The one-sentence book summary is something that I learned from Ryan Holiday. His post on 42 books that will make you a better person used the technique to provide stratagems into some of the most important books he has ever read.
Using just one sentence to clearly convey the most important message of a book is a tough task. It is not always the thesis or the major point, sometimes it is a small detail that makes the biggest impact.
Either way, it required me to deeply reflect on each book from this past year.
The Keys by DJ Khaled: find your passion, make it your obsession, then outwork everyone till you are the absolute 1%.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown: what we must study is humanity. In order to rule, ours must be the study of political, psychological, and behavioral science — rulers (leaders) are experts of the soft skills.
The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge: the most extraordinary discovery of the 20th century is that we can shape our brain and behavior by thinking and learning.
10-Minute Toughness by Jason Selk: structuring your mental preparation can help you access high-performance states prior to competition.
Jump Attack by Tim Grover: it doesn’t matter if you hate the work, just crave the results more.
The Field of Fight by LTG (R) Michael Flynn: Islam and the Middle East is much more complicated than any of us could ever imagine and the concept of “winning” is clear as mud.
1% Fitness by Mike Sheridan: we are genetically predisposed to perform an extremely large volume of physical activity — as a result, walk and squat more.
Golden Son by Pierce Brown: training hard and in secrecy with the world’s best makes you a deadly person.
Mastery by Robert Greene: the key to high achievement in any field is to connect to your life’s task, which is what we are meant to do and which also becomes the gateway to mastery.
Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker: ask yourself, “How do I learn?” and “How do I perform?” — ensure your systems match your answers.
Morning Star by Pierce Brown: in order to get results that are different from everyone else, we must be willing to change the paradigm.
Hustle by Neil Patel, Patrick Vlakovits, and Jonas Koffler: limited exposure to difficult things strengthens a system as opposed to weakening it.
Excellence: Inspiration for Achieving your Personal Best by J. Pincott: I found this quote, which I think about often — “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne: thoughts become things.
A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine: master the things within your control. Accept and learn from the things outside of your control.
Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden: we can conquer the world if we are willing to learn and adapt.
Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin: greatness is made — through hours upon hours of deliberate practice.
Hero by Rhonda Byrne: Life is a short 24, 869 days — embark on your hero’s journey today.
Never Let Go by Dan John: fitness is not complicated if you aim to make the complex simple and the simple even simpler.
Mastery by George Leonard: mastery is goalless and neverending and it consists of a lifetime spent in the plateau.
The Success Principles by Jack Canfield: take 100% responsibility for your life by focusing on three things within your control — the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions you take.
Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness: the Rage to Master will eventually relent, understanding the principles of peak performance will keep the fire lit.
Maximus Body by Bobby Maximus: talk minus action equals zero.
Genghis: Lords of the Bow by Conn Iggulden: the Mongols harnessed the power of the mounted warrior and bow, transferring their way of life into a culture of combat. The environment is the crux of success: it is the maker of the toughest and the softest.
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell: in relation to success, a person’s IQ is no longer relevant past a score of 115 — traits of personality and character then become the barometer.
Me, Inc. by Gene Simmons: the art of more — not only can you do anything, you can do everything.
Onward,
Chief
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