On a Love Letter to Life, Human Transformation, and a Journey with a Tiger
Books that changed my life
Hello all!
Here is your weekly dose of books that changed my life.
1. Memoir
Green Lights
Summary
This is the first audio book to make Three Book Thursday. It is truly outstanding. I always wanted to read McConaughey’s book after I listened to an interview with him on the Tim Ferris Show. But it wasn’t until I got a nudge from my friend Brandon Brewer. His advice, “get the audiobook.” And I will pass on the same advice to you, get the audio book. This was one of the most authentic, vulnerable, enlightening, and entertaining books that I’ve listened to (or read) in a long time. McConaughey describes his book as a love letter to life.
Principle: The problems we face today eventually turn into blessings in the rearview mirror of life.
Insight: Catching greenlights is about skill: intent, context, consideration, endurance, anticipation, resilience, speed, and discipline. We can catch more greenlights by simply identifying where the red lights are in our life, and then change course to hit fewer of them.
Quote: Sometimes we don’t need advice. Sometimes we just need to hear we’re not the only one.
Author: Matthew McConaughey
Themes: Memoir
My personal notes from the book
2. Peak Performance
Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds
Summary
Need some inspiration in your life? Can’t Hurt Me is the remarkable story of David Goggins, who goes from working as an exterminator to the only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller. He also went on to set records in numerous endurance events and is often referred to as "The Fittest Man in America." Enough said.
Principle: We’re either getting better or we’re getting worse.
Insight: Denial is the ultimate comfort zone.
Insight: When you think that you are done, you're only 40% in to what your body's capable of doing. That's just the limits that we put on ourselves.
Quote: I don't stop when I'm tired. I stop when I'm done. -David Goggins
Author: David Goggins
Themes: Peak performance, Memoir, Personal development, Health and wellness
My personal notes from the book
3. Fiction
Life of Pi
Summary
One of my all-time favorite fiction books. It is a story of adventure, survival, and self-reflection. Perhaps you’ve seen the movie? Meh. It does not even come close to the book. As you turn the last few pages of Life of Pi, you’ll have more questions than answers. But that’s the goal, right?
Principle: To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.
Insight: It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards.
Surviving a shipwreck:
Do not drink urine or seawater
Do not eat jellyfish or fish with spikes, or fish that puff up like balloons
Pressing the eyes of a fish will paralyze them
The body can be a hero. Ignorance is the worst doctor, while rest and sleep are the best nurses.
Put your feet up at least every five minutes
Unnecessary exertion should be avoided, but an idle mind tends to sink
Green water is shallower than blue water
Beware of far off clouds that look like mountains. Look for green. Ultimately a foot is the only good judge of land.
Do not go swimming. It wastes energy. Do not urinate in your clothes. The momentary warmth is not worth the nappy rash.
Shelter yourself. Exposure can kill faster than thirst or hunger.
So long as no excessive water is lost through perspiration, the body can survive up to fourteen days without water. If you feel thirsty, suck a button.
Turtles are easy to catch and make excellent meals. Their blood is good, nutritious, salt-free drink; their flesh is tasty and filling; their fat has many uses; and the castaway will find turtle eggs a real treat. Mind the beak and the claws.
Don't let your morale flag. Be daunted, but not defeated. If you have your will to live, you will.
Author: Yann Martel
Themes: Fiction, Journey
My personal notes from the book
That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading!
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Best,
Adam
P.S. Do you have a favorite book that changed your life? Please share it with me by replying to this email.
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