The abundance of good books

…is overwhelming these days. Some of them are right there in front of our eyes in the bookstores, on YouTube, in Facebook ads, in the recommended reading lists of our favorite blogs. Yet some of them, the most unimaginably mind blowing ones can be so cautiously hiding from the unobservant eye, almost suspiciously waiting for the reader to get truly ready to receive all the goodness and wisdom written in them. Here goes my list of books that blew my mind in 2017 and that I will likely keep referring to and quoting from through the rest of my life.

Disclaimer: you will unlikely find your next summer’s beach readings on this list, unless you are on a journey of self-discovery, setting off in a new life after the one you had so far, starting a new business or career, have a world changing quest or you are looking for one, or you have a suspicion that life on Earth as we see it so often these days is a fraud.

The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz

“Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.” (Google) Such an easy read about 4 basic principles the practice of which on a daily basis will simply end all your needless sufferings. True story! My personal favorite and also the most challenging one for me is the principle of not taking anything personally, as everything others say or do is about them, and not about me. Ties in beautifully with the concept of “my business, your business, God’s business”, which says the only thing I have control of is my business, and anything others do or say is their business, so why should I be unhappy, angry, sad because of anything others do or say. Sounds simple? Well, it actually is, once you stop making it complicated. Read, practice and let joy and happiness surround you!

The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute

Whether it is the conflicts in your relationship, at your work, in your community or among nations in the wider world, The Anatomy of Peace shows a beautiful way how to transform a war zone into a peaceful oasis. The fictional narrators of the book are a Palestinian and a Jewish man who in close partnership with each other walk you through the process of how one individual or an entire community develops a heart at war,  what are the human behavioral mechanisms that become automatic and take control in the process. and what is the way – because there is a way – to settle ANY conflict of any nature. By the time you finish the book you will know clearly you have the power to change your life.

A Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

Individuals and corporations post-millennium pay heavy cash to listen to and learn from great inspirational leaders and motivational speakers, to get a a few crumbs of knowledge on what it means to be and act as a leader. Nelson Mandela as a black man in a country of institutionalized apartheid spoke and wrote about leadership in the middle of the 20th century like it was the most natural thing that occurred to him. And I believe so it was. Leadership and resilience were his natural ways of being, patience and wisdom his innate skills. His leadership started in action and evolved into articulation. He was a hero in the simplest and most tragic way, and his life story ought to be mandatory reading in history classes.

Presence by Peter M. Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, Betty Sue Flowers

The cuckoo in the nest, I found this piece so touchingly beautiful and such a difficult read at the same time. Presence is a walk through the forest of conversations of 4 thinkers caught in the process of developing a new theory – the theory U – about the nature of transformational change and its potential impact on our world today. This book has been my symbolic gateway leading to the big room, and it is just the start of a great future journey I can sense emerging. Likely Presence will make a comeback on my 2018 reading list.

Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek’s book is extremely repetitive and simply written, so unlike in Presence I did not have the need to go back and read the same sentence 3 times over and over again to reach a basic level of comprehension. It does not have to be a philosophic or literature masterpiece though to be extremely useful for anyone who is on their way starting a new business, a new career, or just literally anyone who exists on this planet and suspects there might be a reason for it. Start With Why has helped me articulate not only my purpose in a new way, but it inspired me to believe in something I had doubts about before and to set my new stake for 2018!

+1 Abraham Hicks

Every list should have a bonus item at the end, so here’s my great favorite, my amazing source of inspiration in 2017: Abraham Hicks narrated by Esther Hicks. Whether you need a little dose of faith in the universe, or specifically want to know how to go on about money and relationships, listen to Abraham on You Tube! Ever since I found them they had me uplifted and inspired every single time without fail. That woman, Esther, who by the way is the co-author of the book Law of Attraction, as fast as she knits the words one after another is the most incredible physical person I have seen narrating God.

I wish you many happy readings and great sources of inspiration for 2018! If you wish to join our upcoming book club in Budapest (estimated start February 2018) send me a message.