World Book Day gives a welcome boost to the simple but sadly neglected activity of reading books and deriving pleasure from them. In honour of the occasion, here are five books which to my mind are must-reads.
1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
“At dawn when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself, as a human being, what do I have to complain of if I’m doing what I was born to do?” There’s a message we could all take to heart, and this is an important book by Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. He was a Stoic – a philosophy which basically says you should keep going whatever the obstacles – and his approach is sometimes unrealistic because it is so unbending. However, I find there are lessons to be learnt from it; it’s all about emotional regulation, serving yourself and others, and only focusing on what you can control in your life.
2. Thought Power by Swami Sivhananda
“As a man thinketh, that he becometh”
This is a book all about altering your thoughts, forcing yourself to think positively. It shows how you can alter your thought patterns. Not everything in here resonates with me, but it was a great learning experience to look into another school of thought.
3. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
“There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t and that secret is this: it’s not the writing part that’s hard, it’s the sitting down to write, and what keeps us from sitting down is resistance.”
Here’s a book for aspiring creatives, or for people who are creatives already. It teaches you about procrastination and resistance, and breaks down how and why they happen – and how to escape their clutches.
4. Models by Mark Manson
“Make sure your perception of yourself is more important to you than other people’s perception of you.”
On the face of it this is a dating book, but there’s more to it than that. It teaches you the importance of self acceptance, honesty, and authenticity; how these things make you more likeable, and how you should not be too invested in the opinions of others.
5. The Dip by Seth Godin
“Quit or be exceptional. Average is for losers.” Another book for creatives, but this one is more about knowing when to quit in your creative process, and being honest and realistic with yourself.
