At every year’s end, I reflect on the past year- accomplishments, failures, experiences, learnings, what income streams-businesses-ventures-partnerships-investments performed well and areas and room for improvement.
Mindsets, spiritual growth, personal development, finances, health, relationships, family, and contribution.
I also take time to set intentions, goals, directions, and strategy for next year.
Every year I read 250+ books. My learning has accelerated greatly since the days of reading 1 business book and 1 personal development book per month. My growth has been accelerated with Audible, YouTube, Podcasts as well as networking, traveling, and conferences.
I am constantly listening on the go to audio courses, audio programs, podcasts, webinars, seminars, YouTube, and podcasts. This is advantageous because I can listen on-the-go, on-demand, while performing mundane tasks or seriously sitting down, consuming, assimilating, and applying the information and concepts.
My goal is to compile a list of the top 10 most influential books for 2023 either in business, finance, career, spirituality, and relationships.
Top 10 Books for 2023
1. The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Contentment, Comfort, and Connection by Louisa Thomsen Brits (2017): Denmark is one of the “happiest” places in the world. Despite our material wealth and success in the United States, we continue to be unhappy, uncontent, and unsatisfied. Mental illness including anxiety and depression are on the rise. This is an eye opener on how the Danish use “hygge” as a way of being, living, and showing up in the world.
2. The Mobile Wave: How Mobile Intelligence Will Change Everything by Michael J. Saylor (2013): Everything is moving from desktop to laptop to tablet to smart phones. Information is easy, fast, and convenient. This book describes the role that smartphones will play in the next era of quantum computing, artificial intelligence, robotics, Web3, blockchain technology, electric vehicles, virtual reality, and the metaverse.
3. The Attributes: 25 Hidden Drivers of Optimal Performance by Rich Diviney (2021): Taken from the training of Navy SEAL, special ops, the attributes examines the top 25 attributes that separate the 0.1% from the 99.99%. Aspects such as mental agility, resiliency, toughness, perspective, decision-making under pressure are examined at great length as to how it applies to business and a must for executives, leaders, entrepreneurs, and influencers.
4. Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation by Kevin Roose (2021): Artificial intelligence is here to stay and it is disrupting everything from jobs, work, and education. AI can learn, absorb, and assimilate information at speeds and efficiencies unfathomable to the average human being, shaving years off of the learning curve. With quantum computing and networks artificial intelligence will be the backbone and infrastructure from which future innovations will be built. Elon Musk said that artificial intelligence has the ability to significantly change how humans operate and function in today’s society. In the future, we will have to collaborate with artificial intelligence. Applications such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, LensaAI, Jasper, Siri, Alexa, and other applications are making their way into human society.
5. Hell Week and Beyond by Scott McEwen (2021): Another great read on mental toughness, emotional resiliency, and physical toughness.
6. Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines by Jamie Merisotis (2021): In the future, human judgement, decision making, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship will be extremely important. The Industrial Age taught us to sit in our chairs and obey arbitrary authorities without question. The world is waking up and questioning outdated philosophies and paradigms, and electing to pursue unconventional routes including bypassing college, digital nomadism, embracing social media, and defining new cultural trends. COVID planted the seeds, and is accelerating those trends. Routine tasks will be either outsourced, automated, or replaced by AI. This has enormous implications given the nature-future of work, work force, and work place. The next decade will be the decade of the entrepreneur, creative, and thought leader.
7. The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan (2022): Just how we created networks via cable, satellite, telephone, internet, transportation, social, and informational networks, we are planting the seeds to create novel paradigms of money networks, political, governments based on shared ideologies, core values independent of location and unconstrained by borders, language, and other boundaries. This describes the future of where societies will congregate, aggregate, and share value. Extremely prescient. Interestingly, Balaji is former CTO at Coinbase, a highly forward-looking company.
8. The Changing World Order by Ray Dalio (2022): The United States is at its peak and is in decline. This book describes the factors that lead to a country’s downfall including excessive debt, money printing, a rising rising populism, and global competitor. Ray is also the author of the highly acclaimed Principles (also highly recommended).
9. The Introverted Leader by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler (2018): One of my biggest pet peeves is the corporate environment and corporate bullies that give you the same lame “party line”, that condones and encourages corporate bullying, inequality, and corruption. I can’t stand people that try to dominate others, talk over others, walk over others throughout the workplace. They are usually hiding and covering their deepest insecurities and desires and feel that they have to exercise this toxicity in modern society.
10. The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything by Matthew Ball (2022): Another highly prescient book about a new digital world where work, productivity, networking, play, and society will interact in. Ready Player One.
While the list is not exhaustive, these are the top 10 books that hugely influenced my thinking and strategic direction going forwards.
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