Life-Changing Books
We all know that books have untold power, whether it’s a fantasy book that pulls you into a new world with new rules and new cultures or a self-help book that leads you to new ways of building habits and shaping your life, books can lead you anywhere. I was pouring over old notebooks and was just struck by how many books I’ve read that have shaped my life, and wanted to share some of the best I’ve read. Below I’m going to list out some of my favorite books, give you a brief synopsis and tell you about the impact they’ve had on me and why I think they’re worth reading for everyone.
“The Anatomy of Peace” by The Arbinger Institute
Of all the books on this list, this is by far the most life-altering for me. I read it when I was at the lowest point of my life, sick, out of work, and had just lost a relationship that I had planned on having for the rest of my life. This book alone managed to change how I view the world, and my relationships with people by pointing out the difference between a heart at peace and a heart at war. “The Anatomy of Peace” taught me how to manage people effectively, and how to help heal relationships that I didn't think I could heal; it has also helped me talk to parents about healing relationships with their children.
Synopsis: The story is of a family dropping a daughter off at a facility that helps teach troubled youth. The institute is run by Yusuf al-Falah and Avi Rozen two men whose Arabic/Jewish heritages have been at odds for lifetimes but have come together from unlikely circumstances to teach how to overcome conflict and develop a new way of being, a heart at peace. They teach step by step using examples of how to focus on what’s going right and how that can help fix what is going wrong and how we can relate and communicate better with ourselves and our loved ones.
“The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz
This was the second of two books that I found at that low point in my life. It helped me shed a slew of past beliefs about myself, about the world, and about how we all play our roles. I struggle with needing to be everything to everyone, with having to be the best friend, partner, worker, etc. because I’ve always felt that that was the only way that I mattered as a person. “The Four Agreements”…