This year, I read extensively (see the full list here). Below are the most impactful insights from 12 books that fundamentally changed how I see myself and the world.
Some require context, but the core message speaks for itself.
1. Simple Rules – Donald Sull
“The one-movie-per-month rule worked because, like all time-pacing rules, it gave people a rhythm with a goal and a sense of urgency to achieve it.”
→ Pixar’s constraint created focus. Takeaway: Set deliberate rhythms to drive execution.
2. The Great Mental Models Vol. 2 – Shane Parrish
“Before life gets in the way, take a step in the direction you were inspired to go.”
→ Act immediately on inspiration before friction kills momentum.
3. Letters From a Stoic – Seneca
“It’s only when you’re breathing your last that the way you’ve spent your time will become apparent.”
→ Time’s value is revealed in hindsight. Takeaway: Audit how you spend it now.
4. The Upside of Uncertainty – Nathan Furr
“Think about what kind of story you are writing each day and what you would like to be able to pull off the shelf at the end of this year—or at the end of your life.”
→ You’re authoring your life daily. Be intentional about the narrative.
5. Clarity – Jamie Smart
“DISTINCTION: Reading for information vs. Reading for insight.”
→ Information fills your head; insight changes your thinking. Takeaway: Seek transformation, not accumulation.
6. Skin in the Game – Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“Reading a history book, without putting its events in perspective, offers a similar bias to reading an account of life in New York seen from an emergency room at Bellevue Hospital.”
→ Context matters. Takeaway: Avoid conclusions drawn from distorted samples.
7. Same as Ever – Morgan Housel
“There is a saying that people don’t remember books; they remember sentences.”
→ One line can outlast 300 pages. Takeaway: Extract and apply the memorable.
8. The Art of Possibility – Rosamund Stone Zander
“I settled on a game called ‘I am a contribution’… replaced by the joyful question, ‘How will I be a contribution today?’”
→ Shift from scarcity to contribution. Takeaway: Reframe your identity around value creation.
9. Educated – Tara Westover
“Choices, numberless as grains of sand, had layered and compressed, coalescing into sediment, then into rock, until all was set in stone.”
→ Small choices compound into destiny. Takeaway: Mind the daily decisions.
10. The World Is Flat – Thomas L. Friedman
“When memories exceed dreams, the end is near. The hallmark of a truly successful organization is the willingness to abandon what made it successful and start fresh.”
→ Nostalgia kills innovation. Keep dreaming bigger than your past.
11. Dare to Lead – Brené Brown
“At the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of my life, I want to say I contributed more than I criticized.”
→ Build more than you tear down. Takeaway: Measure yourself by contribution, not critique.
12. A Minute to Think – Juliet Funt
“The subtle violence of self-improvement.”
→ Relentless optimization can harm. Takeaway: Balance growth with self-acceptance.
Key Takeaway: These insights aren’t just ideas—they’re decision filters. Apply one this week.
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