Reading is the Key To the Future
One of the things that have helped me in my career and in my life is that I read a lot of books. The people that I look up to also follow the same pattern. There are many benefits to reading books so here are some of them:
Gain knowledge of areas that you are interested in.
It will keep your brain healthy, reading is exercising your brain, you are stimulating your brain whether you are reading fiction or nonfiction.
Your imagination is put to work as well. When you read you are visualizing the material, which in turn is activating the sensory response in your brain.
It builds your vocabulary and you will have a better command of the language that you are reading in, which can also help you with your communication skills.
It can reduce stress.
For me personally, I would not be the person I am if I did not read as much as I do. Therefore, in this section, I am providing a list of books with a synopsis of the book as well. The books will cover a range of topics: learning, motivating, business, sciences, biographies, history, and yes nonfiction as we need the arts as well to exercise our imaginations.
The more informed a person is, the greater the advantages are in developing a person’s career.
“Range” by David Epstein. This is an encouraging read for someone unsure of a career path who may feel scattered and pressured to find their niche. This review explains from the book the benefits of exploring and trying different things and the experience we gain from this can have many benefits and can help in career development.
“The Biggest Bluff” by Maria Konnikova In this book Maria the author describes her endeavor in learning to play poker in world-level tournaments. The book does mirror career development. And that is what the review provides are some of the highlights that she encounters in her journey; the struggles, the triumphs, self-doubt, and how her confidence grows. All things that we experience and can relate to, are a real thought-provoking read.
“The Smartest Kids in The World and How They Got That Way” By Amanda Ripley In this book the author Amanda follows a handful of students that embark on an exchange program. In doing so she explains the student experience and also interviews other students in the system in the chosen country as well the parents, teachers, administrators, and politicians. Then she illustrates the pros and cons of the various education systems throughout the world. The points also adhere to post-secondary education as well which is the basis for building a career which is why I decided to review this book.
“The Go-Giver” By Bob Burg and David Mann “The Go-Giver” written By Bob Burg and David Mann. There are five key lessons presented in this book. These lessons are discussed in this blog and are furnished with examples from interviews done on “The Career Guy” podcast. It is a fresh perspective on how to approach careers.
“An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth” by Chris Hadfield “An Astronaut’s Guide To Life” written By Chris Hadfield. This book is about Chris’s experience as an astronaut. Some of the key takeaways from the book dealing with career development are discussed in this blog. The points that are addressed are supported by some of the interviews that have been done on “The Career Guy” podcast.
“A Mind for Numbers” by Barbara Oakley “ A Mind for Numbers” written by Barbra Oakley Ph.D. This book is full of tips and suggestions on how to learn sciences/engineering and math better. Overcoming anxiety, stress, and fear that some of us face in dealing with these disciplines. Examples are provided from interviews from “The Career Guy” podcast that support the author’s claims.
“The Fifth Discipline” by Peter Siege “The Fifth Discipline” By Peter M. Senge. This book brings the reader’s attention to be able to identify the constructs of a business in how it deals with solving problems and issues focusing on the human element. This can support the reader to be more aware of the type of company they are working for or that they want to work for. Perhaps helping with career choices.
“Reinvent Yourself” by James James Altucher “Reinvent Yourself” by James Altucher. The book is composed of many examples from the author’s life and how they have influenced his life and career. This includes books, people, movies, and music. This blog gives examples from the book and how they relate to some guests that have been on “The Career Guy” show regarding impacts on career development.
“Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi “Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. This book provides a definition of what flow is and gives many examples of how people find it and what it is like when they do. This blog takes concepts from the book and demonstrates how some have developed their flow in their careers from interviews from the “The Career Guy” podcast. There are also tips and suggestions from other blogs on this website that can help people find their flow. In addition, it is discussed why flow is important to career development.
“Build” by Tony Fadell This blog is a book review of a book called “Build” by Tony Fadell. The book “Build is a review of Tony’s career in the high-tech sector, ranging from an array of start-ups to Apple, his successful venture Nest and his experience with Google. This blog will take examples from the book and demonstrate how the author’s experiences relate to guests from the career guy podcast. Simply thought-provoking and informative, the topics discussed can assist in developing a career. Some good suggestions.
“The Creative Act: A Way of Being” By Ric Rubin This blog is a book review of “The Creative Act A Way of Being” by Ric Rubin who is a well-known music producer. The book is a completion of his thoughts on how he has approached life and his work enabling him to be the creative person that he is and known to be in the music world. The blog highlights some of the key concepts and relates them to some of the guests on “The Career Guy” podcast on how they approached their careers and life.
“Make it Stick The Science of Successful Learning” by Peter C Brown, Henry L Roediger, and Mark A. McDaniel. Learning is a key component of any successful career. This blog provides examples from the book and how they relate to my guests on my podcast “The Career Guy” and how they developed their learning.
A Book Review “Optimal Wealth’ By Chris Wilson This blog is a review of a book called “Optimal Wealth” by Chris Wilson This blog talks about some of the concepts from the book and how they relate to some of my guests from the podcast “The Career Guy” The topics are debt, budgeting and investing with a conclusion.