As we approach the final languid days of summer I thought I'd share some of the books that helped open my eyes, gave me hope and changed my life for the better. I've listed them in the order I read them and how they shaped my perspective on the world and my approach to entrepreneurship.
On the power of potential
“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho and “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach. Both speak to how anything is possible with hard work and by having high standards for yourself. I recall reading “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” at a very bleak time in my life. I was an awkward pre-teen living in Zimbabwe, with a very tough family life in a war ravaged country. I was a mediocre student and had little hope of anything good in my future.”The Alchemist” came a little later, but reinforced the power of potential and good actions. These books sparked a hope that has driven me ever since. They still lift me up when I need a boost.
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On influencing the people around you
I still have my tattered copy of
“The Greatest Salesman in the World” by Og Mandino from 30 years ago. As a 16-year-old student, I was working at an auction house while at school and found this treasure of a book. I was struck by the idea that being motivated in the right way to serve and help others makes you immensely influential. I spent several months working on the principles in the book and they undoubtedly shaped my “make the pie bigger” approach to business. Within a few months of reading this book I had two small (but thriving) businesses along with my job and my studies — a business selling vegetables to the local people, which I grew in the garden at bus stops, and a traveling, rentable Disco.
On managing energy
I was 28 when I felt the pangs of a heart attack. It was a false alarm; it turned out to be my first and last panic/stress attack. I knew something had to change or I would burn out. Shortly after that I read
“The Power of Full Engagement” by Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr. This book completely changed my workday. Instead of coming home exhausted, I started inserting short recharge moments throughout my day. Daily exercise and hard no-work blocks in the evenings, weekends and vacations helped me build and sustain my energy. It changed my life, gave me an immense increase in energy, and improved my marriage.
On conscious management
After selling my first business and starting United Capital, I felt unsettled and knew that my style of “take no prisoners” management needed to evolve and grow.
“Awareness” by Anthony De Melo was the starting point of genuinely deep levels of personal growth. If your life is the sum of your choices (as Albert Camus suggests) then this short, but amazingly insightful book is a great place to start. The idea of this book is that if you cannot manage yourself, you cannot manage anything around you — it also helps to ensure we are not living our lives unconsciously making choices that harm us. It is one of the cornerstone ideas upon which our entire planning process is built. Step one in improving your life is being honest about yourself.
On being organized
As our company flourished, it was very clear that we needed to implement scalable and repetitive systems to improve how we worked. When Michael Deutsch, one of my partners, suggested I read
“The Checklist Manifesto” by Atul Gawande, he clearly saw what we needed as a company. We promptly gave this book to our entire management team. I start every morning and end every day reviewing my personal checklist, and we do not have a meeting with anyone on my team that doesn't include a meeting checklist. Our meetings immediately became half as long and twice as effective. I have come to cherish checklists for my disorganized mind and our ever-evolving firm.
Books can change your life, but the lessons we take from them are completely personal. The good news, none of these books are long. In fact, they can each be read in a few hours, though more thought and time is needed to make the ideas work for you. But they each have ideas that might alter your perspective and make you a better, more fulfilled person — as they have done for me.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Joe Duran is chief executive of United Capital and the bestselling author of “The Money Code: Improve Your Entire Financial Life Right Now.” Follow him on Twitter @DuranMoney.
