If You Want to Improve Your Life, Art & Business For The Better, Read These Short Books.
Short Books You Can Read in Less Than an Hour.
‘To live is to learn, and to read is to learn fast from the experience of great minds.’ — Thomas Oppong.
Most people find it difficult to read a book for a long period of time-worse if the book is too much to finish.
The best way to be a lover of books if you don’t like to read is to start by reading small page books that you can finish on time.
Once you can finish a book easily, you will be eager to pick another one you can finish easily. And by doing this, you create a reading habit for yourself that you wouldn’t want to stop.
These books may be small but they will forever change your perception about the way you see things and improve your life for the better. After all, Literature is the accumulation of painful lessons humans have learnt over time by trial and error. So why make them again when you can avoid them.
Here they are:
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
A philosophical book that talks about experience and knowledge in which it talks about the Tao itself. Tao he says can only be experienced.
The Tao Te Ching includes short verses regarding a number of central aspects of Taoism, such as action, the duality of nature, knowledge, and virtue. The Short essays in the book are easy to understand and can do wonders if you can put the words to use.
My favourite quote: He who stretches beyond his natural reach does not stand firmly upon the ground; just as one who travels at a speed beyond his means cannot maintain his pace.
Art & Fear (observations on the perils and rewards of Art making) by David Bayles and Ted Orland.
Art and Fear is a non-fiction book written by artists for artists. The point of the book is to help the young and/or struggling artist survive in the art world and to conquer the various difficulties, obstacles and fears that the developing artist faces.
The authors divide the book into two parts, the first concerns internal problems, those associated with the individual creation of art; the second part concerns external problems, dealing with the outside, academic and conceptual worlds.
This book is about what it feels like to sit in your studio or classroom, at your wheel or keyboard, easel or camera, trying to do the work you need to do. It is about committing your future to your own hands, placing Free Will above predestination, choice above chance. It is about finding your own work.
My favourite quote: Art is human; error is human; art is error. Give up the idea that you can have a perfect work.
Anything You Want (40 LESSONS FOR A NEW KIND OF ENTREPRENEUR) by Derek Sivers
As an entrepreneur, this is a must-read book for you. This book gives you ten years of experience in one hour.
The Book in Three Sentences
1. Too many people spend their life pursuing things that don’t actually make them happy.
2. When you make a business, you get to make a little universe where you create all the laws.
3. Never forget that absolutely everything you do is for your customers.
My favourite quote: For an Idea to get big big big, it has to be useful. And being useful doesn’t need funding.
As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
This is a short book you can read in an hour. It is based on the premise that the belief that powerful thoughts, pointed in the right direction, is the foundation and base on which all happiness and success are built.
My favourite quote: Men are anxious to improve their circumstances but unwilling to improve themselves, they, therefore, remain bound.
A man without a country by Kurt Vonnegut
This book by Kurt Vonnegut is a collection of non-fiction essays reflecting on humor, politics, religion, education, prejudice, ignorance, the environment, art, war, and more. He tackles all of these issues in the twelve chapters/essays that compose this book, using a customary wit that has made him internationally famous.
One thing I love about the book is the illustrations and how Vonnegut hit the nail on the head by being precise and direct with his words.
My favourite quote: There is no reason good can’t triumph over evil if only angels will get organized along the lines of the mafia.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
“Meditations” is a collection of personal notes written by the author, Marcus Aurelius, to himself. These notes were never intended for publication and had two purposes:
. To define for himself a life philosophy and ideal character worthy of aspiring to.
. As an integral part of his struggle to live up to those two things.
In the process, Aurelius touches on some universal truths. Truths that still resonate with us almost two thousand years later. If you’re looking for new tools and practices to build into your daily life and if you’re just new to stoicism, then this is a must-read book for you.
My favourite quote: For the mind converts and changes every hindrance to its activity into an aid; and so that which is a hindrance is made furtherance to an act, and that which is an obstacle on the road helps us on this road.
Tribes by Seth Godin
Seth Godin presents the idea that humans are wired to unite and form tribes. Tribe defined by Godin are any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea.
According to Godin, tribes are a powerful force of influence and change, thus marketers and other professionals should learn to tap into the potential of forming and leading tribes. A short book that can be devoured in a sitting and contains practical wisdom that can be put to use.
My favourite quote: Change isn’t made by asking for permission. Change is made by asking for forgiveness later.
The Dip by Seth Godin
This is a helpful little book that will help you figure out when to stick out your project, and when to quit. I think the most useful piece is learning to distinguish between Dips and Cul-de-Sacs, and keeping in mind that it’s not worth being in the middle.
If you learn about the systems that have been put in place that encourage quitting, you’ll be more likely to beat them. And once you understand the common sinkhole that trips up so many people (what Seth Godin calls the Dip), you’ll be one step closer to getting through it.
My favourite quote: “The people who skip the hard questions are in the majority, but they are not in demand.”
Do The Work by Steven Pressfield
This book is designed to coach you through a project (a book, a ballet, a new business venture, a philanthropic enterprise) from conception to finished product, seeing it from the point of view of Resistance.
Resistance is fear, self-doubt, procrastination, addiction, distraction, timidity, ego and narcissism, self-loathing, perfectionism that hinders you from doing your work. And this book is all about what you can do to overcome that resistance.
My favourite quote: That our project has crashed is not a reflection of our worth as human beings. It’s just a mistake. It’s a problem — and a problem can be solved.
On the shortness of life by Seneca
In his moral essay, On the Shortness of Life, Seneca, the Stoic philosopher offers us an urgent reminder on the non-renewability of our most important resource: our time.
The lessons from On the Shortness of Life urge us to take stock of how we have lived so far and to count the time that has been truly lived, as opposed to filled with unworthy busyness and distractions.
It is a required reading for anyone who wishes to live to their full potential, and it is a manifesto on how to get back control of your life and live it to the fullest.
My favourite quote: It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.
The Practicing Mind (Bringing Discipline and Focus Into Your Life) by Thomas Sterner
This book talks about self-discipline and how we can bring it into our life. All things worth achieving Sterner says can be accomplished with the power of self-discipline. With it, we are masters of the energy we expend in life. Without it, we are victims of our own unfocused and constantly changing efforts, desires and directions.
All of life is Sterner goes on to say is practice in one form or another. So learn to love the art of practicing your skill and by learning to remain in the present moment, break up our workload and take things slowly, we won’t just increase our productivity: we’ll also feel more fulfilled as we make progress toward our goals at our own pace.
My favourite quote: “The problem with patience and discipline is that developing each of them requires both of them.”
Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now by Gordon Livingston
This book is a short collection of thirty essays by a seasoned psychiatrist who reflects on various lessons learned from his time with patients and also from the ups and downs of his own life.
There’s a poignancy to his writing, especially when he mentions the deaths of his two sons over a 13-month period, one to suicide and the other to leukemia, but his overall outlook on facing challenges and living life will leave you feeling optimistic and hopeful, although a bit sad.
My favourite quote:
The process of learning consists not so much in accumulating answers as in figuring out how to formulate the right questions.
