My Top 3 Books of 2022
Now that we're going into the final weeks of 2022, I can finally share the top three books that have influenced me this year.
Why only three? Well first, I'm a very slow reader! 😅 🐌
Second, I believe constraints make us stronger, more creative and more intentional because it forces us to prioritize our focus, time and actions. It's the same with books. While I read (just a few) more than three books a year, having to choose only a handful reveals insights into what matters to my growth.
Third, I don't have a big library but rather prefer to read deeply into a small number of books so that the best authors become my council of advisors. When I read I tend to draw a lot of notes, maps, and diagrams to convert the knowledge into something that I "own".
As the Roman philosopher Seneca said:
"You should be extending your stay among writers whose genius is unquestionable, deriving constant nourishment from them if you wish to gain anything from your reading that will find a lasting place in your mind. To be everywhere is to be no where.
People who spend their whole life traveling abroad end up having plenty of places where they can find hospitality but no real friendships. It's the same case with people who never set about acquiring an intimate acquaintanceship with any one great writer but skip from one to another, paying flying visits to them all. Food that is vomited up as soon as it is eaten is not assimilated into the body and does not do one any good...A multitude of books only gets in one's way."
I especially agree with the last line. After all, the world doesn't need more content - it needs more curation.
The way I see it, if I can fully absorb say even one of someone the caliber of Nassim Taleb, Marcus Aurelius or Donella Meadows, then I will be set in life. I've realized that it's not only the knowledge of the book that's important but the author's perspective and how they came to their conclusions. That's what allows me to think like them.
This isn't to say reading many books isn't good for us. But given my "depth style", I have to be selective and intentional about which writers I extend my stay with. When I read, I imagine that I'm having an intimate dialogue at the cafe with the writer.
I'll pose questions, explore rabbit holes with mind maps, summarize key lessons in my own words, reorganize and add to concepts using diagrams, and draw arrows across the page linking cause and effect relationships. Below are my top three books of 2022 along with examples of how I typically engage with the material.
1. Thinking in Systems
The late Donella Meadows put into concise concepts many of the things I already observe about the world through my maps. It's a masterpiece that shows how everything from people to companies to countries can be framed as systems, and that every system can be analyzed and understood at the 1) structural, 2) trend, and 3) events level.
Mind maps are great at summarizing important concepts in my own terms so that I "own" the material.
2. Prisoners of Geography
MMN member Lewis Holland recommended this book to me after he saw the "How to Understand Crises" video I made in the aftermath of the Russian Ukraine invasion in February to help me better understand the "geo" in geopolitics. The author Tim Marshall reaffirmed that countries are systems shaped at the structural level by geographic, historical and cultural factors that we rarely appreciate, until of course when turbulent events bubble to the surface. The first chapter of the book inspired me to write the deep dive article Russia's Geography Problem.
Marking up strategic notes on the map brings the chapter's highlights to life.
3. Mindset Secrets for Winning
I came across this book during my executive coaching work when one of my clients was studying both Mark Minervini's stock trading system and success principles. It turned out to one of the best resources I've read on cultivating winning mindsets, drawing on decades of practical experience and studies from psychology, neuroscience and sports. My new Empowering Mind Maps course is actually based on the Empowering Questions that he recommended answering in order to change our internal dialogue with our subconscious selves.
Sometimes converting concepts into diagrams and charts is the best way to convey lessons that even the author hadn't thought about.
The other surprising effect from reading this book was a newfound appreciation for sports, which is why I'm going through Kobe Bryant's Mamba Mentality - thanks to the recommendation of MMN member Emmanuel Fadajutimi.
After I published the article, one of my readers asked how I choose what I read:
The answer is that I learn best through necessity because the motivation to absorb the material is strongest.
I picked up Thinking in Systems because I felt like I had reached a knowledge ceiling from my own observations and experiences. I wanted to study under a master to upgrade my own mental operating system and vocabulary. Reading this book is like fundamental research for me - it's got many downstream effects that bleed into everything else from daily conversations to consulting to making YouTube videos. Other books that belong to this category include Antifragile and The History of Western Philosophy.
I picked up Prisoners of Geography because the Ukraine crisis impacted me as much as the traumatic American withdrawal from Afghanistan (which sent me on a week-long deep dive). It was a moment of "oh shit - how did this come to be and wth is going to happen next?". I knew I needed to upgrade my understanding of geopolitics - and I didn't want it to come from the 24 hour news machine.
I picked up Mindsets for Winning because I believe that if you truly want to understand someone, you should read their favorite book. In this case, it was my coaching client.
Finally, I don't always finish reading the books I start. The ones that I do end up "extending my stay" with are those that I resonate with. How do I know when that happens? I'm drawing on every page like mad 😉
Make the most of your mind maps
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