What books changed how you think?

I think the following books most influenced the way I think as an adult.

1. Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

This biography of Leonardo da Vinci made me question the nature of genius. Most people only know da Vinci for "The Last Supper" and the "Mona Lisa." Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, sculptor, musician, composer, engineer, architect, and other skills I can't recall off the top of my head.

And yet, for all of his skills and talents, da Vinci was also a notorious procrastinator and often abandoned jobs he was commissioned to perform. I often wonder if he had a better work ethic, if the world's culture and technology would've been a century more advanced in the present day or if he would've been too narrow minded and never created the great works he did.

From what researchers gathered from his journals, it's pretty clear Leonardo da Vinci was an "Idea Machine" long before James Altucher coined the term.

2. The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success by Darren Hardy

This was the first book I read that really drove home the importance of consistent effort delivering huge results over time.

3. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life by Scott Adams

I think this book brought the idea of "systems vs goals" into the public conscience. The idea being that a goal is not nearly as important as the systems you implement to get you towards your goal. If you set a very ambitious goal and fail, there's a chance you'll feel a bit of depression. Even if you reach your goal, the feelings of euphoria are fleeting.

Having good systems in place will help you develop your skills to take advantage of opportunities you would've never considered if you were only making goals.

4. Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss

"Tools of Titans" contains the show notes of over 100 guests who appeared on Tim Ferriss's podcast, "The Tim Ferriss Show." I feel this book is a very efficient way of gaining the insights of many people who were successful in their fields in a much shorter time than it would take to listen to hundreds of hours of interviews.

This book was where I first learned about James Altucher and his concept of "the idea machine." Unfortunately it was a few years before I started taking the practice of writing 10 ideas a day seriously.

5. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

In this book, Cialdini explores 6 principles that influence decision making:

1. Reciprocation
2. Commitment & Consistency
3. Social Proof
4. Authority
5. Liking
6. Scarcity

This book made me think how how I interacted with others and made sense of certain conversations that baffled me in the past.

6. Skip the Line: The 10,000 Experiments Rule and Other Surprising Advice for Reaching Your Goals by James Altucher

I think of the many lessons in this books, what really stuck with me is the importance of conducting experiments in your own life. If you want your life to change, you need to do something different, and smart experiments are a low risk way of doing it. I also adopted the daily practice of coming up with 10 ideas a day thanks to this book

7. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

I think what frustrates me with a lot of self-help books is that they assume the world is a fair place and that people are generally without malice. "The 48 Laws of Power" is a little more realistic (or cynical) and reveals that everyone has their hidden agendas and the ways they try to carry them out.

While the book sometimes has a maligned reputation of giving sociopaths psychological tools to hurt people, I see reading the book as self defense: You're able to recognize manipulative tactics before you fall for them.

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