5 Books You Need To Read

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad

I had two fathers, a rich one and a poor one. One was highly educated and intelligent; he had a Ph.D. and completed four years of undergraduate work in less than two years. He then went on to Stanford University, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University to do his advanced studies, all on full financial scholarships. The other father never finished the eighth grade.

Both men were successful in their careers, working hard all their lives. Both earned substantial incomes. Yet one struggled financially all his life. The other would become one of the richest men in Hawaii. One died leaving tens of millions of dollars to his family, charities and his church. The other left bills to be paid.

Both men were strong, charismatic and influential. Both men offered me advice, but they did not advise the same things. Both men believed strongly in education but did not recommend the same course of study.

If I had had only one dad, I would have had to accept or reject his advice. Having two dads advising me offered me the choice of contrasting points of view; one of a rich man and one of a poor man.

Instead of simply accepting or rejecting one or the other, I found myself thinking more, comparing and then choosing for myself.

The problem was, the rich man was not rich yet and the poor man was not yet poor. Both were just starting out on their careers, and both were struggling with money and families. But they had very different points of view about the subject of money.

2. The 48 Laws of Power

Law 1: Never outshine the master

Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite—inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.

Law 2: Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies

Be wary of friends—they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.

Law 3: Conceal your intentions

Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.

Law 4: Always say less than necessary

When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

Law 5: So much depends on reputation—guard it with your life

Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.

3.  The Subtle Art of not Giving A F 

Don’t Try

The key to a good life is not giving a fuck about more; it’s giving a fuck about only what is true and immediate and important.

Not giving a fuck does not mean being indifferent; it means being comfortable with being different.

To not give a fuck about adversity, you must first give a fuck about something more important than adversity.

Whether you realize it or not, you are always choosing what to give a fuck about.

Chapter 2. Happiness Is a Problem

Happiness is a constant work-in-progress, because solving problems is a constant work-in-progress — the solutions to today’s problems will lay the foundation for tomorrow’s problems and so on. True happiness occurs only when you find the problems you enjoy having and enjoy solving.

Denial. Some people deny that their problems exist in the first place. And because they deny reality, they must constantly delude or distract themselves from reality.

Victim Mentality. Victims seek to blame others for their problems or blame outside circumstances. This may make them feel better in the short term, but it leads to a life of anger, helplessness, and despair.

We like the idea that there’s some form of ultimate happiness that can be attained, We like the idea that we can alleviate all of our suffering permanently. We like the idea that we can feel fulfilled and satisfied with our lives forever. But we cannot.

Real, serious, lifelong fulfillment and meaning have to be earned through the choosing and managing of our struggles.

What determines your success isn’t, “What do you want to enjoy?” The relevant question is, “What pain do you want to sustain?” The path to happiness is a path full of shitheaps and shame.

4.  Think Like a Monk

When I was eighteen years old, in my rst year of college, at Cass Business School

in London, one of my friends asked me to go with him to hear a monk give a

talk.

I resisted. “Why would I want to go hear some monk?”

I often went to see CEOs, celebrities, and other successful people lecture on

campus, but I had zero interest in a monk. I preferred to hear speakers who’d

actually accomplished things in life.

My friend persisted, and Nally I said, “As long as we go to a bar afterward,

I’m in.” “Falling in love” is an expression used almost exclusively to describe

romantic relationships. But that night, as I listened to the monk talk about his

experience, I fell in love. The gure on stage was a thirty-something Indian man.

His head was shaved and he wore a saron robe. He was intelligent, eloquent,

and charismatic. He spoke about the principle of “selfless sacrifice.” When he

said that we should plant trees under whose shade we did not plan to sit, I felt an

an unfamiliar thrill run through my body.

5.  Ugly Love

“Somebody stabbed you in the neck, young lady. ”My  eyes  widened,  and  I  slowly  turned  toward  the  elderly  gentleman standing at my side. He presses the up button on the elevator and faces me. He smiles and points to my neck. “Your birthmark,” he says. My  hand  instinctively  goes  up  to  my  neck,  and  I  touch  the  dime-sized mark just below my ear. `My  grandfather  used  to  say  the  placement  of  a  birthmark  was  the story of how a person lost the battle in their past life. I guess you got stabbed in the neck. Bet it was a quick death, though. ‘I smile, but I can’t tell if I should be afraid or entertained. Despite his somewhat  morbid  opening  conversation,  he  can’t  be  that  dangerous. His curved posture and shaky stance give away that he isn’t a day less than  eighty  years  old.  He  takes  a  few  slow  steps  toward  one  of  two velvet red chairs that are positioned against the wall next to the elevator. He grunts as he sinks into the chair and then looks up at me again. `You going up to floor eighteen? ”My eyes narrow as I process his question. He somehow knows what floor I’m going to, even though this is the first time I’ve ever set foot in this  apartment  complex,  and  it’s  definitely  the  first  time  I’ve  ever  laid eyes on this man.