Important books: (in progress)
These are the defining books I've read over the past 2 years (details below - in progress)
- Now, Discover Your Strengths (Marcus Buckingham)
- The Happiness Hypothesis (Jonathan Haidt)
- The 4th Turning (Strauss & Howe)
- Stumbling Upon Happiness (Daniel Gilbert)
- Satisfaction (Berns)
- Happiness, the Science Behind Your Smile (Daniel Nettle)
- Overachievement (John Eliot)
- Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts)
- Wind, Sand & Stars (St. Euxperry)
- Arabian Sands (Wilfred Thesiger)
- The Tipping Point (Malcom Gladwell)
- Blink (Malcom Gladwell)
- It's Not About the Bike (Armstrong)
- The Rider (Tim Krabbe')
- Predictably Irrational (Ariely)
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· Now, Discover Your Strengths (Marcus Buckingham)
The intellectual version of Walden’s key coach principal of ‘race your strengths’ – this book helps to codify and support everything I’ve learned about racing and training and apply it to work and non-sporting life
· The Happiness Hypothesis (Jonathan Haidt)
A very illuminating book that captures scientific evidence for the drivers behind happiness (a large part is genetic) and in the process sets up a construct for viewing how we are distinctly divided beings with a rational, conscious self often at odds with an irrational, subconscious self. Using the analogy of a rider (rational self) and and elephant (subconscious self) and tying this division the brain evolution, Haidt is able to show how that the happiness elements that are within our control tend to come from designing an environment where both the rider and elephant can be happy.
· The 4th Turning (Strauss & Howe)
Compelling evidence from history that generations follow cycles, and do so in predictable pattern that repeats itself every 4 generations, or about every 80 – 100 years. Some of the research is fascinating (like the fact that generational cycles predicted a generation of ‘abandoned and un-supervised children’ (Gen X) would then raise kids that are completely overprotected (Current generation ages 7 and under). Some of the research is downright scary (the fact that major wars have occurred every 80-100 years for the last 500 years, and that we are “due” for the next crisis. Strauss and Howe wrote the book in 1997 and predicted that in the early 2000’s there would be a singular focusing event that would set the stage for the coming crisis and that would create nationalistic fervor. Then 9/11 happened… and now we have the current market crisis. It is just plain eerie if you read the book…