“My life sucks. What is the one book I should read to change it?”
On August 16th, 2015, my 32nd birthday, a Quora user posed the question, “My life sucks. What is the one book I should read to change it?” This is a tough one to answer. I do not want to make the promise that reading one book will fix your life. However, reading one great book can change your life in unexpected ways. Read below to see my answer to their question.
Sorry to hear that you are unhappy with your life. I am impressed that you are being proactive and looking at books as a way to improve it. I hope you find some books that bring you happiness.
This book helped re-ignite my desire to be “great” at something.
I would recommend reading Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin. I read this book during a recent rough patch in my own life about two years ago. I had a solid job and a great girlfriend who is now my wife. But despite career stability and a happy relationship, I was feeling uninspired with work. I stopped working on many of my creative interests like music and writing. This book helped re-ignite my desire to be “great” at something.
Many people who become masters of their domain do so through countless, tireless hours of deliberate practice.
The book examines the cultural belief that people are born with innate intelligence and talent. Geoff Colvin acknowledges that while various circumstances outside of our control do have an impact on our outcomes in life, many people who become masters of their domain do so through countless, tireless hours of deliberate practice. He looks at great athletes, business leaders, musicians, and many other extraordinary people. By tracing several of their lives back to their early years, he shows us that hard work was their key to greatness. Many greats, such as Michael Jordan and Warren Buffet, were very average at sports and investing in their younger years. Their drive to work on their weaknesses and continue to improve paid major dividends. By showing the reader the career paths of various successful individuals and breaking down their process for improvement, he shows both the process and the greatness achieved as a result of the process.
It showed me that if I am willing to get off my lazy ass and work at something I love every day for the rest of my life, I can achieve something special.
Some online reviews said the book was discouraging or depressing because of how difficult Colvin made it seem to achieve greatness. While I can understand this, I found the book very inspiring. It showed me that if I am willing to get off my lazy ass and work at something I love every day for the rest of my life, I can achieve something special. I can’t recommend this book enough and plan on rereading it in the near future. If you are interested in further reading by Colvin, I just saw that he released a new book. Humans Are Underrated: What High Achievers Know That Brilliant Machines Never Will.
I would love to know if you end up reading the book and what you think of it.
Bookshelf Beats is a website run by Gino Sorcinelli. I interview people about books that change their lives, inspire them, and/or make them think differently. If you enjoyed this article consider subscribing to my Medium publication.
