Reading not only keeps you away from distrations and negative noises around, it also exercises one of the most beautiful parts of our body — our BRAIN. And what better way to exercise our brain than learning from the greatest minds of the past, present and future.
Perhaps its true that those who like to read also like to write, and those who like to write like to share.
With that, I present to you my top 4 favorite books that I highly highly urge you to read:
1. Bible
If there is one book I recommend you to read (over and over again), it’s the Bible. It is the only book that is complete with ALL the lessons you will ever need in life, may it be about faith, leadership, making decisions and many more.
I have this very old Bible I had since I was 12 or 13. It still has all the highlights and notes I made and it’s so nice to look back at it and read how I understood it at that time. Now, I have switched to reading a digital Bible (I think I started when I was 20), and to tell you, everytime you re-read, you learn something new. It’s amazing how a single passage can speak differently to you each time you read it. Having a digital Bible is also better in my opinion because I have it with me everywhere I go, and that includes all the notes and bookmarks that I have. Anytime I’m feeling down or nervous or anxious, I just pull up my notes and read all the passages I have saved that gives me comfort. 🙂
For those looking into downloading a bible app, I suggest the following apps:
- NIV Bible by Tecarta – my main bible app that I use since you can sign in and save all your notes and highlights
- Refresh by Tecarta – great for daily devotions, with focused topics and scriptures
- She Reads Truth – lovely interface and easy to read
All are available in the App Store or Google Play.
2. How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg
If you are my family or friend, you have probably heard me rave about this book at one point. It truly is one of my favorite reads because this book gives me so many insights on how to manage and lead people. Among all the companies, Google, in my opinion, has one of the best tactics in employee culture.
In this book, Eric (Google ex-CEO) and Jonathan (former SVP of Products) takes us inside Google and you will discover topics such as:
- HR strategies and how to attract the best talents
- How to interview
- Establishing a company culture
- Why each leader should only have a maximum team of 7
- How a programmer can be the next company’s CEO
- and many more!
I’d like to thank my aunt, Tita Cit for recommending this book to me years ago. I have both hardcopy, kindle version and audible version of this book (obsessed??). I even buy copies of this book for my friends and family, and if we’re truly truly close, I’ll even let you borrow my copy that has all my notes and highlights!
If you’re interested, WHICH YOU SHOULD BE BY NOW, you can buy the kindle version here:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Google-Works-Eric-Schmidt/dp/1455582328
3. The 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allen Dib
If you’re working with me, you are probably well-aware of this book. They say the best way to learn is to teach and I have definitely given many workshops on the lessons I learned.
Marketing is my true passion in life (I am a marketing graduate and will practice marketing forever). If any of you reading are the same, then I highly suggest you to read this book. Allen Dib teaches about the 9 key essentials you need in your marketing plan:
- Selecting your target market
- Craftung your key message
- Reaching prospects
- Capturing leads
- Nurturing keads
- Sales conversion
- Delivering world-class experience
- Increasing customer lifetime value
- Orchestrating referrals
I can’t tell you how many highlights and notes I have on this book that I will keep going back to, probably until I am old and still launching a new product. Here’s an except of some of my notes:
Trivia: After I read this book, I immediately emailed the author, Allen, and you can imagine my surprise– he responded! Now, we are official pen-pals, writing back and forth questions and tips on marketing.
You can purchase this book here:
4. Manage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus & Sharpen Your Creative Mind (Multiple Authors)
This is a book I find very interestesting, since each chapter is written by a different author. From Seth Godin, Gretchen Rubin (author of Happiness Project, another awesome book I recommend) to Tony Schwartz, each author gives us a bit of their brain.
The book is basically divided into the 3 main categories in the title, with interesting sub topics such as:
- Scheduling Time for Creative Thinking
- Learning to Create Amidst Chaos
- Using Social Media Mindfully
- Reclaming our Self-Respect
- Training Your Mind to Be Ready for Insight
- Letting Go of Perfectionism
- Getting Unstuck
- …and many more!
What’s also great about this book is that it’s such an easy read — each chapter is only composed of 5 or so pages of deep insight. If you are a creative, I especially urge you to read this one.
Buy this book here:
If you’ve read any of these books before or if I urged you to read any of them, please let me know in my DMs or comment below! ☺️
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