We have different personalities, principles or values that define us. It’s what makes us stand out in the world where we can be anyone we want yet feel like no one. But one of the most important things we rarely think about is how these values and personalities are influenced by what we feed our brains with. Personally, I learn most of what matters to me from the books I read. So today I decided to share my 4 favourite books I read in 2019. I know that we’re already one quarter into 2020. The thing is I have been hesitant on sharing this, mostly because I felt it was insignificant, but I realised that if I am to document my journey and share what matters to me as initially planned this was going to be a huge part of it. So here we go!
PRINCIPLES: Ray Dalio
Ray Dalio, founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, is indeed my inspiration in many ways. His philosophy on principles allures me the most. Ray emphasises the importance of having principles to guide us because almost everything in the universe is guided by principles, no matter how fast or random they seem to move. Failure to have values and principles is to accept everything and have nothing.
Another resounding chorus of the book is the painful truth that “you don’t have to know everything” to be successful at anything, but you do have to know what you don’t know but need to be better. Ray repeatedly stresses that we should embrace reality and deal with it, not avoiding it. This involves critically and honestly reflecting on our mistakes, lack of certain skills, weaknesses and pain. Then you have to diagnose the problems and be aware that you don’t need to solve them all by yourself. You can always use resources available and ask for help from people around you who possess what you lack.
12 RULES FOR LIFE: Jordan Peterson
Jordan Peterson calls this book “an antidote to chaos”. Not literally, but it does shade some light on chaos. One of my favourites ‘rules’ is “Be precise in your speech”. This basically means being able to name the thing that makes you uncomfortable. Rule 9 “Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t”is also interesting. I think it is also one of the most difficult because it requires a sense of vulnerability and humility. It's more like ‘shut up, hold your ego and listen to what others have to say because you don’t know how terribly wrong you might be’.
At the core of the book I would say is this fundamental realisation that “life is suffering”, but our actions can alleviate it or make it worse. Simple actions like accepting responsibilities and stopping doing the same things that make you feel horrible can make a change.
RICH DAD POOR DAD: Robert Kiyosaki
My first and most influential book on personal finance and investment. This book literally turned my life around, it transformed my views on poverty, richness, work, education, business and investments. Kiyosaki takes you on a journey of him as a child with two parents–the biological dad, poor but ‘educated’, and a friend’s rich dad, who mentors him for most of his life. As he grows up, he learns about the two worlds from his fathers: one with enough resources for everyone and the other with limited resources. Both of his dads teach him important lessons but as he grows up, he decides to follow rich dad’s advice who sees the world through positive lenses.
I won’t go much into details, but to summarise the book I would say “Illiteracy, both in words and numbers, is the foundation of financial struggle”. Kiyosaki’s idea is not to say everyone should be rich, but he does stress the importance of financial education, especially at early age. Throughout the book, Kiyosaki does brilliant job in simplifying what seem like difficult concepts. For example, he repeats that “An asset is something that brings in money!"
One other interesting concept in the book is the phenomenon Kiyosaki describes as the rat race: trading time for money, exchanging money for liabilities, paying bills you don’t even understand, crying for salary raise while ignoring tax effects. Although a good job with high pay is important, Kiyosaki advices that financial literacy (knowledge of finance, tax and investments) makes a huge difference. He talks about how an interest to learn the job, the business, about the people, and how money works, should be more important than the money you work for. But like Peterson and Ray, Kiyosaki agrees that all this requires discipline and principles.
THE ALCHEMIST: Paulo Coelho
A young shepherd, Santiago, after having a recurrent dream about riches hidden at the base of the Egyptian Pyramids, travels from his home in Spain in search of treasure. The journey is filled with lessons—tough and sweet experiences.
This is a story that puts you in the shoes of Santiago at different points without necessarily realising because most of the experiences he’s going through are so relatable for young people. Along the way, Santiago meets different people, each playing a different role. One of the most prominent people among them is the Alchemist, who teaches Santiago to “listen to his heart”. He tells him, “hearts can be treacherous, but the best way to keep them from fooling you is to listen to them intently”. This is very difficult, but Santiago later masters the skill and it pays off massively.
However, when Santiago gets to the pyramids, he doesn’t find the hidden treasure. In the process he gets attacked and becomes unconscious. His attacker also points out to him that the treasure he is looking for is buried in the same place where he came from and spent most of his life. Santiago goes back to Spain and finds a trunk full of gold, enough to live happily with Fatima, a girl that he met while in the desert. To add to this would be spoiling the story. But among many lessons from the book are (1) the power of listening to yourself (your heart, gut feeling, confidence etc.) and (2) that treasures are not always at the end of our journey. The process of getting there is equally important in shaping your character.
CONCLUSION
With all this said, I would like to stress that I am not a staunch or oblivious fan of any of these writers. They definitely inspire me, and I admire them, especially Ray Dalio. That’s not to say that I agree with everything they say or do. But it’s the case with everything in life. What matters are the things I choose to learn from them, which are many. And this was a personal reflection, just helping me make sense of things that I learn and think about, not an advice to anyone. I hope, still, that you can also learn something. Hasta la proxima (Till next time).
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