THE

E V O LV E
JOURNEY
READING
LIST
Atomic Habits - James Clear

This book will help you to understand the habits, both positive and nega-
tive. It will give you some simple solutions to make your habits work for
you like compound interest would work for you financially.

Actionable advice - To build a new habit, try stacking it on top of an

existing habit. For example, if you wanted to introduce a stretching habit,
you could do this while you wait for morning coffee to cool down.

Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and

Unlock Your Exceptional Life - Jim Kwik

Jim Kwik explains the limitless nature of human potential in this book full
of learning hacks. After a childhood brain injury left the author on the
verge of failing school, he created strategies to enhance his mental per-
formance dramatically. This book is a great guide that will build up your
motivation and give you the tools to unlock your potential.

Actionable advice - Kwik recommends these ten brain foods: Avocados,

Blueberries, Broccoli, Coconut Oil, Eggs, Green Leafy Vegetables, Sal-
mon, Turmeric, Walnuts and Dark Chocolate. Jim says these ten foods
protect your brain and give you the energy to overcome brain fog and
mental fatigue!

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Meditations - Marcus Aurelius

Meditations is a timeless classic and one of the most widely read books in
the world. Written by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, it is a col-
lection of personal reflections and philosophical musings on life, death,
and everything in between. In this book, Aurelius offers practical advice
and wisdom that is still relevant today, thousands of years after it was
first written.

Actionable advice - Reflect on your life and focus on what you can
control rather than what is beyond your control. Practice mindfulness and
self-reflection to understand your thoughts and emotions better. Take res-
ponsibility for your actions and decisions and strive to live a virtuous life
based on reason, wisdom, and compassion.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success - Carol Dweck

Carol argues there are two mindsets... fixed and growth. People with
fixed mindsets obstruct their development through fear of failure and re-
liance on innate talent. People that adopt a growth mindset work hard
and train hard to realise their full potential.

Actionable advice - kicking a fixed mindset is not straightforward, but

looking at failure as an opportunity to learn and grow is a great place to
start. Don’t fear failure. Embrace it. The legendary basketball coach
Wooden says you aren’t a failure until you start to blame.

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The Laws of Human Nature - Robert Greene

The research and the depth of Robert Greene’s insights in his books are
second to none. In Laws of Human Nature, you will learn from stories
from a range of notable characters, from Coco Chanel to Stalin. This
book provides valuable insights into human behaviour and psychology
that will help you navigate social situations and improve your
communication skills.

Actionable advice – think deeply about the trends of human behaviour.

With your understanding, you can protect against false leaders. In
addition, you can learn from millions of other’s struggles so your life can
be easier. Don’t ignore their lessons. This book will help you discover your
authentic aspirations, prompting you to articulate your life’s purpose and
ideally illuminate your path. The depth of wisdom in this book is
invaluable, making it a must-read.

Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds - David
Goggins

David Goggins truly is a machine. Give him a quick Google and check
out some of his achievements. We listened to the audiobook version and
we couldn’t help but go for a run every day. These runs were typically
much longer and faster than usual too. So again, with this one, we
recommend the audiobook, it even has podcast sections where Goggins
discusses bonus content.

Actionable advice - Goggins argues that a part of ourselves wants to

protect ourselves from suffering, so we give up too quickly. Typically this
is when we have expended 40% of our potential effort. Most of us,
therefore, have 60% left in the tank, ignore the voice in your head and
push through so you can give your best every time.

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Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter

This book is a bestseller for a reason. Reading it will help you shift away
from the employee mindset while increasing your financial intelligence.

Actionable advice - take stock of your current monthly expenses and

income as well as your existing assets and liabilities. Your focus should be
building up your assets (anything that puts money in your pocket). The
authors argue the biggest mistake people make is they waste their
money acquiring liabilities.

The Hero’s Journey - Joseph Campbell

This book lays out the journey of personal evolution. This journey can be
seen in the plots of ancient mythology and movies like Star Wars. This
book will help you make sense of life. So accept your call to adventure
now and start slaying those dragons.

Actionable advice - try and find your mentor. In mythology, this could
be a wise wizard or a map. For you, it could be one of these books on
this list or someone you look up to in your niche that has more
experience than yourself.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Mark Manson

Get aligned with what you care about and form a more constructive
approach to life. The author argues that we could all help ourselves out
by not giving a fuck about the things that are causing us pain. If you
need some help letting, go check this one out.

Actionable advice - accept your experience of life as being great and

wonderful. This may be the single most significant thing you can do for
your happiness.

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Waking Up - Sam Harris

Discover the importance of meditation with this one. If you have been
teetering on the edge of starting a meditation practice, let this push you
over the edge. Harris explains that our illusory concept of self keeps us
trapped in a dream of discursive thought. Meditation will allow us to
‘wake up’ from this dream.

Actionable advice - Check out Sam Harris’ ‘Waking Up’ app and start
benefiting from the best-guided meditation we have found.

Richest Man in Babylon - George S. Clason

A collection of parables set 4,000 years ago in ancient Babylon. This is a

classic in personal financial advice. The author suggests that the secret to
becoming wealthy is living below your means to save money which can
be invested in your future. The other key message is that you can make
your own luck by working hard and seizing opportunities bravely.

Actionable advice - pay yourself first. The author argues that an effective
way of saving is to put aside 10% of your monthly income as a
minimum. You pay others for goods and services all the time. Learn to
pay yourself before you pay others.

The 4-hour Workweek – Tim Ferriss

In Ferriss’ bestseller that opened the world’s eyes to lifestyle

entrepreneurship, he shares many of the secrets that made him known
to some as the digital Indiana Jones. Ferriss highlights the principles of
Parkinson’s Law and Pareto’s principle can be used to focus on the few
things that will lead to the biggest progress.

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Actionable advice - Create a dream plan and based on everything in
this plan, calculate how much you need to earn per month to live your
dream lifestyle. This gives you something to aim for. “The question you
should be asking isn’t “What do I want?” or “What are my goals” but
“What would excite me?”.

Tribe of Mentors - Tim Ferriss

Ferriss features again! In The Four Hour Body, he provides information

and actionable advice for optimising your body and mind. This book
includes everything from dietary tips to workout routines and even
covers subjects like increasing your sexual performance. Ferriss’ approach
is based on experimentation and self-quantification, meaning he tries
everything out on himself first to determine what works and doesn’t.

Actionable advice - Ferriss recommends the Slow Carb Diet, which

involves eating only certain types of carbohydrates and cutting out all
sugar and grains. He also recommends using kettlebells for workouts, as
they are a versatile and efficient tool that can provide a full-body
workout in just 20 minutes. Finally, Ferriss suggests tracking your
progress using body measurements, blood tests, and other metrics to
determine what works best for you.

Getting Things Done – David Allen

David Allen shows us the art of stress-free productivity. Allen explains

your brain is excellent at thinking but terrible at remembering things. This
is packed full of tools that help you overcome this.

Actionable advice - capture your thoughts in external collection tools that

you routinely empty. This frees your mind up to do what it is good at
which is thinking and solving problems.

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Get Smart! – Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy is a bestselling author of over a dozen business books. Get

Smart! offers various tips on tapping into your unused brain power and
living a happier, more successful life.

Actionable advice - use your time at work to address important tasks.

Don’t waste precious time playing or procrastinating.

The ONE Thing – Gary Keller and Jay Papasan

This book helps you discover your most important goal and arms you
with the tools to help you achieve it. We recommend this if you want
greater clarity and purpose in your daily life.

Actionable advice - stop multitasking. When we try to do this, we are

actually working inefficiently and with more mistakes. Decide what is the
most important thing in the moment and give it your undivided
attention.

The Time Paradox: The New Psychology of Time That Will

Change Your Life - John Boyd and Philip Zimbardo

You may have heard of Phillip Zimbardo’s notorious Stanford Prison

experiment; in this book the authors highlight how our attitudes to time
affect who we are and how we live. In this book you will discover your
time perspective and how this may limit your ability to get the most out
of life.

Actionable advice - time is precious and for us humans it’s also finite. To
make the most of it you should develop a balanced time perspective and
stop obsessing about the past or the future or over-indulging in the
present.

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Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill

As this was written in 1937 some of the examples given in this book do
feel a little dated but much of this advice holds up today. The book
explores the methods of the 500 most successful people at the time. It
offers advice on topics such as goal setting and mindset.

Actionable advice - positive emotions are the key to a successful life and
they need to be strengthened. Goal setting and planning are the basics
of every achievement.

The Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday

If you haven’t heard of Stoicism before we implore you to check it out!

This book is a good starting point. If you struggle with negativity and
everyday challenges and setbacks this book will arm you with all the
mental tools to thrive in adversity. Packed full of great stories and ancient
wisdom since recommending this to people, we have noticed the positive
changes in their perspective and enjoyment in life.

Actionable advice - Stoics believe that no matter what happens to us we

remain in control of who we are. With this mentality the only danger
comes from within. You may not be able to change situations, but you
can always control your reaction.

Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker

Walker presents the latest in sleep science. It covers off the benefits of
good sleep and how detrimental poor sleep can be, not only our health,
but for our overall society.

Actionable advice - follow your body’s internal clock. Try to avoid alcohol
and nicotine before bed..

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A Guide to the Good Life - William B. Irvine

A guide to the good life tackles some pivotal questions and offers some
advice on how the reader can apply ancient Stoic philosophy in the
modern world. This book shows you how to find joy in your life.

Actionable advice - separate what you can and can’t control. Focus on
finding happiness through those things in life that you can control.
Practise negative visualisation to feel happier in the moment.

Positivity - Barbara L. Frederickson

For anyone who wants to improve their mental wellbeing and overall
quality of life. Drawing on years of research, Frederickson provides
readers with scientific evidence that shows how positive emotions can
improve our physical and mental health, relationships, and overall
happiness.

Actionable advice - have a gratitude practise. Research shows that by

writing down just 5 experiences that you are grateful for every day, you
can easily increase your happiness.

Man’s Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a book about the

author’s experiences as a concentration camp inmate during the
Holocaust. The book details the psychological effects of imprisonment
and discusses how those who survive can find meaning in their lives.

Actionable advice - Frankl believed that everyone has a purpose in life,

and that even in the darkest of circumstances, we can find meaning. He
argues that we have the power to choose our response to any given
situation. By focusing on our values and what we find meaningful, we
can find purpose even in the face of adversity.

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Happy - Derren Brown

Derren Brown’s book ‘‘Happy’’ delves into the intricacies of human

happiness and provides insights on how to cultivate a happier and more
fulfilling life. Drawing from a blend of human history, psychology, stoic
philosophy, and personal anecdotes, Brown explores what it truly means
to be happy and how to attain lasting happiness.

We really love the storytelling and examples used by Brown to illustrate

his points. He emphasises the importance of self-reflection and inner
growth as key factors in achieving genuine happiness.

Actionable advice - if you can do one thing to start your journey into
improved happiness, it is to focus only on what you can control. Getting
angry and upset about what you cannot control doesn’t serve you.

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