Top 5 books To Live a stress free life
If you know me, you know, that I am a pretty mellow guy. I really don’t stress out over much, even when things hit the fan. I attribute this calm and stress free attitude to physical exercise yoga, running, hiking, and staying active. The second thing I attribute my carefree attitude to is some great books! These 5 books helped me shift my mindset and prioritize how I spend my time. They have helped put what is important and valuable to me first. Now I wont lie to you this mindset doesn’t happen over night and requires work. Reading these books isn’t enough to change your life, but really trying out the concepts outlined in these books and seeing if they if fit for you is. Approach the concepts presented in these books like a new t-shirt maybe it fits t maybe it doesn’t you; can always take that shirt off and try a new one. It was TOUGH to narrow it down to these 5 but I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did.
The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
This has to be my all time favorite book. I Recommend this book for EVERYONE yogis, teachers, businessmen/women, parents, athletes, and theres even a version for teens. Why is this book so impactful for me and millions of people around the world? It is because it helps you discover whats important to YOU! This book provides the tools you need to organize your time and energy to work on the projects & people you care about.
My Favorite habit of the 7 habits is habit #4 Think Win Win. In short when dealing with people business or personally, you have to create win/win solutions. Some times we create Win/Lose or Lose/Win or even Lose/Lose deals which are not good for anyone. If you can find a Win/Win solution you can build trust in all your relationships, knowing the deal you created is beneficial to both parties. I use this skill almost everyday. That is just the tip of the iceberg in what this book has to offer. When you get this book, really take your time do the exercises. This isn’t the type of book you can read page to page and call it a day. I promise there is something to be gained for everyone in this book theres no wonder its sold over 25 million copies. Definitely add this to your book shelf.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
I love motorcycles and I love Zen so I was drawn to this book simply for its title. No you don’t have to be a motorcycle aficionado to appreciate all this book as to offer. I was surprised so much by this book that it made it to #2 on my list.
This book is a fictionalized autobiography about a motorcycle trip the author took with his son from Minnesota to Northern California. The story is narrated by a character named Phaedrus who is a creative writer at a technical college who takes a look at the characters personalities, while dealing with his own inner demons. One character has a “romantic” outlook on life who doesn’t care much for the inner workings of his motorcycle & would prefer to have a mechanic fix his bike when problems arise. The second character has more of a “classical” view on life who see the beauty of the inner workings and engineering of his motorcycle & he would prefer to fix his bike with rational problem solving skills. Just like his trip this book has so many twists and turns surprises and really makes you think. I was so inspired by this book I purchased my own motorcycle and took my own motorcycle camping journey to Zion national park. A must have for your book shelf.
The 4 Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
This book is an amazing quick read. All you need is a spare afternoon and finish it; and the lessons are powerful and you’ll find yourself reading and re-reading it over and over again. Senor Ruiz shares wisdom passed down from the ancient toltec people of Mexico. They had no written language so this knowledge was passed down generation to generation via word of mouth. The book advocates freedom from beliefs and agreements that we have made with ourselves and others that limit our potential and cause unhappiness in our lives.
My favorite agreement of the 4 agreements is “do not take things personally.” I used to find myself wondering why I didn’t get the job, why didn’t that person call me back at me, why isn’t so & so coming to my class anymore? The truth is you can never truly know the motives or reasons behind someone else’s reaction. Thats just one of the many beautiful lessons this book has to offer to free you from your own inner personal prison of un-happiness. For those looking for a quick but thoughtful read this is the one for you.
The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer
This book is an autobiography of Michael A. Singer. It tells the story of his journey into zen and meditation. He leaves everything behind moves into a van drives to Mexico to meditate. A central theme to his book is to “surrendering yourself to Life itself”. This lead him down many crazy paths first teaching himself to build houses. Then building and establishing the “temple of the Universe” a yoga retreat center. Eventually he founds the “Medical Manager Corporation” a hugely successful medical billing software which is eventually bought out by web-MD. Obviously these paths are not linked but by “surrendering to Life itself” he was able to achieve many great things and help many people along the way.
My biggest takeaway from this book is that sometimes your not sure why life is taking you down a certain path but in the end by “surrendering into life itself” it will all work out. The lessons from this book have inspired me to do a lot of things starting my own van life/meditation journey and trusting in the chaos that life always finds a way to work it self out. Also learning to say yes to opportunities when they present themselves even if you might not feel “qualified enough” and just going for it. This is a great read and a New York Times Best Seller.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**K by Mark Manson
This book was actually given to me by a yoga student of mine, based on the title it seems a little gimmicky and I would have never thought to pick it up myself. So I “surrendered into life itself” and gave it a try. I Honestly finished this book in just a few days, the content was just so awesome I could not put it down. This book takes a different approach than all the other self help books in the market. Typical self help books promote positive thinking and always being happy. Instead “The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F**K” takes I think a healthier approach which is to embrace the un-happy moments because they will fucking happen. This book goes into detail of how we can only give so many fucks to trivial things and what we should do is give fucks to the things we really care about. It also teaches you to be comfortable with being different instead of trying to fit the mold of what your life should be or how you should act what path is right or wrong. “The Subtle art of Not Giving a F**K” overall ls one of my favorite “self help” books because it takes a refreshing new outlook to what self help looks like in a no-nonsense straight forward approach. A great read for sure!
If you have read any these books and they impacted you share your story privately or via a comment we would love to hear from you I could even feature you in a blog post. Also if you have any books that helped you live more stress free I would love to read them leave a comment with your favorites.
Tiny Buddha’s 365 Tiny Love Challenges by Lori Deschene (Bonus book)
I thought I would include this book as a tiny bonus because its one I read everyday & it helps keep me in check. Inside this book it has 365 challenges one for everyday of the year. They help you reflect and connect deeply with people. If you follow me on social media @aldacoacro you’ll see my posts and often my responses to these challenges. Its a great little book and will keep you inspired on your stress free journey everyday.
