hurt Me, he shares his astonishing life story and reveals that most of us tap into only 40% of our capabilities. Goggins calls this The 40% Rule, and his story illuminates a path that anyone can follow to push past pain, demolish fear, and reach their full potential.An annotated edition of Can’t Hurt Me, offering over two hours of bonus content featuring deeper insights and never-before-told stories shared by David. Not available in other formats.In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be positive all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.For decades we've been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "F*ck positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let's be honest, shit is f*cked, and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn't sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is - a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is his antidote to the coddling, let's-all-feel-good mind-set that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.Manson makes the argument, backed by both academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited - "not everybody can be extraordinary; there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault". Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.There are only so many things we can give a f*ck about, so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experience. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives.The number one international best seller!A timeless business classic, Who Moved My Cheese? uses a simple parable to reveal profound truths about dealing with change so that you can enjoy less stress and more success in your work and in your life.It would be all so easy if you had a map to the Maze.If the same old routines worked.If they'd just stop moving "The Cheese."But things keep changing...Most people are fearful of change, both personal and professional, because they don't have any control over how or when it happens to them. Since change happens either to the individual or by the individual, Dr. Spencer Johnson, the co-author of the multimillion best seller The One Minute Manager, uses a deceptively simple story to show that when it comes to living in a rapidly changing world, what matters most is your attitude.Exploring a simple way to take the fear and anxiety out of managing the future, Who Moved My Cheese? can help you discover how to anticipate, acknowledge, and accept change in order to have a positive impact on your job, your relationships, and every aspect of your life.You can go after the job you want...and get it! You can take the job you have...and improve it! You can take any situation you're in...and make it work for you!Simon & Schuster Audio is proud to present one of the best-selling books of all time, Dale Carnegie's perennial classic How to Win Friends and Influence People, presented here in its entirety.For over 60 years the rock-solid, time-tested advice in this audiobook has carried thousands of now-famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives.With this truly phenomenal audiobook, learn:The six ways to make people like youThe twelve ways to win people to your way of thinkingThe nine ways to change people without arousing resentmentAnd much, much more!There is room at the top, when you know...How to Win Friends and Influence People.Think and Grow Rich is the number-one inspirational and motivational classic for individuals who are interested in furthering their lives and reaching their goals by learning from important figures in history. The text read in this audiobook is the original 1937 edition written by Napoleon Hill and inspired by Andrew Carnegie, and while it has often been reproduced, no updated version has ever been able to compete with the original. It has been used as a roadmap to achievement by countless individuals.The 13 Steps to Riches described in this audiobook offer the shortest dependable philosophy of individual achievement ever presented for the benefit of the man or woman who is searching for a definite goal in life. It comes directly from the experiences of hundreds of America's most successful men.Hill interviewed 504 people, including Ford, Wrigley, Wanamaker, Eastman, Rockefeller, Edison, Woolworth, Darrow, Burbank, Morgan, Firestone, and three United States presidents. The process of conducting these interviews required an investment of 20 years of Napoleon Hill's life.This audiobook will guide many to success, and has sold millions of printed copies for nearly three quarters of a century. Yes, one can gather from the title that the starting place for wealth is in a person's thoughts - and this title is the source for most of today's motivational speakers. So why not go back to the original source?Extreme success, by definition, lies beyond the realm of normal action. If you want to achieve extreme success, you can’t operate like everybody else and settle for mediocrity. You need to remove luck and chance from your business equation, and lock in massive success. The 10X Rule shows you how! Success is your duty, obligation and responsibility, and this audio book gives you step-by-step guidance on how to achieve phenomenal success for yourself!With The 10X Rule , you’ll learn to establish the amount of effort needed to guarantee success and ensure that you can continue operating at this level throughout your life. Most people desire success and have great ideas but they come up short on the amount of action required to get their lives to the exceptional levels they deserve. Four degrees of action exist, and in order to achieve your dreams, you must learn to operate at the fourth degree of action: Massive Action. The 10X Rule will dissolve fear, increase your belief in yourself, eliminate procrastination, and provide you with an overwhelming sense of purpose. The 10X Rule compels you to separate yourself from everyone else in the market—and you do that by doing what others refuse to do. Stop thinking in terms of basic needs, and start aiming for abundance—in all areas of your life. The 10X Rule guides you toward the frame of mind that all successful people share. Aim ten times higher than you are right now—and if you come up short, you’ll still find yourself further along than if you had maintained your life’s current status quo. The 10X Rule teaches you how to:Reach goals that you previously thought were impossibleCorrectly set goals and guarantee their achievementCreate unprecedented levels of happiness and satisfaction in every area of your lifeUse fear as fuel to move you into actionGet everything you want and never have to settleDominate your competition and become a role model for successNumber One New York Times Best-Selling PhenomenonMore than seven million copies sold worldwideA Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club PickA Business Insider Defining Book of the Decade"I can't even express how much I love this book! I didn't want this story to end!" (Reese Witherspoon)"Painfully beautiful." (The New York Times Book Review)For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former first lady of the United States.Number one New York Times best sellerWatch the Emmy-nominated Netflix original documentaryOprah’s Book Club PickNAACP Image Award WinnerOne of Essence’s 50 most impactful Black books of the past 50 yearsIn a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As first lady of the United States of America - the first African American to serve in that role - she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the US and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites listeners into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations - and whose story inspires us to do the same.The number one New York Times best seller. Over one million copies sold!Tiny Changes, Remarkable ResultsNo matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving - every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, listeners will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.Learn how to:Make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy)Overcome a lack of motivation and willpowerDesign your environment to make success easierGet back on track when you fall off courseAnd much moreAtomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits - whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.All free on Audible.Audible Membership Plans - CompareHow does the free trial work? Audible is a membership service that provides customers with the world's largest selection of audiobooks as well as podcasts, exclusive originals and more. Your Audible membership is free for 30 days. If you enjoy your Audible trial, do nothing and your membership will automatically continue. We'll send you an email reminder before your trial ends. Download the free Audible app to start listening on your iOS or Android device. You can also listen on any Alexa-enabled device, compatible Fire tablets, Kindles, Sonos devices and more. You can cancel anytime before your trial ends and you won’t be charged. There are no commitments and no cancellation fees. How much does Audible cost? Plans start at $7.95 per month after free trial. No commitments, cancel anytime. Audible Plus $7.95/month: listen all you want to thousands of included titles in the Plus Catalog. Audible Premium Plus $14.95/month: includes the Plus Catalog + 1 credit per month for any premium selection title. Audible Premium Plus Annual $149.50/year: includes the Plus Catalog + 12 credits a year for any premium selection titles. What is included with my Audible membership? Premium Plus members get credit(s) good for any titles in our premium selection (1 credit = 1 title.) Premium Plus members get access to exclusive sales as well as 30% off all additional premium selection purchases. All members can listen all they want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, originals, and more in the Plus Catalog. *Number of credits vary based on your membership plan. Credits expire after one year. Are there additional benefits for Amazon Prime members? Amazon Prime members are invited to start an Audible trial with 2 credits (1 credit = 1 title) that can be used on any titles from our premium selection . A standard trial includes 1 credit. After trial, all members receive 1 credit per month. Do I have to commit for any period of time? There are no commitments. You can easily cancel your membership at anytime. All titles taken during trial and purchased with a credit are yours to keep forever. You will get an email reminder at least 7 days before your trial ends.https://amzn.to/3bduLNQGet listening…….Others have noted below.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.How To Fail At Everything And Still WinScott Adams has failed at more things than anyone you’ve ever met. So how did he go from office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips? He had a system!Scott takes an alternative bent on all business matters, even with regards to his own success. Below is his summary of 'Success' and how failure was the secret in achieving that success. These insights reveal a great deal about the benefits of 'contrarian' thinking."Suffer defeat. Lots and lots of defeat" ~Scott AdamsTrue to his 'contrarian' philosophy, Scott has identified three 'contrarian' perspectives that have been critical to his success;Passion is overrated.Goals are for losers.Luck can be manipulated.Scott feels that failure is 'where success likes to hide in plain sight'. Therefore, everything you want out of life is in that huge... bubbling vat of failure. However, the trick is to get the good stuff out. Here are his suggestions on how to do that...with the right mindset.PassionSuccessful people are often said to have 'followed their passion.' But we must remember that the biographers of successful people never have access to the internal thoughts of those people.Therefore, beware of advice about successful people and their methods. For starters, no two situations are alike.The projects Scott was most passionate about, were also the ones that were most successful. However, his passion level only moved up with that success. Success caused the passion, more than the passion causing success.Forget about passion, and while you're at it, forget about goals, too.GoalsGoal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure, which they are hoping will be temporary.When you achieve your goal, you celebrate and feel terrific, but only until you realize that you just lost the one thing that gave you purpose and direction.Instead of a goal, one should have a system. That system must be continually looking for better options. People who use systems do better than those who don't. Systems-driven people find a way to look at the familiar in new and more useful ways... goals are for losers.Furthermore, you should create a system that has value, and - this is critical - you want the product to be something that is easy to reproduce in unlimited quantities (selling just your time has an upward limit). Therefore, you must; create, invent, write, or otherwise concoct something widely desired, that is easy to reproduce (a system).When you are systems-oriented, you feel yourself growing more capable every day, no matter the fate of the project that you happen to be working on. Every day you will wake up with the same positive thoughts 'Today's the day'.Creating a system vastly increases your odds of getting 'lucky.' In fact, the system could be so solid that it will withstand quite bad luck without buckling. However, to create a winning system you must have accurately identified your skillset.LuckIf you drill down into any success story, you discover that luck played a huge part. You can't control luck, but you can move from playing in a game with bad odds to playing in a game with better odds. In this way, you make it easier for 'luck to find you'. Therefore, the most important thing you must do is to stay in the game.Failure is inevitable when you stay in the game, and should therefore be viewed as a tool, not an outcome. Viewing the world in this way can be useful. 'If your current get-rich project fails, take what you learned and try something else'.Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." According to Scott, that's a loser's philosophy. You don't want your failures just to simply make you stronger (better able to survive future challenges). You want to become; smarter, more talented, better networked, healthier, and more energized, as a result of your failures. Therefore, failure is a resource that can be managed.Based on Scott's philosophy I have learned that I should; build a system, suffer defeat... lots and lots of it. Learn, grow, and become energized from those defeats. The result will be success... MAYBE!I really found this book to help me look at the world and, more importantly my world, in an entirely different light. Dramatic as it sounds, I found it rather life-changing, which I definitely wasn't expecting. I strongly recommend this book to those who are looking for a way to embrace who and where they are.A lot of the people in my life (myself included) struggle with shame, with that inner critic that tells you "You are not good enough" and a million other statements that begin with "YOU SHOULD". Brown helps us to get rid of the word "should", and focus on who we want to be rather then who we think we are supposed to be, and who we think "society" thinks we are supposed to be.I decided to read the book after seeing Brene Brown's profound TED Talk. Brene Brown is a qualitative researcher who studies shame, fear, and vulnerability. In the course of her research, she discovered two lists: a list of things that people who live their life wholeheartedly DO, and a list of what they DON'T do. And proceeded to freak out when she realized that she herself was living the DON'T do list . She put in the work to get to the other side, so her book is written with compassion because she has truly been there herself.Unlike most self-help books with psycho babble and rules, or nebulous statements, Brene presents stories, and the research of stories that she has collected in a way that is easily digestible, and yet still meaningful. I read the book in less than 24 hours, and I walked away with some strategies to work on being my most authentic self.A quote from the introduction that really stuck with me:Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.Another quote that I keep thinking about is:"The heart of compassion is really acceptance. The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behavior."In other words, while we should work at being more compassionate and accepting of others, that does not mean we should allow people to treat us like shit and get away with it. That's a lesson I wish I'd learned quite some time ago. But, hey, it's never too late, right?Susan Cain's astounding book blew my mind and I think it would be fascinating - hell, a true eye-opener - for introverts and extroverts alike.One third of the world's population consists of introverts, including many of us avid readers. What makes being an introvert so hard is that––especially in the US––we are held up to what Susan Cain calls the "Extrovert Ideal." That is, we are told our whole lives that the "ideal" person is an extrovert––outgoing, confident, well-spoken, etc. Extroverted people are thought of as being more important, more authoritative, and more attractive. If you are a shy, you are more likely to be seen as weak, a pushover, a bad leader, an awkward/unattractive person. We're constantly told that in order to succeed, we need to stand up for ourselves, push others out of the way, be the loudest, take the most risks. If you're an introverted person, you are constantly told that you need to change––that if you continue to be quiet, you're never going to get anywhere in life. You won't get a good job, you won't succeed, no one will want to date you ... you name it. Cain also does a great job of going into the history of how the Extrovert Ideal become culturally valued and when Americans began to prefer Personality to CharacterYes, as a society we tend to value the gregarious go-getters, the loud talkers, the forceful presenters. But Cain's book reminds us that societies need introverts, too -- the thinkers, the listeners, the people who look before leaping. (The long, long, long list of introverts in history includes: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, George Orwell, Marcel Proust, J. K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats, Warren Buffet, Steve Wozniak, Charles Schultz, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gandhi... )As an introvert, I found the book comforting and inspiring. But extroverts who are in relationships with introverts or who are parents of an introvert would also do well to read this book. The author has good tips for how to handle introverts, especially children.It's the most interesting book/article I've ever read on being shy/introverted/sensitive. I really enjoyed the scientific studies having to do with mapping the brain. This book was personally empowering. It took me years to begin to realize that there's nothing wrong with the fact that I like to spend time alone (often with a book, thus my voracious reading), or that I often prefer listening to dominating a conversation. This book reassured me that all of that is not only okay, but also that it is a fundamental part of my personality that I should embrace and celebrate.This is a great read, regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrumNow, if you're looking to read some life-changing fiction, I can't recommend a better book than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. And while it is billed as a YA, this ain't your grandma's typical young adult book. It’s been a loooong time since I was in high school but I remember it well. I think a lot of adults are still affected by experiences they had (or didn't) in high school.This novel is unlike others, solely for the fact that the book is written in letters. And while Charlie (the 15 year old protagonist, dealing with major issues like a friend's suicide and the death of a family member) writes in a very simple way, his words are powerful.“I would die for you. But I won't live for you”I believe there’s a great message in this book that while it’s good to participate and be involved, essentially you are the way you are. The book is at times incredibly funny, and at others very touching (crying your heart out kind of touching - hell, yeah, I'll admit it!)I personally found myself really moved by this particular passage:"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."Even the adult me can really relate to that. In fact, it was not that long ago that I went through what I guess you could call "a series of unfortunate events" (personal tragedies...). I found myself struggling with a very deep depression (for not the first time in my life) - and yet, I was also the happiest I'd ever been. How could both things be possible simultaneously? And how odd that it took reading a passage in a YA book about the very concept to help me to wrap my brain around the concept that I could be depressed and happy at the same time. As my wife likes to point out, "There is no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life." And I'm just fine with that.The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve PetersThis book was recommended to me by two different and completely unconnected friends;The first friend studied Geography at university (receiving a Lower Second Class degrees, or 2:1, or 'C' grade) and, largely due to a physically debilitating condition, couldn't follow his preferred path in the police force and instead ended up working in the postal service. After reading this book my friend decided to retrain as a podiatrist as he was a lover of sports and had become interested in the biomechanics involved; since he had not completed his education with anything remotely connected to this field this included going back to college and university to study various biology, and associated, courses (in each case he passed with 'A' grades or Distinction), and he is currently in the reckoning for a funded PhD.For my second friend, this book also helped him come to terms with, and deal with, his alcoholism. He has been clean for more than two years now.For me, the arrival of this book coincided with running out of my prescribed anti-depressants that I had been on for four months following a severe period of depression. It helped me to understand what was going on in my head that was contributing to my state of mind, and gave me some tools to help me deal with it. Whilst I would not go so far as to say this book has cured me, or can cure you, of depression or the risk of being depressed, what I can certainly say is that I haven't been on, or felt the need to be on, any sort of medication since I first picked this book up in late-February 2015.What I really love about this book is that the techniques described have been used by people like us, through to people participating at the Olympic sports level looking for that extra little gain in performance - it feels like a book that you can get as much, or as little, as you want out of it regardless of your situation. It is presented in a straightforward manner, and I would be very surprised if anyone reading it can't see at least a little of themselves and their behaviour within the examples given - it's then just up to you whether you want to do anything about it.These 7 books will change Your life For Sure. These will give you wings to dream. I am also mentioning 5 points from every book from my personal review so that you will get some insights.Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.Winners are never afraid of failure, losers are, failure is a part of success.You are only poor if you give up, most people only talk of getting rich, but you have to take action.If you live all your life, playing it safe, doing the right things, then you are going to die a boring old man.Welcome, change in life rather than just clinging to the past.If you realize that you're the problem, then you can change yourself, learn something and grow wiser.The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson.The values you can't control are the bad values to follow.Don't believe that you anything with certainty, for it keeps you from improving.Don't obsess about leaving a legacy, instead focus on being useful in the present, it will be a lot better.A good life is not a life without problems, it's a life with good problems.You are defined by what you are willing to struggle for.Think and grow rich by Napoleon hill.The starting point of any achievement is desire, stronger the desire , stronger will be the results.You can make the impossible possible by telling yourself over and over again that you can achieve what you dream of.Be stubborn and always stick to your descions, lack of determination is the reason for long term failure.Join a mastermind group to accelerate your learning, mastermind means the coordination of knowledge and effort of few people working towards a goal.When you fail, accept it as a sign that your plans are not sound, so rebuild them and work on it again.Business Adventures by John BrooksPay attention to your market. Customers wishes changes very quickly and it’s important to be aware.The best solution to recourse something is to scrap it and do-over.Never trust a rapid process, competitors can caught up fast.Revenge is not actually good and it certainly doesn't pay off.A small group of determined individuals can always fight against a bigger or stronger enemy inspite of all odds.Zero to One by Peter Thiel.If you want to create a start-up that would drastically change the world, you have to go from zero to one, not one to many.Monopolies are good for both business and society, it's actually what a start-up should shoot for.Being a little weird and having the vision for future is what company really needs to go from zero to one.A bad plan is better than having no plan, same way something is better than nothing.The reason for failure of the companies is same, they failed to escape competition.How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.Be a good listener, make the other person feel important and let them talk about themselves.If you are wrong at any point, admit it quickly and emphatically in a friendly way.A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little man. So be understanding and forgiving.You can only influence people by knowing what they want, and show them how to get it.The secret of success lies in understanding someone's point of view as well as your own.Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - Creator of Nike.Better go broke young, you only get a few chances to start something crazy, what if it works out well ? Believe in yourself.Let everyone call your idea crazy, keep going don't stop, People are going to say whole life, ignore them and do your work.Get someone who can be your mentor and partner and the one who will believe in you, who will help you bring out your valuable skills.Tell people what to do and let them figure out how , encourage them to be themselves and let them surprise you with their results.When you see only problems , you are not seeing clearly. There is a ray of hope always, in every situation.