My Top 5 books of 2018
I made an obligation to read a book a month in 2018. That would finish me up 12 books at the end of 2018. Peculiarly, I managed to finish 15 books this year. I read some superb books but here I narrowed it down to the 5 best books I read (in no order of priority).
The title Rich dad, Poor dad refers to the two main influences that the writer, Robert Kiyosaki had when he was young. His own dad, who he refers to as the ‘poor dad’ was a Ph.D. degree holder while his friend’s father, the ‘rich dad’ dropped out of school but was doing way better than his father was. His ‘poor dad’ was working a steady job for money whereas his ‘rich dad’ ran multiple businesses.
This book talks about how only poor and middle-class people work for money whereas rich people make money work for them. It teaches you about the importance of financial education for success in life. Wealth comes while acquiring assets enough to generate income and cover up all your expenses. It talks about how to own assets that put money into your pocket rather than owning liabilities that take money out of your pocket.
Until I read this book, my plan in life to get the right job which helps me fill my pocket and I will be set for life. After all, that was what my parents wanted and teachers taught me during my school/college days. After I read this book, I realized that trading my time for money isn’t the right way for financial freedom in my life.
The poor and the middle class work for money… the rich have money work for them.
You can finish this book in 2 hours yet it may give you a knowledge that lasts throughout your life. It teaches you to deal with changes in your work and your life. This book is a story about two mice named Sniff and Scurry and two humans who are the size of mice names Hem and Haw. They live in a maze and find cheese for survival. Two mice are always observant about the condition of the cheese while two humans are lazy and relaxed about the situation.
The lessons in this book are subjective. We are supposed to draw our own conclusion about what the story implies. These ‘Cheese’ in the story can imply different kinds of human needs such as money, fame, love, happiness or anything else. The story enlightens you about the vital importance of being able to adapt to the unexpected changes in your life. It teaches you to not be afraid of change and adapt to your surrounding. I bet that everyone who reads this book can somehow relate it to their own life story. And every time you read it, you will learn a different lesson based on the situation of your life you read it in.
The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.
3. How to win friends and influence people
Being an introvert, I found this book full of insight and tips to be successful in interactions with others. If you have problems getting along with people then I recommend you to read it. This book completely changes your perspective about other people.
The techniques taught in this book is not only feasible with friends but also with your business, office and practically anywhere with everyone. Since its release in 1936, it has sold more than 15 million copies because it is still relevant till this date. Reading this book has helped me to improve my ability to empathize and see things from other people’s point of view. Success in dealing with people relies on being able to have a clear understanding of the other people’s viewpoint.
You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.
The only fiction book in the list is one of the classic literature novel “The Catcher in the Rye”. This novel circulates around its main character Holden Caulfield. He is anxious about his life and being likable by the people in his life but on the counterpart doesn’t like anyone around him either. He believes that everyone around him is fake and he doesn’t want to be fake like him.
Throughout the story, he struggles with depression over the death of his brother. He is often lonely and could not find anyone whom he can connect with. He makes many attempts to reach out to different people but he fails in every attempt because of his short temper and awkwardness. When he is about to quit everything and leave for good, in the nick of time his sister Pheobe comes in as a savior. The novel was released in 1945 but has remained popular till date because how the majority of young people can relate to Holden’s struggles.
I am always saying “Glad to’ve met you” to somebody I’m not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though.
Denmark has an international reputation for being one of the happiest nations in the world, and hygge is widely recognized to be the magic ingredient to this happiness.
So, what even is hygge (pronounced hoo-ga)? Well, it is a Danish word which doesn’t have a literal translation in English, but it is a concept that everyone is familiar with: that sense of warmth, comfort, coziness, belonging, safety. This “Little Book of Hygge”, written by the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, sets out to explore the Danish phenomenon ‘hygge’: What it is and how you can achieve it.
Although you can’t explain what hygge is, you will know it when you feel it. It is the feeling when you are cuddled up on the sofa with your loved ones watching your favorite movie while sipping on your cup of delicious coffee. It is the feeling when you go out with your best buddies in a nice quiet restaurant where the food is good, the lights are dim and the music is just perfect. So basically hygge is the notion of being comfortable and at peace at your home or at work. It is quite a nice book in terms of appreciating life’s little pleasures.
As my resolution for this year is to stay happy, it seems inevitable that I would work towards the hygge lifestyle.
Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom.
