The 7 Hermetic Principles are a set of ancient tenets, passed down through the generations. They were codified into a book called The Kybalion in the 20th Century. Depending on your point of view, The Kybalion, which is fabled to have been authored by the three anonymous ‘initiates’, is either a bunch of pseudo-scientific, half baked nonsense or it is an essential truth that has survived the ages which is only now being validated by recent breakthroughs in science, like the fourth state of water or the ‘observation effect’ in quantum physics. The book states that it makes its appearance in one ..read more

As a Man Thinketh, a succinct pamphlet published in 1903, is a book that should be read again and again to internalize and live its message. The title of the book echoes a line from Proverbs in the Bible: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”  James Allen’s book is consistent with the era in which it was written, and as such, the book refers to ‘man’ as a shorthand for ‘a person/people/humans’.  In this summary of As a Man Thinketh, we will look at the main lessons from the book. About James Allen Born to illiterate working-class parents, it seems that James Allen, the author ..read more

Zero to One by Peter Thiel is an important book, not just for thinking about business, but for thinking about value creation more generally.  Understanding this book could be worth $100,000 in cash to you! Read to the end of this Zero to One summary to understand why.  Personally, I would first read and reread Michael Gerber’s E-Myth (a summary of which is here) as it’s literally indispensable, and then I would meditate on the more philosophical explanations given by Peter Thiel in Zero to One.  From SOUTH PARK/COMEDY CENTRAL “Startup, cash in, sell out, and bro down” is not wha ..read more

What is the best indicator of success? Is it talent, natural ability, or intelligence? Perhaps a combination of all of the above? According to Angela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, these things are overrated. Instead, she argues that you need “grit” to succeed. Grit is essentially a type of dogged determination, tenacity or that certain something required to carry on despite failure and setbacks. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance details almost a decade of Duckworth’s research into what it takes to succeed. In this Grit summary we’ll take a look at ..read more

Introduction How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis is very well reviewed on Amazon and is a great book if the concepts of entrepreneurship are relatively new to you. It has some very entertaining anecdotes from Felix’s journey that serve to underline the mindset of a bootstrap entrepreneur.   If you’re under 30 years of age then read this book asap! Who was Felix Dennis? Felix Denis was an entrepreneur, who made millions from publishing. He was colourful character and was even jailed for a while for “conspiring to corrupt public morals” for selling copies of the underground magazine Oz on ..read more

Psycho-Cybernetics is not about a particularly malevolent terminator. Cybernetics comes from the Greek for ‘steersman’. The book’s thesis is that the brain and nervous system are a cybernetic system (i.e. goal oriented) and that you must be aware of, and direct this system to gain control over your outcomes. After all, the top athlete and the homeless drug addict both have goals; very different goals, but goals nonetheless. Psycho-Cybernetics is a must read; a potential life changer! This is most likely one of the top 5 personal development books ever written. The author of Psycho-Cybern ..read more

Why David Goggins? On the other side of suffering, is greatness.  David Goggins When I first heard about David Goggins a few years ago, truth be told I dismissed him as a jarhead. I thought he must be as dumb as a rock to have had such poor training methods that he essentially broke his body. My opinion changed some time later when I learned more about David’s life and just how shitty a hand he had been dealt. If you think you’ve had it tough, chances are when you learn about David’s life you’ll be utterly embarrassed about the excuses you’ve made to justify your under performance in lif ..read more

What is deliberate practice? Deliberate practice, in essence, is high concentration practice beyond your comfort zone. Do you want to learn a new instrument, have ambitions to become a professional athlete or get better at painting? Deliberate practice is what you’ll have to do if you want to get really, really good at something. Are there any good books about deliberate practice? There are surprisingly few popular books directly on the important concept of ‘deliberate practice’ (Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Outliers’ popularised the ’10,000 hours’ concept, but didn’t use the phrase ‘deliberate practic ..read more

I first heard of the E Myth on the Tim Ferriss podcast, when he recommended it as one of his top 5 must read business books. In fact, the E Myth is a book that’s mentioned again and again as a recommendation by many successful business people.  The E Myth is probably the most important book you could read on the subject of starting a business, bar none. What’s the E Myth about? The E Myth (or Entrepreneurial Myth) essentially looks at the reason why 80% of new businesses fail within the first five years. The reason, according to Gerber, is that most new businesses are not actually starte ..read more

For a long time, How to Win Friends and Influence People has been one of the most popular books about communication, negotiation and building relationships. First written in 1936, Dale Carnegie’s classic continues to appear on lists of “must read” self development books. While a lot of the wisdom Carnegie shares may seem self evident, I found it an excellent read because it codifies the most essential elements of successfully building relationships. Sometimes, it’s the most obvious and basic things that we fail to do. Reading How to Win Friends and Influence People is essential because it hel ..read more