December 2015 + Overview of 2015

Key Takeaways

The Rabbit Hole by Blas Moros


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	This newsletter covers both December and some highlights from 2015. I ended up reading about 180 books, not including podcasts, articles, blogs, etc. I am proud of how much I learned this past year but one of my goals for 2016 is to be more focused with what I consume by having a predetermined goal or skill I want to acquire from every reading. Books The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James brown The Life of Greece by Will Durant Finding Ultra by Rich Roll Bolivar: American Liberator by Marie Arana Basil Moreau: Essential Writings by Kevin Grove and Andrew Gawrych The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh The Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth Monthly Challenges Wim Hof breathing exercises - started mid-month so am only through week 2 of the 10 week protocol but am loving it so far. Feel energized and relaxed after every session. Additional info on the Wim Hof Method The Tim Ferriss interview with Wim is great to better understand what he teaches and why Other I have recommended Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast in the past but I have to do it again. I purchased his additional podcasts from his website and they are incredible. The series "Ghosts of the Ostfront" which discusses the atrocities on the Eastern front in WWII is especially good Tim Ferriss' interview with Derek Sivers is fantastic. I agreed with a lot of what Derek said and how he approaches life. His website is great and offers compelling book summaries and advice for entrepreneurs. Best of 2015 It was difficult narrowing down the list but below is the list of books which influenced me the most in 2015 and what I learned from them: Body by Science by Doug McGuff and John Little Taught me effective and efficient workouts The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday Taught me to embrace resistance in order to grow The Education of a Value Investor by Guy Spier Taught me how to better structure my life Antifragile by Nassim Taleb Taught me how to better think about and prepare for risk The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene Taught me about human psychology The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn Saks Taught me compassion, especially for the mentally ill Essentialism by Greg McKeown Taught me how to have little but love it all Poor Charlie's Almanack by Peter Kaufman, Charlie Munger Taught me about mental models, human biases and worldly wisdom Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig Taught me about quality A Curious Mind by Brian Grazer Taught me the importance of curiosity It's About TIME! by Jim Ball, Jennifer Kuchta Taught me how to be more effective with my time How to Fail at Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams Taught me how to invite failure to learn from it The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes Taught me to question everything Diaminds by Mihnea Moldoveanu, Roger Martin Taught me processes to become a better thinker The Story of Civilization by Will Durant (still in progress) Taught me the importance of history Melting Asphalt (blog) by Kevin Simler Taught me different perspectives on common topics Wait but Why? (blog) by Tim Urban Taught me how to distill information into easy to read formats Farnam Street (blog) by Shane Parrish Taught me how to be a better decision maker Hardcore History (podcast) by Dan Carlin Taught me about history and how to be a compelling story teller The Tim Ferriss Show (podcast) by Tim Ferriss Taught me about top performer's routines and best practices I enjoyed most of my monthly challenges but I got the most out of the following and many are now part of my daily routine: Travel to 3 new places every year (got to the Grand Canyon, Istanbul and St. Louis in 2015) No alcohol for one month Give away 30 things in 30 days (see Essentialism by Greg McKeown) Ask people to describe you in three words Ask people for three areas of improvement Ice pack on neck for 30 minutes before sleep Cold showers (see Wim Hof Method) All the best in 2016! Blas "He who looks outwards dreams. He who looks inwards awakens." -Carl Jung