On Professional Irrelevance, Financial Doomsday, and Throwing Heat
On Professional Irrelevance, Financial Doomsday, and Throwing Heat
Books that changed my life
Hello all!
Here is your weekly dose of books that changed my life.
1. Living a full life
From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
Summary
Many of us presume that the more successful we are, the less susceptible we become to the sense of professional and social irrelevance that often accompanies getting older. But the truth is, the greater our achievements and our attachment to them, the more we notice our decline, and the more painful it is when it occurs. As Simon Sinek said of this book, “To the overachievers, success addicts, and tired strivers who are fairly confident you can’t keep it up forever but will try anyway—this book is for you. Arthur Brooks shows you it’s possible to build a life that really does get better with age”.
Striver's curse: people who strived to be excellent at what they do often wind up finding their inevitable decline terrifying, their successes increasingly unsatisfying, and their relationships lacking.
Principle: Devote the back half of your life serving others with your wisdom. Get old sharing the things you believe are most important. Excellence is always its own reward, and this is how you can be most excellent as you age.
Insight: So we run and run, hoping that the next success, greater than the last, will bring the enduring satisfaction we crave.
Quote: Living life as if everyday is an Olympics only makes those around me miserable. -Arthur Brooks
Author: Arthur Brooks
Themes: Living a full life, Personal development
My personal notes from the book
2. History
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
Summary
This is one of those books and movies that get better every time you re-read or re-watch. And it seems to be common with Michael Lewis’s work (my favorite, Moneyball, will be in an upcoming 3BT). We all remember the housing crises and financial collapse of 2008, but do we understand why and how it happened? Reading about finance and economics is often dry, but not The Big Short. It is an easy-to-read, enlightening, and quite interesting book. And the movie is amazing.
Principle: Even in life and death situations, doctors and nurses, and patients all responded to bad incentives. In hospitals in which the reimbursement rates for appendectomies ran higher, for instance, the surgeons removed more appendixes.
Insight: The willingness of a Wall Street investment bank to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to dispense investment advice to grown-ups remains a mystery to me to this day.
Quote: The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already without a shadow for doubt, what is laid before him. -Leo Tolstoy
Author: Michael Lewis
Themes: History, Economics, Business, Investing
My personal notes from the book
3. Biography
Nolan Ryan: The Making of a Pitcher
Summary
Nolan Ryan is one of the greatest MLB pitchers of all-time. He holds numerous records: most strikeouts in a career (5,714), fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.56), and most no-hitters (7). Yet, he never won the coveted Cy Young award for best pitcher of the season. Ryan was one of the most feared pitcher’s in MLB history. Dale Murphy said about Ryan that he’s “…the only pitcher you start thinking about two days before you face him.” But the greatness of this book, is learning about Nolan Ryan the person. If you are a baseball fan, this book is a home run. And the movie based on the this book, Facing Nolan, is also excellent.
Here is a video of strikeout highlights
Author: Rob Goldman
Themes: Biography, Sports
That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading!
Please let me know which genre of book you want more of?
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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