Let's talk about BOOKS

[FredFred]

Reading books is essential in the process of self-actualization. Success, happiness, money, business, relationships, sex, nutrition, meditation, the subconscious mind, you name it, there's a book about becoming better at that that! One might argue that there is all the content is available for free online, but let's be honest here, nothing beats a well-written book by an expert in the subject.

That being said :

• What is your personal favorite book topic, and why?
• How many time do you spend reading each day, or each week?
• What is the TOP 1 book you read this year?

I'm in the process of creating a reading habit for myself. My goal right now is to dedicate AT LEAST 1 hour every day to reading. I don't plan on restricting myself to a specific genre at the moment, I'll just go with the flow.

My favorite book of this year has been Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana :

A short book about vipassana meditation. Not too much bullshit, just straight-forward how to meditate properly with a small hint of wisdom about enlightenment here and there.

P.S.: This thread is NOT about reviewing books, there's an entire forum section for that. I simply like to encourage people to read more than do usually do, and what better way to do that than by talking about the simple and elegant activity that is reading books.

Edited December 31, 2018 by FredFred

[ivory]

I just ordered two of Ken Wilber's books and the original Spiral Dynamics books. Mindfulness in plain english is a good book for learning about meditation. So is The Mind Illuminated.

[Sahil Pandit]

@FredFred Reading has really opened up my mind to different ways of thinking.

It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't read, the potential benefits of it.

Reading unhooks you from what you thought your life was, and gives you perspective into the lives of other people.

It gives you a chance to observe someone's mind, and in that process, you see bits and pieces of yourself.

[kieranperez]

My favorite books are pretty much always biographies and memoirs. A powerful story gets me every single time. Those are the books that have made the biggest impact on me for sure. Books on technical topics (success, spirituality, sports, whatever) are great and have a role for me but the ones that make the biggest dent in my life and my being are stories. 

[TheAvatarState]

I attribute reading The Alchemist at a young age to maybe having been a big turning point in my consciousness. The seeds were planted there.

[Cocolove]

On 12/30/2018 at 8:34 PM, ivory said:

I just ordered two of Ken Wilber's books and the original Spiral Dynamics books. Mindfulness in plain english is a good book for learning about meditation. So is The Mind Illuminated.

I'm reading integral spirituality, which ones did you get?

[Rilles]

1. I have no favourite topic, I like to be as diverse as possible

2. About an hour everyday and then I lose steam, if the book is really good then maybe 3 hrs

3. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

a biography about an African child-soldier, its staggering how much suffering a person can go through and yet come out on the other side and get back on track. This book kept me focused all throughout and thats unusual for me. Beautiful, depressing, horrifying, admirable, uplifting and inspiring book

[Shroomdoctor]

@kieranperez wh8ch ones inspired you the most ?

[kieranperez]

Probably Om Swami’s memoir.

[ajasatya]

@kieranperez have you read can't hurt me, from david goggins?

[kieranperez]

47 minutes ago, ajasatya said:

@kieranperez have you read can't hurt me, from david goggins?

Not that much of a fan of Goggins. So no. I’ve met Goggins and have friends who’ve run with him as I’m friends with some professional ultrarunners and none of them are really that much of a fan and at the end of the day, he’s an asshole of a personality. There’s no real humility to him at all. I’m not a fan not because I don’t resonate with his story, I feel like I resonate with it more than most people in society in a sense because I know a lot of that pain he’s talking about growing up, that hardship he went through growing up (I was never absurd like he was), and also wanting to let that out in running as running has been my life for some years but that approach just doesn’t work for me. I know a lot of people will look at that as some cop out but when I lived my life reacting in the aggressive “fuck you” attitude to the voice in my head and that I’m some tough motherfucker, it destroys pretty much everything and I burn out. There’s some good componenents to Goggins like ownership, accountability, responsibility, etc. so I’m not saying he doesn’t have anything to offer. Not at all. I’ve just kinda accepted that transition out of where Goggins is coming from because it just leads to more misery, unnecessary anger, making this whole stupid thing out of my life story when there are people who’ve had it way worse than me (and worse than him) and they’re humble. Understand that it’s one thing to read about these people and hear them talk on a podcast or something, it’s another thing entirely when you meet these people. I remember that when I met Michael Jordan at his camp 3 years in a row. That man was my god. I actually used to wish when I was a kid he was my 2nd dad. When I actually talked to him I just remember being repulsed with his level of narcissism. These kinda people serve some healthy principles to society that I agree we should emulate, but for me, that’s about it. 

I don’t want trash Goggins because I know what he’s talking about in a lot of different ways but yeah, just not a fan. 

[ajasatya]

@kieranperez i see what you mean. the guy feels zero compassion.

there's still a lot to learn from him. his idea of developing mental toughness to overcome fucked up obstacles is certainly worth mastering.

he's being an inspiration to me to workout everyday. i am fine with the fact that he's miles away from humility... that's his problem.

[kieranperez]

@ajasatya exactly. Again, im not saying he’s of no value to learn from. I’ve tried doing what he’s done (not because I knew about him or anything but because that was my attitude towards life) and it’s just hitting your head against a wall needlessly after a certain point. If he helps inspire people to get off their ass, awesome. That’s what those people need. I can do what Goggins is talking about with my body and mind in the context of sport in a sense. I say in a sense because the more I operate from the “Goggins mindset” I actually start dropping out of races, quitting workouts, quitting entire seasons, etc. I perform my best and can go more when I drop that whole narrative. Kilian Jornet, if we’re going to talk about running, is a great guy I love as a world class athlete who is extremely positively motivated and does thing that people will look at and think is impossible. Take the gold from his story, and leave the rest.

[Chase Ellfeldt]

I consume roughly 1-2 books per week. 

That will lessen in 2019 because I'm spending a lot more time taking action but I'm going to shoot to consume 1 book per week. 

I know it is a bit cliche but I love studying "The Laws of Success"  There is so much wisdom and knowledge in this book I could read it for the rest of my life and still learn from it. 

[Sahil Pandit]

“Good books often answer questions you didn't even know you wanted to ask” 

[RichardY]

If I can, I like to try and get at the root of books on knowledge. Sure there's repackaged modern stuff, but What can I fillet that has stood the test of time? and hopefully avoid retreading old ground. How many self help books are based off of various religious texts or novels, why not just read them direct.

If many self helps books are like energy drinks, I'm looking more for fine wines, trying to contrast and build a palette. There's a systematising element to books, so sometimes can be interesting to see references to various texts and try and get a through overview of what's available. I think religions can deal with various psychological aspects so various arteries to explore.

[Rebec]

Different stages requires different books. Leo's 65 core principles gives a good idea of categories for books.

[PetarKa]

I love big picture books which don't necessarily give you the exact answers, but rather give you the tools which you can use however you and however you need. One such book, which is quite popular, is Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. I don't like to read fast. I've tried 1 book per week and found that I was just mindlessly going through the book with the information going in one ear, and going out the other. Now I probably read 1 book every 1-2 months. But I make sure (as much as possible) to read a quality book by researching it first.

[Equanimitize]

A low key book that I thought was really good is Eben Pagans book called Opportunity. 

[Smika]

It depends on what topic you are interested in.

I’m currently reading “Aura Advantage” by Cynthia Sue Larson, and altering between reading this book and listening to the audio of “How To Clairvoyant Aura Read” by James David Rockefeller.

I’m reading this book so I can activate my synesthetic abilities. If you’re on a similar mission, I would advice looking into it! ✨

I’m fairly new in understanding this whole concept of synesthesia and visualizing the colors of the auras. I can feel auras, but I sadly can’t see them. 

I started reading a while ago, and I read for around 1hr a day. It also gives you great exercises you can do to activate your ability.  ? 

Edited January 6, 2019 by Smika