3 Books That Changed My Life

Over the last 8 years, in my journey to understand the world and myself, books is my primary tool. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, growing up I was very shy. I was scared to talk to people, and even if I somehow did talk to others, I was terrified to ask questions. To ask a question, you first must acknowledge your ignorance. I was not willing to do that because I did not want to be judged. The second reason was that I did not know who to ask for the right answer.

Books, on the other hand, will not make fun of you for not knowing, and also you get to choose the author. For every problem or question you have, you can read the book that was written by someone who had the same problem or question, solved it, and wrote a book with the instructions. Additionally, you can research the author and make sure that he is one of the best in his field.

So, in this blog post, I will talk about 3 books that changed my life.

There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.

Walt Disney

1. How to win friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

As I already mentioned growing up I was very shy. However, early on I understood that human relationships are one of the most, if not the most, important aspects of our lives. In order to create, maintain and grow your relationships with other people you have to be able to communicate properly.

How to win friends and influence people is one of the oldest self-development books and the absolute bible of human communication. In this book, Dale Carnegie breaks down this complex concept into smaller and simple sections and explains every one of them in depth. Basic social dynamics are greatly explained, such as the importance of active listening, recalling someone’s name, and expressing genuine compliments and gratitude.

After reading this book, my personal relationships changed radically and my social life as a consequence. The quality of my social interactions flourished, the misunderstandings were significantly decreased and my personal relationships were strengthened. All that is because I learned how to be a better communicator, which paradoxically, is more about listening than talking.

I recommend this book to absolutely anybody. When I am buying a book as a gift, half of the time is this one.

2. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

How money works was one of my many concerns when I was growing up. Although we live in capitalistic societies and money is essential for our survival and prosperity, no one seems to talk about it. We go through school without anyone educating us about it and in most families is a subject that is demonized or not talked about.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad was the first book that shed some light on the money mystery for me. It’s a pretty simple easy-to-read book that focuses on changing the way you look at money. It explains the basics of how the money system works. It’s like personal finance 101.
I remember that when I read about the difference between an asset and a liability and the idea that you can use your money to make more money instead of your time, I was completely shocked and super excited.

In hindsight, several years and financial books and seminars later, I think that this book serves as an introduction to the financial system. It shows you the game, explains the rules of the game, and gives some practical guidance. After that, you are responsible to find the strategy that works for you.

Highly recommended for anybody who wants control over his financial situation.

3. 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson

The 2 previous books were some of the first books I ever read on self-development. This book was way later. Another fundamental concern of mine, and I believe most of us, was the meaning of life. Why are we here and what are we supposed to do? Is any higher value that we have to follow? Any goal that is of actual importance and if there is which is it? Happiness, money, power, or some other abstract term? So, in the first years of my studies while I was considering all the above and in the brick of being a nihilist, I stumbled upon the work of Dr. Jordan Peterson and specifically his book 12 rules for life.

By reading the 12 rules for life, a lot of my questions were answered. Difficult concepts, abstract terms, and lots of things that I considered to be facts, without really knowing why they were facts, were clearly explained to me. This book redefined my whole moral sense and completely changed the way I view life. It armed me with a map of meaning and the necessary foundations I needed to build my life on.

Coming across the work of Dr. Jordan Peterson was of crucial importance to me. It helped me to set my goals and my life in order while relieving a lot of the overthinking and anxiety from not knowing what to do.

While I consider this book to be denser, more abstract, and harder to understand than the others, I highly recommend it as well as his work to everybody who struggles with the concerns listed above.

You can check this interview to get an idea of what is this all about.

Final Words

Those were the books with the biggest impact on my life. Based on where you are on your journey right now and your specific needs and desires, each book may have a different impact on you. However, I strongly believe that are much to gain by reading the aforementioned books regardless.

If you have read any of the above or after you read them feel free to share with me your thoughts on them. Also, I am very curious to know the books that changed your life. I will be waiting for your response!

Honorable Mentions and Personal Book List

• Fat Loss Forever: How to Lose Fat and Keep it Off by Layne Norton
• The Obstacle is the way by Ryan Holiday
• Atomic Habits James Clear
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• The Simplest Gift by Stefanos Xenakis

You can see most of the books I have read rated here.