In Designing Your Life, Bill and Dave offer a fantastic way to understand yourself - where you are, what you are, and what you want - and the tools thIn Designing Your Life, Bill and Dave offer a fantastic way to understand yourself - where you are, what you are, and what you want - and the tools they use (in this book and in their Stanford life design courses) are built to help you map out a meaningful and happy future. An alternative to the usual approach of relentlessly planning out each aspect of your life from your current position, Bill and Dave suggest you adopt design-thinking in the pursuit of a life well-lived. You are encouraged to brainstorm and write and plan, yes, but more importantly to DO THINGS: to engage in low-risk experiments, to prototype career and lifestyle opportunities, to iterate on successful goals, and to slowly build your life forward one increment and attempt at a time. You do not currently know what Future You will want or need, and you cannot coerce Future You into a predetermined box. The only solution to the ineradicable problem of consistently generating meaning in an uncertain future is to actually build something and see what it's like again and again. The philosophy of design thinking they offer is a remarkable method for keeping life fresh and vital....more
Radical Simplicity is both a persuasive case for a less-cluttered, ecologically-conscious mode of living and a set of tools to guide the readers towarRadical Simplicity is both a persuasive case for a less-cluttered, ecologically-conscious mode of living and a set of tools to guide the readers toward that end. In this book, you will learn about ecological footprinting, financial footprinting (through Your Money or Your Life), and the benefits that come from living closer to Nature. Merkel lays out a compelling lifestyle: reduce your bloated, unconscious consumer habits and save money and natural resources by learning to live well on less. With an inspiring philosophy and plenty of practical ideas, Merkel's urgency toward ecologically-minded simple living is compelling. The author has a foot in both the environmentalist movement and the financial independence movement, making this book a treat for the reader in either camp....more
These are the personal writings of Marcus Aurelius, a 2nd century Roman emperor (the last of the Five Good Emperors) and a devoted student of the StoiThese are the personal writings of Marcus Aurelius, a 2nd century Roman emperor (the last of the Five Good Emperors) and a devoted student of the Stoic philosophy. These are writings he wrote for himself and never intended to publish. Marcus, along with Seneca, Epictetus, and Musonius Rufus, was a champion of Stoicism and probably its most popular exemplar ever. During his time as emperor, however, he must have consorted with a number of rather immoral and dangerous people as the main themes of the Meditations are 1) How to handle stressful situations, and 2) How to tolerate vulgar and immoral people. One gets a rather depressing vibe from Marcus reading this. He ruminates on how "soon he will be dead" more than a few times... Besides his sort of weary and frustrated vibe, there is a lot of valuable Stoic insight to be gained in its pages. His wise commentary on anger, fate, duty, Nature, and peace of mind are certainly worth the price of admission....more
A worthwhile and helpful book. I don't identify fully with Glover's "Nice Guy" archetype, but there are certainly parts of it that hit home for me. I A worthwhile and helpful book. I don't identify fully with Glover's "Nice Guy" archetype, but there are certainly parts of it that hit home for me. I specifically need to work on getting over my need for external validation and trying to please others. There are some solid takeaways from this book and I think almost all men would benefit from recovering from the false and dangerous perspectives that produce the Nice Guy Syndrome. Too many men sabotage themselves by engaging in passive-aggressive behavior, being afraid of losing what they have, being afraid of true honesty, seeing themselves as a victim, holding on to internal shame, and so on. This book is not about being a jerk or being a narcissist; it's about reclaiming personal power and creating the romantic and professional lives you deserve....more
Qigong is an ancient Chinese practice for promoting health, longevity, and physical ability. The Way of Qigong gives a thorough overview of the subjecQigong is an ancient Chinese practice for promoting health, longevity, and physical ability. The Way of Qigong gives a thorough overview of the subject, which discusses the nature of qi and Chinese medicine, the qigong routines, the history of Taoism, the scientific literature on qigong, diet, meditation, sexual activity and more. Anyone interested in learning about the Chinese paradigm of health and vitality would be advised to read this....more
An inspiring and valuable book. Manson approaches the subject with none of the usual garbage found in PUA literature, but comes at it from an honest aAn inspiring and valuable book. Manson approaches the subject with none of the usual garbage found in PUA literature, but comes at it from an honest and raw perspective. He lays out his theory of female attraction (total honesty -> vulnerability -> non-neediness -> attraction) and helps guide the reader's actions accordingly. There are no tricks or strategies, and no need for performance. By being honestly yourself, you polarize women and increase your chances of attracting those that are truly compatible. Highly worthwhile for men looking to improve their dating lives. This pairs well with Glover's "No More Mr. Nice Guy."
An incredible book and roadmap for people looking to improve their financial control and their ability to enjoy their lives. Vicki Robin deconstructs An incredible book and roadmap for people looking to improve their financial control and their ability to enjoy their lives. Vicki Robin deconstructs many contemporary myths and habits of the typical American consumer (including "more is better," etc.), helps us gain emotional stability over our financial lives, and shows us how to align our relationship with money to achieve our dreams. Most people have little to no understanding behind how or why they spend money, where it is going, why they are always rushing and frantic to make "the next payment," and what they can do to get out of the "paycheck to paycheck" grind and relax. She lays bare the reality of paid employment and urges the reader to reevaluate how he is spending his "life energy" (time/money).
Following the steps in the book allows one to: discover the reality about their relationship with money, get out of debt, achieve financial integrity (matching your spending to your life goals), and finally achieve financial independence - the state of never having to work for money again. For anyone wanting their lives back from endless consumption and the 9-5 schedule, this book literally gives you the blueprint to retire early and spend the rest of your life on your terms....more
A powerful and compelling philosophical approach to financial independence. Many books on this subject are about the nuts and bolts - how to invest, hA powerful and compelling philosophical approach to financial independence. Many books on this subject are about the nuts and bolts - how to invest, how to cut costs, getting out of debt, etc. - but not this one. Fisker doesn't give precise techniques and tips (tactics); he focuses on the mentality, the framework, and the attitude (strategies) on money and freedom one needs to adopt to become free from work forever. Truly a valuable read. He rips the guts out of modern consumer society, throws paid work on its head, inspires a return to Renaissance principles, and gives the reader a new outlook on their relationship with the economic system. I doubt I'll retire within 5 years like Fisker did, but with his insight on the situation, I hope it won't take too long....more
Deeply inspiring, illustrative, and sometimes funny, Seneca acts as a sort of Roman chiropractor for one's life - delivering enough carefully aimed foDeeply inspiring, illustrative, and sometimes funny, Seneca acts as a sort of Roman chiropractor for one's life - delivering enough carefully aimed force with his words to correct our misaligned habits, thought patterns, and perspectives and thereby rid us of the pains of foolish desires (riches, social status, security, etc.), worries, anxieties, disappointments, and fears. By showing us how short life is, Seneca actually gives new life. This small work is a must-read; a curative for ubiquitous psychological ailments and a good start to reforming one's life in light of our true goals and happiness.
I read an edition with three essays: On the Shortness of Life, Consolation to Helvia, and On the Tranquility of Mind. They are all good and all worth careful reading....more
A pretty general self-help book. Some useful techniques for eliminating stress and building compassion for others, but nothing really notable. Feels rA pretty general self-help book. Some useful techniques for eliminating stress and building compassion for others, but nothing really notable. Feels repetitive. The author doesn't spend more than a page or two at maximum on each practice. Worth reading because it's short and some of the ideas will probably stick....more
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