I consume books faster than I can eat a no-fat, vegan Big Mac.
I’ve read 1000s of books in the last decade. Some were good. Some sucked. And some were 50-hour books that only contained one good idea.
If I had to recommend 10 good books for you to read in 2023, it’d be these.
Shoe Dog (Nike story)
I’ve loved reading this book.
It’s the story of Nike and how a big betrayal can put you on the path to success. But that’s now what I loved most about this book.
The coolest thing I saw while reading this book was that Phil Knight didn’t just hire any random weirdos to work for him. He hired people who were obsessed with the sport of running. People who were deeply engrained in the running community and understood the needs of those people.
His early employees were more ambassadors of running than they were shoe salesmen. Two of them refused to cash their paychecks. The drive these sorts of people had was superhuman. That’s why Nike had uncommon success.
The other part I loved in this story was the undertones of spirituality all the way through. Phil was a weird guy. He embraced Asian philosophy and knew how to get his Zen on.
The travel he did also bled into everything he did. He took what he learned in Greece and applied it to shoes. The same happened with his frequent travels to Japan to meet his first supplier.
Business is just the mastery of life.
Master the mind and the human condition, and it’s easier to create massive value. But focus on revenue and “business” and you’ll drown.
“Spare” (Prince Harry)
Some will hate me for including this one. Ohhh well.
It’s rare to get a look behind the closed doors of royalty. All the PR spin and armed guards make it hard. Harry sold his family out to be free of royalty. You can’t blame him really. What a horrible life.
The thing I loved most about this book is it shows how stupid being rich is. And it shows what too much money can do to people. After you’ve read it you probably won’t want to become Prince Charles and drive a Bentley anymore. Good.
Many of you need that message desperately.
The book also reminds you why fame is a nightmare. It’s better to be quiet and unknown than it is to have a circus of paparazzi walking behind you and taking photos of your perfectly kept buttocks.
Read about the rich life to escape the rich life forever.
Kitchen Confidential
(The book that made Anthony Bourdain famous)
This is probably the best-written book I’ve ever read.
Tony Bourdain was such an amazing writer. His ability to tell a story and describe people, events, and settings was incredible. It makes those who read his work want to become writers.
ChatGPT can never write like Tony. He shows us that there’s still hope for writers. The stories in the book are wild. He’s a master of controversy and slowly letting out the details of a good story.
The highs and lows are massive.
At the time no one dared talk about the underbelly of the restaurant world. Tony did and he didn’t give a f*ck — clearly. Even if you hate cooking this book will entertain you and even inspire you.
Learn how Anthony Bourdain became famous because of this book.
The Art of Focus — Dan Koe
This book isn’t out yet.
I got an advanced copy as I sometimes do. It’s all killer no filler. If you struggle to focus or just want to reach mastery in your field then give it a read. Dan has had enormous online success.
The book lies at the intersection of psychology, spirituality, business, self-improvement, and productivity. There’s no book quite like it. The strategies in it are practical and timeless.
And Dan has put them into practice so he’s speaking from experience. You’ll learn about flow, passion, obsession, and finding your calling through the work you do — but not in a woo-woo way.
Learn from Dan The Man.
Tiger Woods
Wait, what?
Didn’t he sleep with a bunch of women and crash his car because of too many pills? Didn’t his wife smack his car with a golf club…or something like that? Yep. Tiger did all of it and more.
He’s an a-hole of the highest caliber.
Before all the debauchery he was a different man. One who had navy seal precision with a golf club.
He started playing golf from the day he was born. His dad brainwashed him by making him watch the ball get hit 1000s of times.
Then he implemented his own mind control program as he got older. And you’ll learn about his dad too. He was a bad man. As much as Tiger tried to escape what his father did, he ended up modeling his behavior.
It’s a stark reminder. Our parents have a lasting effect on us.
So if you’re a parent, like me, make sure you lead by example and don’t act like a clown, or your kids will become drunken circus performers too.
Even the people you dislike have a lot to teach. Tiger is one of them.
“Will” — Mark Manson (Yep, that Will Smith guy)
Another bad choice, right?
What the hell can we learn from Will Smith? He’s the guy who slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars and ruined his life.
Again, Will is no angel. He’s done a lot of bad stuff. But you can learn from him why success isn’t everything. Why when you get to the top of the mountain it can feel empty. Lifeless.
And why having everything and being a good provider doesn’t earn you the respect of your beloved family. Sometimes you have to read what not to do in life to figure out what you must do. That’s how I feel.
Read about Will. Learn about his drive. Understand why his ego got so big and, later, destroyed his career with that famous slap.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Philosophy is sexy as hell.
The problem is much of it is ancient and written in old english. We normies can’t understand it. Or we can’t find it on our Kindle phone app.
Naval represents new age philosophy. It’s layered with insights from the digital world and extremely practical. Naval has a way with words. He can take a complex topic and distill it into a single tweet.
When he jumps on a podcast the world listens. His ideas on the future of work and what true wealth means are a must-read. This book takes his best ideas and lets you consume them in a few short hours.
If you don’t learn from Naval, you won’t understand the digital renaissance we’re about to face and what AI is going to do.
The Psychology of Money
We don’t get rich by what we do for work.
We get rich based on how we think. We’re programmed to either make money or be destined to struggle because of it. The good news is you can unlearn bad money habits and learn how to make money.
The book is simple to read and easy to understand for beginner or advanced investors. And it has the famous one-page chapter in it.
The point of learning about money is so you can master it and not have to have it dominate your thoughts forever. Decisions based on a lack of money are a mental illness. They take up all our brainpower.
