Six Books in Six Months

Incredibly, I have barely been able to sit down and read a book cover to cover in my life span. Until now! At the ripe age of 28, I’m taking great solace in reading books that are helping me make sense of it all, while allowing for the opportunity to rest my mind and slow things down. While I’m fresh on this journey, I’ve read some absolute bangers so far and here are my reflections on each.

Stolen Focus Reflections

My general world view is being severely undermined at all times and so too is my ability to produce things that I’m proud of both inside and outside of work.

While social media plays a key role in this, Hari’s diagnosis of why our collective attention span is in a state of erosion is fascinating and compelling.

He’s instilled an awareness and an anger is me that helps me to resist the powers that take me away from all that matters. The perfect start.

Let Them Reflections

The concepts in this book aren’t revolutionary. It’s nothing that hasn’t been said in other words.

That said, the fact that The Let Them Theory has a movement behind it is testament to how effective Mel has been in empowering everyday people to rise above and take back control.

Her anecdotes of overcoming and persevering come from her own incredible lived experience. There’s no over-intellectualising or fluffing, just practicality and power.

Feel Good Reflections

Things that I implemented from this book:

• Bringing playfulness to reduce the pressure and make life’s adversities a little more bearable.

• Using an alter-ego to help with your approach to tasks. At the time of reading it was Paul Atredies (there was a bit going on).

• Continuing to question the ‘why’ behind various pursuits, specifically relating to extrinsic vs intrinsic motivations. Am I doing this for me or for them?

• Feel good first, do good as a result. Not the other way round which might be: ‘I’ll feel good only when x happens’.

Originals Reflections

I’ve seen Adam Grant live and listened to heaps of his pods. Since picking up reading, going deeper into some of his best work was as good as I’d hoped.

This book is less about the well-known ideas that feature, more the resolve required to bring them to life and change the world.

Refreshingly, anecdotes of MLK’s last minute speech writing, the stalled progress of the suffragette movement and Da Vinci’s procrastination give human characteristics back to history’s greatest.

Therapeutic Journey

A month on, I’m still reflecting on why this book has had such a transformative effect on my mental health. De Botton validates the worst of our fears before expertly normalising and de-bunking them.

I’m compelled to learn more about him now for the fact that I’ve never read or heard anything that makes me feel more understood.

Using art, history, astronomy, religion and nurture, the book gives a definitive picture of what being mentally unwell looks like while giving hope for a better state of mental well being.

Abundance Reflections

When visualising a future of abundance for mankind, looking back at how we got here to learn about the antidotes to our biggest problems is a good place to start. That’s why this book is a slog.

It’s a difficult time to read about such things and I’m still of the opinion that our little minds can’t cope with the complexity of the world.

That said, this book refrains from pandering to division by talking to how both ‘sides’ have contributed to a precarious world order, and how coming together is a hopeful opportunity to build a better world.