New ideas that turn your personal and professional world upside down? I love it. Some insights can greatly enrich your way of thinking. Are you also eager to learn? Then I highly recommend these 5 books.
1. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
This book explains how we can become overwhelmed by priorities that fight for our attention. And how we have to divide that attention constantly in the modern world of work. At the same time, it offers a brilliant yet practical solution to deal with that. What I learned? Focus only on things that best use your strengths. That’s how you maximize your personal impact.
2. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
Tolle is a globally renowned existential guru. ‘A New Earth’ is by far his best work. It focuses on your personal evolution to a higher level of consciousness. That way you ultimately triumph over your own ego and can relate to others and yourself in a more authentic and meaningful way. This book will change the way you look at life.
3. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Possibly the most beautiful book of prose ever written. ‘The Prophet’ is part poetry, part philosophy. You can’t help but devour page after page. Its message will stay with you for the rest of your life. No description could ever do it justice: you have to read it for yourself.
4. The Manifesto of Beautiful Business by Tim Leberecht
This seminal article demonstrates a fundamentally new way of looking at business. How can we approach work in a more human way in this age of AI, robots and automation? What I love about this article, is that it sees business as a form of human expression rather than human greed. A must-read.
5. ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government and our Community by Jeffrey M. Hiatt
In this revolutionary book you’ll discover a very powerful yet simple way of looking at change. You can apply the paradigm to different kinds of change, whether it be alterations in your personal life or in a global organization. The book also shows how you can deal with change more efficiently. A lesson that will stick with you forever.
About Sheldon
Sheldon grew up in Durban, a city on the east coast of South Africa. Because the great weather started to bore him, he decided to move to Belgium 5 years ago. As a child Sheldon dreamed of a career as a fighting pilot. Eventually he opted for plan B: an education in Organizational Psychology. In his free time Sheldon can be found at the gym at least 4 times a week. He’s also a big fan of literature, theatre and music and recently took up salsa dancing.