How I picked these non fiction books
Reading non-fiction books is one of the best ways of learning, growing as a person and creating positive changes in our life. Going to therapy is another powerful way of doing so.
I've always been looking for the top 1% of non-fiction books.
I'm a slow reader so if I have to spend hours reading a book, I want to learn the absolute best lessons on a particular topic.
The following nonfiction books are the ones that had the highest impact on my life on different aspects.
They helped me :
- Feel more fulfilled, confident and live more intentionally (still in progress ofc)
- Co-create a profitable bootstrapped company around my priorities and lifestyle and be financially and geographically independent
- Increase my productivity and satisfaction from work
- Free up time for things that really matter to me
Each of these books are very up-to-date in our current context of endless distractions. Let's dive in.
How To Live by Derek Sivers
This is the book I recommend the most. A masterpiece on living a more intentional and fulfilling life.
First, let's introduce Derek Sivers. I particularly respect and love this guy.
Derek Sivers is a musician, entrepreneur and founder of CD Baby, one of the largest online distributors of independent music.
Interesting fact: he sold CB Baby for $22 million and gave all the money to charity. What a move in our super-capitalist society. Eternal respect.
"How to Live" is a compilation of insights and wisdom that Derek Sivers has learned and applied over the years.
The book suggests ideas that contradict most of what we believe. What's awesome is that, sentence after sentence, it feels like the author is saying the right thing.
Sivers spent 16 hours/day during 4 years to compile a first draft of the book that was 1300+ pages. Then he spent 2 years editing the book down into only 112 pages of pure gold.
There's absolutely no fluff in this book. Each word, each sentence has been carefully written to deliver the message of each chapter.
“Each chapter disagrees with the rest. But in this case, they’re all true, so how can you reconcile it? You’ll see.” — Derek Sivers
Reading this book is like having a conversation with a (very) wise friend who shares their deepest insights about what really matters in life.
Even if the title "How to live" can look preachy, Sivers doesn't tell you what to do or how you should live, but instead encourages you to question your assumptions, challenge your beliefs, and explore different ways of living.
"How to Live" is a guide to help you discover your own path towards an intentional and fulfilling life.
It's definitely one of these books that can change your life. I deeply recommend it.
→ Get it now - english version
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
"The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle is one of those books that can lead to an epiphany.
The book explains that every minute spent worrying about the future or regretting the past is a minute lost, because what only exists is the present, the now, and gives actionable strategies to start living every minute as it comes.
It's a wake-up call to live in the present moment, to stop worrying about what has been or what will be, and to just be.
Eckhart Tolle's words makes you question everything you thought you knew about time, ego, and consciousness.
This book can make you feel like you're experiencing an awakening, as if you've been asleep your entire life and have just opened your eyes for the first time.
"The Power of Now" is kind of a journey of self-discovery, of finding your true self, and living your life to the fullest.
Reading this book has helped me become more present, mindful, and compassionate towards myself and others.
The teachings of this book correlate with the Buddhist Mindfulness retreat I experienced at Plum Village.
It's one of the best nonfiction books I've ever read and I will continue to read it regularly to feel all its benefits.
→ Get it now - english version | → Commander maintenant - version 🇫🇷
The 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
When it comes to life-changing books, "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Tim Ferriss is a classic and an absolute must read.
This book completely changed the way I think about work, productivity, lifestyle and entrepreneurship.
I read The 4-Hour Workweek when I was 26 years old. It was during my first full time job as a growth marketer in a startup in Paris.
At that time, our CEO, a brilliant man, recommended it to me saying something like "Read it, you'll get more things done and scale faster".
I read the book, it was an epiphany. I applied most of the advice and it quickly had a big positive impact on my job.
First, it increased my productivity, a lot.
Before reading this book I was this guy who spent hours looking for the best productivity "hacks", tips and strategies.
Most of the "hacks" I found and tried worked poorly. But this book... Wow. It made a huge difference on my productivity.
Also, before reading the 4-Hour Workweek, I was conditioned in the traditional "work hard, retire at 60+ years old" mentality that so many of us are taught.
In that book, Ferriss teaches how to design our life around our priorities, rather than our work.
He explains how to streamline our work, outsource or automate tasks so we can free up more time for the things that really matter in our life.
The book makes us challenge the status quo and question societal norms, like the belief that we need to work until we're old before we can enjoy our lives.
If you haven't already, read it, it can definitely change your life as it changed mine.
Wonderful book.
→ Get it now - english version | → Commander maintenant - version 🇫🇷
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
"The Almanack of Naval Ravikant" is one of the most insightful and transformative books I've ever come across.
Naval Ravikant is a successful entrepreneur and investor, co-founder of Angelist and author.
What makes Naval Ravikant apart from other successful entrepreneurs and investors is his focus on fulfillment and happiness, rather than just financial success.
He believes that true wealth comes from living a life of purpose, passion, and joy, rather than just accumulating money.
This mindset resonates a lot with me.
The book is full of wisdom, practical advice, and thought-provoking insights.
One of the things I love most about this book is how Naval emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for your own life.
He talks about how we all have the power to create the life we want, but it requires intentional effort and a willingness to take risks.
Naval also emphasizes the importance of living in the present moment and not getting caught up in worries about the past or future. He talks about the power of meditation and mindfulness in helping us stay focused and present.
Overall, "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant" is a must-read for anyone looking to live a more intentional and fulfilling life.
It's a book that I keep coming back to and rereading, and I always find something new and inspiring each time I do.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is definitely a book to read.
→ Order now - english version | → Commander maintenant - version 🇫🇷
8 Rules of Love by Jay Shetty
This book is a practical guide to every stage of love, based on both ancient knowledge and new research.
Nobody teaches us how to love.
We have to figure it out as we go along with our relationships, with nothing but romance movies and pop culture as guides.
This book changes that.
In it, Jay Shetty shares his insights on what exactly love is and how to find it, cherish it, and let it go.
Instead of presenting love as an ethereal concept or a collection of clichés, Jay Shetty presents specific, achievable steps to help you develop the skills needed to practice and nurture love.
He shares insightful rules such as winning or losing together, how to define love, and you don't break in a breakup.
Inspired by Vedic wisdom and modern science, he covers the entire relationship cycle, from first dates to moving in together, breaking up and starting over.
It also shows us how to avoid falling into the trap of false promises and unsatisfactory partners.
It teaches us that instead of just hoping for perfect love to come along, we should work on building love within ourselves and then share it with others.
8 Rules of Love is a guidebook for those seeking to transform their understanding of love and experience more fulfilling relationships.
If you want to have a better understanding of the true essence of love and navigate your relationships more effectively, read this book, that's a golden nugget.
→ Get it now - english version | → Commander maintenant - version 🇫🇷
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Deep Work by Cal Newport is a must-read nonfiction book for anyone looking to take control of their time and focus in order to achieve a more intentional and fulfilling life.
This is one of the best productivity books ever.
This powerful book teaches the concept of "deep work" - a state of intense focus and concentration that allows you to accomplish more in less time and achieve greater levels of success in your personal and professional life.
Our ability to focus deeply is becoming increasingly rare in our modern, technology-driven society.
With the endless distractions and interruptions competing for our attention, it's very easy to fall into a pattern of "shallow work" - work that doesn't require much thought or effort and produces poor results.
Newport explains that in order to truly excel in today's world, we have to reclaim our ability to focus deeply and work with intention.
Whether you're a student, entrepreneur, or professional, Deep Work delivers valuable insights and strategies to get things done and achieve your goals.
On top of being a practical guide, this book gives inspiration to take action and re-prioritize your time and focus to create a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
Overall, "Deep Work" is a powerful and transformative book that will help you to break free from the distractions and interruptions of modern life and reclaim your ability to focus deeply.
If you're looking to take control of your time and live a more intentional and fulfilling life, read this book.
→ Get it now - english version | → Commander maintenant - version 🇫🇷
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker
"Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Master the Inner Game of Wealth" by T. Harv Eker is a self-help book that teaches you how to change your mindset about money and create more wealth in your life.
Our financial success is not only determined by our education, intellectual abilities, skills or talent.
Financial success or non-success is highly influenced by our mindset, beliefs and unconscious patterns about money. Going to therapy can help working on that as well.
“If you want to move to a higher level of life, you have to be willing to let go of some of your old ways of thinking and being and adopt new ones” — T. Harv Eker
In that book, Eker talks about 17 "wealth files" that are crucial to building and maintaining wealth and gives practical advice to adopt these wealth files in our own lives.
Using these principles, Eker went from nothing to millionnaire in 2.5 years.
This book is thought-provoking and may disturb the most down-to-earth people. Open mindedness is required.
This is the book that had the highest influence on my relationship with money and wealth.
It definitely helped me reprogram my thinking and plant more positive seeds for a wealthier life.
→ Get it now - english version | → Commander maintenant - version 🇫🇷
Final word: what these life changing non fiction books have in common.
Here's what all these books have in common:
1. They outline the importance of cutting the noise and focusing on what really matters to get the results we desire in life.
2. They teach how to live more intentionally and design our life around our priorities and values.
3. They deconstruct the societal norms that we have to live a certain way.
Et voilà, it was my list of books. I hope at least one of those 7 books resonated with you.
Let me know if you have read one of them and what you thought about it.