Life-changing books that can help you break world records

The Good Grow Great Podcast

Today, I want to talk about some favorite books of mine that have changed my life.

I believe in investing in yourself in any way possible, including sitting down and reading from great minds in the world.

Besides, that’s how the greats did it—by learning from other people as well.

If you are hitting a ceiling and you feel a bit stuck, here are my top 3 books that created massive changes in the way I look at how to work, live, and run a business. Note: I don’t get paid from these, I just happen to love these books.

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2:29 Where to start if you feel like you just can’t do it all.

When everyone is preaching to not care about what’s going on around you, one book taught a different philosophy, originated by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius: that it doesn’t matter how difficult the challenge might be.

There is always opportunity in an obstacle to rise and become better.

This book has changed my life in drastic ways, and I’ve shared this with Business Insider’s millions of readers here. This book that changed my life is called the Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday.

From this book, I’ve learned:

1. How to not let your situation make decisions for you.
2. How to overcome ANY challenge.
3. How to use obstacles as a Launchpad, the idea of turning weakness into strength

7:24 The real reasons why we procrastinate

If you’ve ever procrastinated, felt guilty about it, and wondered how to battle it—you might want to think twice. One special book talks about how many original and creative ideas and inventions came about because the inventor waited until the very last minute.

Turns out, there’s a scientific reason for this. This is not a free-for-all invitation to never get anything done, of course.

On the contrary, it allows you to do things like eat something fatty for a change and kick back WHILE calibrating your next steps. Oh, and don’t forget to get back to it once you’re ready! Get all the juicy details of Originals by Adam Grant and:

1. Why FAST is not always better (letting your brain percolate is a way to spark creativity).
2. Why Original ideas usually come from a level of procrastination. And,
3. Why it’s OK to postpone and not everything has the same degree of importance.

14:00 How to break records that you think was impossible to break.

The Rise of Superman by Steven Kotler is a deep dive into what it takes to continue to break records and a study of why endurance athletes of all kinds seem to do the impossible.

I love this book because it gives us comfort in knowing that you only have to pick up pieces and clues left by success stories before you, to create your own massive success and surpass all expectations set by you AND those people who never believed that you can do it.

1. The successes of your predecessors need to be celebrated, emulated, and improved upon.
2. Records are meant to be broken.
3. We’re not getting better and people are turning into super humans. We’ve just found better and better ways to do something. And it’s built upon previous successes, whether that’s yours or someone else’s.

19:41 How multiple trips to the hospital can show you a surprising fact about your work.

If you feel exhausted because you’ve run out of fuel, Essentialism by Greg McKeown, is the book for you. It’s about how VERY few things are actually that essential, and how you should focus on really just a few smart decisions that can make a big impact.

As you know, I teach this to all my students as well. It’s also the reason why I’m HUGE on encouraging you to take the smallest, most meaningful steps, to create the biggest difference possible (while staying sane)!

What you’ll learn in this book, is that:

1. You don’t need to do everything. You only need to do a FEW important things.
2. Most things, if you really look at it, are not essential.
3. Why sustainable work is better than speedy work.

27:58 How a single piece of your work can be passed around from one generation to another.

You can learn this from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. OK, OK. This IS a kids’ book.

But there’s a reason why this simple story has lasted for generations and will likely continue.

What a beautiful reminder that:

1. Something so small can change so many people’s lives and formed so many people’s outlook on life. And that,
2. IF you do the right things and learn from the right people when building your business, your work will come back to you tenfold for YEARS to come.

Imagine doing that with your product, your service, your business, or even just your words!

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Be sure to hit the FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE button.

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Sources:

The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday

Originals by Adam Grant

The Rise of Superman by Steven Kotler

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

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