Books! (Thoughts and Opinions)

I love to read.

And by "love to read" I mean "I'm pretty introverted but mentally restless and books are kinda therapy, too." But it didn't start that way.

I was never an avid read growing up. I was like most kids: read the Cliff Notes before a test, ask a friend what a book was about, and occasionally read one or two during a school year.

In college, things changed (sort of). I read a LOT more, but by necessity. I rarely read a book I chose, but at least I was going to classes I chose, so I was sort of reading what I wanted to read by proxy.

In dental school... ugh. No way. Too much to do. I don't think I read a book that I chose for the first two years. Then, something changed.

I got into clinic more, and my schedule opened up. Then, I realized I was really bad at some stuff and decided (with little formal education left on the horizon) to start using books to fill the gap. Excellent! I started with recommendations from faculty and lecturers at my dental school and books I already owned.

It was mostly finance stuff. I began with some of the classics like "Total Money Makeover (Ramsey)" and "The Millionaire Next Door (Stanley)". Then I heard about "How to Win Friends and Influence People (Carnegie)".

Next, I picked up a book for myself, also by Carnegie, called "How to Influence People by Public Speaking". Why? Well, I was class president and I was going to have to give a speech at our graduation dinner in May 2014, so I started reading that book in August 2013 and prepared my speech for the next 8 months with that book as a guide. Really. And it helped; a lot. I was hooked.

So it started as a blanket recommendation from many people: 1) Books are important 2) Here are some to try

And it evolved into: 1) Wow, they were right and these books are helping 2) I should pick books to fill my weak spots

And a book worm was born.

I read about 10 books in 2013 and 10 more in 2014, then about 5 in 2015 (my AEGD year when I was super stressed), and 15 in 2016.

2017 was a big year for me: 40.

***Below is my personal philosophy on reading books***

General Principles:
-Pick books that fill your weak spots; duh :)
-Don't just pick books because you already agree with the author about other things (and don't discount authors you disagree with!)
-It's ok to disagree with some things in the book and find value in other things
-If a book is not interesting or helpful, it's ok to stop reading it
-It's ok to read multiple books at the same time (ie: don't feel like you have to finish one to start another one)

*Print Books:
-The best for non-fiction (can be easily referenced)

*Audiobooks:
-The best if you lack time to read (ie: your commute is crazy long) and books that don't require detailed notes or reference

*Combo Print/Audio:
-This is AMAZING and the recommended method (though I've just started trying it)
-The audio acts as a pacer for your reading and allows you to read slightly faster, while the print text is valuable as a way to highlight and have later as a reference
-Combining audio and print does two things: 1) decreases distractions 2) enhances what you actually remember
-Cons: You essentially have to buy the book twice. Boo.

*Digital Books:
-Meh, not for me, but some people love it... give it a shot and see if it works for you!

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///Book Reading Timeline///
-If you don't know what to read, here's my best suggestion of types of books to start with
-Basically, you are starting within, and moving outward starting with your brain and then with your "soul" (as I'll refer to it).
-No strictly religious or fiction books are included here but add them as you see fit :)
-I recommend reading at least 1 book in category 1-5, but then jump into any books that you absolutely need right away for your personal situation. If there aren't any, follow on with 6-10.


1) Books about the human brain and how we think
-Suggestions: Brain Rules
-Goal: Understand how your brain works

1) Books about how to think... about thinking
-Suggestions: Moonwalking with Einstein, The Wisest One in the Room
-Goal: Increase self-awareness

3) Books about interacting with other people
-Suggestions: Captivate, How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Charisma Myth
-Goal: Increase awareness of others and how to interact with them

4) Books about the individual "soul" and meaning (philosophy)
-Suggestions: You Can Be Happy No Matter What, Meditations, Ego is the Enemy
-Goal: Understand who you are and clarifying your values

5) Books about the collective "soul" of humanity
-Suggestions: Man's Search for Meaning, The Selfish Gene (controversial addition, but I think it's a very valuable read in this section)
-Goal: Understand your place in the fabric of humanity

6) Books about general achievement in society and leading people [most non-fiction "self-help" fall into this category and many from category 1-5 will cross over into this area]
-Suggestions: Extreme Ownership, It's Your Ship, Deep Work, Grit, 10X, The Power of Consistency, Essentialism
-Goal: Practical methods and mental models for increasing your efficiency and productivity in all areas of your life 

7) Books about personal finance
-Suggestions: Total Money Makeover, The Investment Answer
-Goal: We don't get this education in school, and we suck at it!

8) Books about health and wellness
-Suggestions: (Touchy subject, lots of misleading stuff out there) - Start with "Nutrition for Dummies" and go from there (seriously!)
-Goal: Again, we don't get this education in school, and we're fat :)

9) Books about the general principles of what you are trying to master (for many, this will be "business" type books regardless of your job)
-Suggestions (assuming "business"): E-myth, Good to Great, The Goal
-Goal: Precursor to step 10, because you need to get the big principles of how the pieces fit together and how to properly run a business (even if you're an employee) before looking at the pieces

10) Books about the specific principles of your industry (dental practice management, for my example)
-Suggestions: Uncomplicate Business (Farran), etc...
-Goal: Get better at your job/career

Bonus: Add any fiction books, books you think are interesting (history, cooking, whatever!), or books you need in your life after you've done 1 book in category 1-6

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Final Thoughts:
-The suggestions are just that, suggestions. There are infinitely more examples.
-This order tries to build you from the inside out, starting with the fundamental piece of human learning (your brain), then moving to other people's brain, then working on the fabric of who you are, and then who "we" are as humanity. Then, we look at specific principles for building the life you want, 2 categories chronically lacking in society that will greatly improve your life (finance and nutrition), and then we look at how we can learn about the skills required for our careers in a general sense, and then build off of those to specifics about our career.
-After you pass a category, don't forget to keep reading about that category to strengthen your understanding!
-Email me if you want more recommendations!