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Editor's note: The ancients said, "There is a golden house in books." In fact, the wisdom you seek can be obtained without exception from the thoughts left by the predecessors. As the new year is about to begin, hard work and reading more should still be your goal. This article is translated from medium, author Ben Scheer, original title Entrepreneurs: If You Only Read A Couple of Books in 2020, Read These.
Are you still tirelessly looking for wisdom? In fact, the way is very simple, just read a lot. The beauty of
reading is that you have plenty of opportunities to continue learning – whether it’s queueing in Starbucks, going to and from get off work by the subway, or lying in bed at the end of the day.
These fragmented time you squeeze out during a busy day can generate a lot of value. Because these times are short, it is quite appropriate to read a few books to improve your cognition. As someone who likes to use fragmented time to read, I recommend a few books here.
These books have different themes, some are about life, some are about characters, and some are unforgettable stories. While you can find some common lessons from each book, these books are especially worth reading if you are interested in entrepreneurship, psychology, or business.
Next, let's follow the stairs of the book.
《Graucous Behavior》Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
We have to make a lot of decisions every day. When it comes to how to make effective decisions, behavioral economist Dan Ariely's "Grave Behavior" may give you a lot of inspiration. For example, why do people desire a free cookie so much, but have no interest even when it costs only 10 cents? He pointed out that we are not as rational as we thought. But once we become aware of the forces that lead us to less rationality, we can make better decisions.
Friends, giving up long-term goals for the sake of immediate satisfaction is actually a kind of procrastination.
——Dan Ariely
One thing I like about this book is that everything in it is supported by academic research and experiments, and many of them are the results of Ariely's own research. Some of them are quite whimsical and can immediately catch your eye. For example, one of his research was to have college students sit at a table and taste different kinds of beer to see if one’s choices affect others’ choices. Although this book is not a big deal, it can benefit you a lot.
"Accept Yourself Weird: Face Your Fears and Unleash Creativity
I want to highly recommend Felicia Day's book "Accept Yourself Weird" to you. Day believes everything you do is creative, whether it’s sorting out the outfit of the day, eating burritos, or taking notes in class. Because of this, everyone is creative. In fact, today, being creative has become a form of self-help. She believes that this form of self-help is the source of creation of magical things.
Knowing yourself is something that runs through your life.
—— Felicia Day
I recommend you to buy a paper version because there are other activities in the book, such as graffiti, painting, making lists, etc. For example, in one of the activities, she encourages you to pretend to be a hero in the movie and draw the movie poster. In your daily life, it is beneficial to have occasional "creative escape" activities like this.
"How to Win Friends and Influence People
If you haven't read this book yet, it's a good idea to read Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" at the beginning of 2020. In this book, Carnegie instills in us with common sense ideas about life and relationships. You can also re-examine these views in a completely new way.The examples he gives in the book are impressive and brings you a lot of inspiration.
You can't win in any dispute. You can't, because if you lose, you really lose, but even if you win, you still lose.
- Dale Carnegie
For me, this book does not provide a whole new idea, but it reminds me how to treat others, whether it is friends, family or colleagues. From the importance of smiling to what to do when you make mistakes, this book covers many topics and is readable. In addition, the book explains some ways to influence the actions of people around you, such as asking people to express their opinions first. Although the book was originally written in 1936, it never seems to be outdated.
"Influence" Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
After reading "How to Win Friends and Influence Others", the book you should read is Robert Cialdini's book "Influence". The theme of How to Win Friends and Influence Others is how to treat and influence others, while Cialdini focuses specifically on how to influence others in depth. He tells many fascinating stories in his book, aiming to teach readers how to use their influence. However, his goal is not to let you influence everyone. Instead, he wants you to master the knowledge you deserve to avoid being exploited by people who are trying to change your behavior just because of greed and other reasons.
A well-known principle of human behavior is that it is easier to succeed if we ask others for help. Because people just like to find reasons for their behavior.
—Robert Cialdini
To help you avoid falling into the trap of consumerism like marketing, Cialdini discusses various situations related to human behavior. For example, Cialdini discusses how the salesperson at a suit store convinces you to buy a mid-priced tie, and they will first peddle you with a much more expensive tie (the concept of relativity). And he also describes how a person's political perspective can be changed through a simple essay contest. You will definitely be surprised to read this book.
"The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
Mark Manson's book "The Exquisite Art of Not Giving" focuses on what aspects of society make us not pay attention to the most valuable things around us. Most of the views he captures are contrary to the usual ones and successfully convinces you. To be honest, this may be one of the reasons why this type of book is popular recently.
A desire for a more positive experience is itself a negative experience. Paradoxically, a person's negative experience is itself a positive experience.
—— Mark Manson
In his works, Manson took out the traditional self-help ideas that are found in many books and replaced them with his own ideas. For example, he discusses why our usual understanding of happiness is incorrect and why our struggle will always exist (without struggle, happiness itself is illusory). Although this book may seem a bit heart-wrenching at first glance, the lessons you can learn from the book are indeed positive and inspiring. This book stands from the readers' standpoint, talking about the questions straightforwardly and to the point.
If you have been successfully attracted by this book, you should also check out another book by Manson, "Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope", in which Manson has his own unique view on what it means to be in the future and adulthood.
"You Are a Great Man in Your Bones" You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
In her book "You Are a Great Man in Your Bones", Jen Sincero hopes that you don't care too much about what others think of you, don't worry too much about how to achieve your goals, make more people who support you, and develop good habits that will help you throughout your life. She talks frankly about her successes and failures, giving readers a lot of inspiration.
You only need to be responsible for your words and deeds. As for whether others are panicking about this, that is not something you are considering.
- Jen Sincero
In topics such as procrastination and gratitude, Sincero focuses on how your mindset affects your reality and how your value in the eyes of others depends largely on how you evaluate yourself. She said that your judgment of value will affect how your capital flows. You are responsible for how to deal with it in a specific situation. This book talks about a lot of similar things that will surely fascinate you.
"Don't Die Alone" Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time
When you are about to start a new chapter in life, study or work, this book "Don't Die Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi will help you adjust your mindset. Ferrazzi talked about how he recognized the power of relationships in his early years and the habits he developed throughout his career. Although “connections” have become a buzzword nowadays, he used his own life experience as evidence to give us some useful suggestions on how to work with others.
Real socialization is to find ways to make others more successful.
—— Keith Ferrazzi
You may have read this book and think that some of Ferrazz’s ideas are unrealistic to you, but the lessons learned in the book are still worth learning from. He advises that you should take on projects and tasks that others may not want to participate in, because doing so will ultimately give you opportunities. He also advocates honesty and showing his vulnerable side in conversation. This book will allow you to accumulate momentum when you are just starting out.
In this article, I have recommended 7 books. You can take the time to read, expand your wisdom, and even have the opportunity to practice it in the upcoming 2020.
Translator: Xi Tang
