For many people, the Covid-19 pandemic won’t be thought of as merely the prompting of a global health crisis. Instead, they’ll view it as a time of reflection, a time to rethink their purpose and meaning. In other words, a time of transformation. And few things are as helpful during seasons of crisis as digging through a stack of must-read books.
Already, millions are embarking on what’s being dubbed The Great Resignation. As the economy reopens, workers are reawakening to the realization that they aren’t where they want to be. As such, they’re quitting careers in the hopes of self-reinvention. Many are taking time off to figure out what they want. Others already know and are launching businesses in record numbers.
You may be somewhere along the spectrum between Burnout Recoverer and First-Time Entrepreneur. Regardless of where you fall, you’ll need guidance.
And what better place to look for support, mentorship, and inspiration than in books? Whether you explore them while curled up on your sofa or listen to them during hikes in the woods, you can always get a boost from a must-read book.
If you’re undergoing a disruption of the soul, take heart. Authors have taken this journey before you and they’re ready to share their experiences. Below are several new and somewhat older books that will help you better understand who you are, where you’re going, and how to get there.
1. Mark Lachance: The Lucky Formula
Imagine practically losing it all. Your money, your mental wellbeing, and your reputation for success. Mark Lachance has been down that road once and has lived to tell the tale.
After nearly going bankrupt after a real estate venture tore through his savings and brought him to the verge of a breakdown, he decided to take matters into his own hands. In other words, he was going to make his own luck. Within six months, he was up and running. Lachance shares the step-by-step process he used to gain internal and external self-mastery in The Lucky Formula.
Throughout the chapters of this thought-provoking book, you’ll be invited to consider all the ways that you’re already affecting what some people call “luck.” Yes, you can stack the odds in your favor by positioning yourself carefully. Just let yourself be taught by this master of reinvention and positive thinking.
2. Jay Shetty: Think Like a Monk
You may never have thought about the monastery lifestyle. Still, did you ever wonder how monks remain so peaceful in challenging and even frightening situations? The answer, says Jay Shetty, is in the way they control their thought processes.
Shetty knows what he’s talking about in this book. He lived as a monk for years before returning to his hometown. Yet what he brought back was more than just an adventure story. It was a new way of seeing the world.
In Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day, Shetty challenges you to reframe your brain. Under his mentorship, you’ll find out how to banish your negativity once and for all. You’ll also figure out how to catch and hold those snippets of fleeting happiness that too often seem to disappear amid the stressors of modern life. It’s safe to say that once you start to think like a monk, you can’t help but enjoy the wisdom that comes from inner peace.
3. Ozan Varol: Think Like a Rocket Scientist
It’s not often that a must-read book lineup contains two “Think Like a…” treasures. This list is an exception to the rule.
Though Ozan Varol’s Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life might sound like an advertisement for STEM careers, it’s not. It’s a playbook to help you understand how being able to apply scientific thinking to any problem can improve your outcomes — and confidence.
We’re all dealing with uncertainty regularly. Varol makes it seem less daunting by showing that the unknown doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Rather, it can fuel incredible imagination and innovation.
Keeping this in mind, you might want to read this book with a list of some of your biggest head-scratchers by your side. At the end of each chapter, use what you’ve learned to help you solve the riddles that perplex you.
4. Timothy Ferris: The 4-Hour Workweek
You may have already been introduced to this book years ago when it first hit the bestseller list. Some people found it astonishing. Others chuckled at what seemed like naivete. Many claimed it was too radical a principle to hold water.
I still read this book at the beginning of each year — it does something for my work excitement. I have to show up full-time at work — but I do better at my job because of Tim Ferris.
Nevertheless, Ferris and his must-read book may have the last laugh. Many businesses are considering the advantages that could come from trimming the tried-and-true workweek by a day. No, they’re not allowing employees to work for a handful of hours, but they’re reconsidering how to make work…well, work.
Could spending fewer hours tethered to your occupational to-do list really make a difference in your life? Catch up with The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich and find out. Discover how Ferris increased his personal wealth by outsourcing tasks and eliminating the extraneous — all while making his life easier.
His tips for scaling back may astound you in their simplicity. Even if you never reach a four-hour workweek, you can gain the freedom that comes from reclaiming more of those 168 hours we’re given every seven days.
5. Terrance McMahon: SuperHero Self: How to Recover From Anything and Recreate Yourself
Could it be time to “cape up?” You may never have thought about yourself in a heroic fashion. Nonetheless, Terrance McMahon believes you have more inside you to do and give than you may have assumed.
The survivor of a near-death health scare, McMahon wrote SuperHero Self: How to Recover From Anything and Recreate Yourself: A 12 Week Plan for Personal Transformation as a handbook for people who were at their lowest points.
No matter where your life has taken you to this point, you aren’t without opportunities or options. Get the boost of adrenaline and motivation you need to do magical things you once thought were impossible. If McMahon can beat back an all-consuming addiction, you can make strides toward your goals as well. Just have faith that underneath it all, you have the beating heart of a superhero.
Many people often feel stuck. If that describes you, don’t let another season go by. Begin a beautiful metamorphosis right away by taking a trip to the bookstore or ordering a supply of new must-read books for your library.
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