James very brief review of self-healing and improvement books
Financial
The 3 books below all have the same underlying ideas, but they all have very different focuses.
Step 1.) get debt free.
Step 2.) use low cost indexed funds in tax advangaged buckets to build money
step 3.) use that money intelligently, including setting up charitable trusts etc.
Total Money Makeover
A big tent revival christian pastor preaches on the evils of debt, and how to overcome this devil in your life. Think 12 step for debt. drastic measures proposed. Many of them were necessary for me, but this book is very much a book for sick people written by someone dealing with a sickness of debt addiction. Could be useful for the right people, or when read/listened to from the correct perspective.
This book is 90% how to get out of debt, and 10% what to do when you’re out.
Simple Path to Wealth
The majority of this book starts where TMM left off. The first chapter advises you to crush your debts before you begin, as much as you can. From there it lays out a really simple path to wealth accumulation, using 401k’s, IRA’s, and other tax advantaged buckets. He’s a big fan of very low cost index funds. The final section of the book is how to get the money back out as effectively as possible when you retire. It was written by a father for his daughter who didn’t care about finances. This is my favorite financial book.
This book is 5% how to get out of debt, 45% how to accumulate wealth and 50% how to spend that wealth once you have it. Note, the focus is on accumulation, but as accumulation is simpler than accessing it, the split by volume is tilted the other way.
I Will Teach You To Be Rich
This book is more targeted at the college age kid and is huge on automation. He talks about using credit cards intelligently and focuses on building self-tending financial systems. Again, the basic advice is the same, but the method and presentation are radically different.
Personal development
Big Magic
Be an artist. Make art. Your life will get better. This is a how to manual by a real magician. A+++
Atomic Habits
Lifetimes of discipline are a lie. Discipline is exclusively a short term solution at best. Atomic habits address the brain and it’s chemistry and our emotions, and how we can develop habits we want, and to a lesser extent, how we can break habits we don’t want. This is about building an environment to produce useful habits, which are how we really do the things we believe are discipline. Great book.
You are not Your Brain
NOT AVAILABLE ON AUDIBLE.. but so good I had to include it anyway. Atomic habits addresses habits on the external level. YANYB addresses compulsive thought, and how to deal with it. It was essential for me during the Trump years and has helped me regain control over my own emotions and interactions with others. It’s hard, but its amazingly productive. I will continue working this process for a very long time.
Interpersonal Skills
How to Win Friends and Influence People
First published in 1936 this book revolutionized interpersonal relations and was possibly the first interpersonal self-help book of any notoriety. The principles are simple and self evident, (principles https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/book-summaries/self-help/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people/ ) and the book is mostly examples, but those plethora of examples put the concepts ready to hand, should you need them.
Never Split the Difference
Deceptively named to make you think it’s about hardball negotiation, instead it’s about finding mutually beneficial solutions, active listening, and working with a hostile audience (it’s written by a former FBI lead hostage negotiator) A great read after HTWFAIP above, for future refinement of our interpersonal toolbox.
7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Takes the tools of the two above, rips them apart and replaces the idea of tools with the idea of underlying intention and self-examination. Without a doubt the most powerful book I’ve read. Crushed me. Puts everything else on this entire list in perspective, and gives you a framework from with to use the tools the other books provide. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK TO ME!
The Power of Vulnerability
If Big Magic was about dealing with other people, it would be this book. Brilliantly read on audible by someone who has dealt with some very common problems, and come up with amazingly effective solutions. I love Brene Brown and this book is why. It’s a great follow up to 7hohep above, and gives a specific area in which one can start applying the principles. A++++
Know Will Dare 