I Read 150 Books a Year. These are the 10 I Keep Coming Back To
Out of hundreds of books I’ve read, these 10 still shape my habits, identity and thinking long after I finished the final page.
I read around 150 books a year, but not all have held equal weight in their value for my life. But there are a few whose premise or key takeaways I keep coming back to time and time again. These are the 10 personal growth books that have actually completely reshaped how I think, work and live.
1. Execution & High Performance
The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington
I’ve read The 12 Week Year three times and plan to continue to re-read it.
Do you wish you could capture that New Year motivation all year round? The 12 Week Year delivers a complete paradigm shift for perceptions of time. It heightens your sense of urgency and focus, yet most sustainably and simply. It will help you turn those big goals into laser-focused weekly accountability.
To learn more, see my blog, Do more in 12 weeks than most people do in a year with ‘The 12 Week Year.
The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone
Some books you may find interesting and take away a point or two. Others completely change the way you operate. From the moment I read The 10X Rule, I redefined all my goals and haven’t set goals the same way again since.
The 10X Rule forces a radical shift. Because average goals create average effort and average outcomes. To think bigger, bolder and to stop underestimating what’s required to achieve your goals, read The 10X Rule. It’s less about motivation and more about completely recalibrating your goal-setting process and actions.
Learn more in my blog, Are your personal brand goals missing The 10X Rule?
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
There’s one mantra I keep coming back to when I reflect on my biggest lesson fromThe Slight Edge, and that’s being willing to do what other people aren’t willing to do. But that doesn’t mean in the biggest, boldest actions. It’s in the everyday. Because each everyday action is a vote for the person you’ll become. They will either take you closer or further away from the person you want to be. They are actions with seemingly no perceivable outcomes, until one day they compound into either mastery or mediocrity. It’s the mindset shift you first need to drive your daily habits.
Limitless by Jim Kwik
The beauty of the book Limitless is that you won’t just learn from the book; you’ll learn how to learn. The journey that took Jim Kwik to Limitless is a remarkable one. Suffering a brain injury while in kindergarten, a teacher called him ‘the boy with the broken brain’. Enamoured by the companions he found in superhero comic books, he dreamed of unlocking his own superpowers.
Kwik is now a world-renowned ‘personal trainer’ for the brain, best-selling author and podcast host. His work extends to a star-studded lineup of business leaders and Hollywood A-Listers. He shares the science and practical guides for upgrading your mental capabilities so learning becomes faster, easier and more retainable.
2. Identity, Future Self & Reinvention
The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman
One of my more recent reads, I only wish I discovered The Alter Ego Effect sooner.
It shares both the science and strategy for creating an alter ego - the growth technique embraced by elite achievers. Because we don’t grow by being who we’ve always been, but rather by unlocking parts of ourselves that represent our highest-performing selves.
From the power of totems, artefacts, activation events and more, you can learn about my favourite takeaways in my earlier blog, Your Alter Ego Advantage: Secret Identities of Elite Performers for Moments that Matter.
Be Your Future Self Now by Dr Benjamin Hardy
Be Your Future Self Now is another book I only wish past me stumbled upon sooner. Benjamin Hardy, PhD, a globally renowned Occupational Psychologist, argues that you can set goals as much as you like, but if you act from your current identity, there will be a significant gap between your results and goals.
Your Future Self should drive your present decisions. While most people are overly attached to their past or present selves, transformation requires identity-level change - not simply behaviour tweaks. The most iconic performers have understood this. As shared in my earlier blog, Be Your Future Self Now: Hi Me in 10 Years. The Decisions That Shape Your Future, I loved the story the book shares about YouTube sensation MrBeast’s Future Self Series.
3. Wealth, Freedom & Leverage
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
I’ve read Rich Dad Poor Dad more times than I can remember and try to make a point to re-read it every year. For me, it isn’t a book about financial advice, but rather financial literacy. Using the brilliant storytelling technique of opposing pathways, Kiyosaki highlights an alternative path to climbing the traditional corporate ladder. Financial focus aside, it will challenge you to think differently and overcome any fear of going against the crowd and choosing your own path.
Learn more in my blog, Top 10 Takeaways from the Best Business Book I’ve Ever Read: Rich Dad Poor Dad.
The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
What many people might miss about The 4-Hour Work Week is that it’s about much more than productivity. It’s about time as your most valuable currency. Yet, most people give it away unconsciously. The “New Rich”, however, know better. Titles don’t define them. They aren’t chained to their desks. They have the new luxury - unrestricted mobility.
This book challenges conventional work structure and shares practical guides for leverage, automation, and lifestyle design. So you have more time to do work you love, and live a life you love too.
To learn more, see my earlier blog, 3 Ways to Become Part of the ‘New Rich’.
4. Communication, Influence & Connection
How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes
From the first pages of How to Talk to Anyone, I realised I was about to get the detailed social intellegience coaching I didn’t even know I needed. Best of all, it was delivered with the most engaging writing and wit. More than 92 practical tips, each idea is packaged with memorable names that make them stick - like my favourites, the Flooding Smile, Sticky Eyes or the Big Baby Turn, just to name a few.
Connection and charisma aren’t luck; it’s a set of small micro details. The micro-expressions and small phrases that can make or break relationships. This book breaks down social confidence into practical micro-skills that make you more memorable, magnetic and influential in everyday interactions.
To learn more see my earlier blog, How to talk to anyone (10 tips).
5. Knowledge Management Systems
Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte
My top takeaway from Building a Second Brain is that the best information doesn’t always come to you when we need it the most. But when you create knowledge management systems to capture it when it does come to you, you set your Future Self up for success.
The book will teach you how to externalise knowledge. To get information and ideas out of your head and into a system. A simple C.O.D.E framework that allows ideas to shimmer until their time comes to shine.
For more, see my earlier blog, Your Simple Guide to Building a Second Brain (6 Tips).
High Impact Reading
Don’t measure books by how many you finish. Measure what actually changes you after you close them. These are the ones that still show up in my decisions long after I’ve read them. If you’re popping any of these on your reading list, Happy Reading!
