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31 Dec 2018
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Favourite Books of 2018

As many of you know, I am an avid reader of books. (Actually I’m a “listener” since I use audiobooks.) In 2018, I was quite busy. I became a Canadian citizen, I got married, and I had a beautiful little baby. Because of this, I really didn’t read that many books (a mere 42 – some completely, some barely). But staying true to my tradition, below is a list of the ones I found most insightful or helpful. I hope these synopses can help you. Enjoy.

 

The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book About Relationships by Niel Strauss

Neil Strauss was made famous by a book called “The Game” which introduced the world to pick-up artists. I’d never read the book, but I’d been fascinated with and studied pickup theory and male-female dynamics for more than a decade. In this book, Strauss – who was now an unstoppable ladies’ man – tries to overcome his self-proclaimed sex-addiction to focus on one woman and start a family. He tries out every single kind of relationship, searching for the ultimate road to happiness. What he discovers is that our relationship to our partners is a direct reflection of our internal well-being. Many people seek unhealthy relationships in order to fulfill an internal desire, often due to childhood drama. His conclusion is that healing ourselves (developing healthy relationships with ourselves) is the best way to develop healthy relationships with others.

Having plenty of experience with pickup, polyamory, and open relationships, I could totally relate to his stories and the conclusions he drew. It was wonderful to have someone else have to take it to the extreme end of the spectrum in order to prove what I already sensed to be true. The book really is “the truth”. It turns out that relationships do not comform with the idyllic version of reality that most people want to believe. It’s messy, unfair, unstable, and most often, almost entire about ourselves. I was leaving my playboy ways behind and embarking on the new adventure of marriage. It was scary. I was very thankful that this book was written so I wouldn’t have to spend as much time searching for the answers.

 

Kosher Lust: Love Is Not the Answer by Shmuley Boteach

Shmuley Boteach is a Jewish Rabbi. His conclusions are similar to Strauss’. He says the main cause of infidelity is a lack of communication and self-esteem. Men (and women) cheat because they don’t feel validated by their partner, who is, in turn, a reflection of their own failure. His argument is that lust the answer. He claims that lust is a more powerful force than love – a point which seems obvious when people cheat on their partner even though they genuinely love them. Lust is passionate, love is comfortable. Throughout the book, Boteach uses examples (often from Judaism) to explain his theories. He also provides a roadmap to develop and maintain lust is any long-term relationship. It is all part of a journey of self-development, self-discovery, and intimacy with another person.

 

Own the Day, Own Your Life: Optimized Practices for Waking, Working, Learning, Eating, Training, Playing, Sleeping, and Sex by Aubrey Marcus

Marcus, and his company Onnit, is part of a new wave of thought leaders searching for “total human optimization”. In the book, Marcus goes through the smallest logical increment of measurement in a life – one day – and optimizes it using a wholistic approach which blends ancient practices with state-of-the-art technology. This book helped me incorporate many (not all) practices into my daily life, all of which I know will pay big dividends in the future. Examples include plants in the bedroom (for quality air), breathing and stretching techniques, bio-tracking, diet, digital hiatus and media fasting, morning hydration, and many more. The book is definitely written for weird health nerds like me. It’s like the sequel to The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss (which is also an amazing read for life-hacking). This book is a very complete guide to structuring your life on a daily basis.

 

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

In this new world of social media destroying the attention span of a generation, the art of doing “deep work” is becoming more and more valuable. The author, Cal Newport, shows how different producers have used various methods of deep work to create meaningful work. Deep work is basically just the ability to work in a focused way on 1 project for a long period of time. It sounds simple, but it can be very difficult to achieve. The book offers a roadmap to cultivate the skill overtime.

 

Runner-Ups

Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff’

Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried and David Hansson

 

 

 

 


29 Dec 2016
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The Power of Meditation

screen-shot-2016-12-29-at-3-16-35-pmRussell Simmons is a very successful and powerful American entrepreneur and author. He made a name for himself in the music business, and is often called the godfather of hip hop. Whenever people ask him what they should do to “become more successful” (a common question for him), he replies that they should “begin meditating”. This answer often surprises the person asking, and they write it off as a joke. But Simmons is being completely serious.

›› Read more…

11 Nov 2016
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My Favourite Books of 2016 (and Their Lessons)

I’ve read more than 80 books this year, guided by topics that have excited me and questions I’ve sought to answers. I’ve investment about 320 hours of time (3% of my year) and about a thousand dollars. In my view, this investment is completely worth it – each book I read is like a perspective on life’s greatest truths.

Below are the books which have had the greatest influence on my life this year, including links to my synopsis of the books. This way, you can get their list without having to make the same large investment of time and money.

I hope you enjoy.

›› Read more…

11 Nov 2016
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Everything We Know About Healthy Food is Wrong

eattheyolksIn the last hundred years, due mostly to industrialization, our perception of what food is has become severely skewed. Food has gone from a familiar or communal affair to big business, and the pursuit of profit that drives the modern food culture of food is literally killing us.

The multinational corporations, lobbying groups, and marketing teams know exactly how to spin the research and social narrative in order to make the masses consume more. Most of the ‘research’ is funded by groups with vested interests, and policies are often championed by ill-informed politicians.

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09 Nov 2016
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The Body Keeps the Score

bodykeepsscoreTrauma is the root cause of crime, poverty, mental health problems, drug abuse, and more. It is arguably the biggest single cause of grief in our society.

Trauma is also extremely common, and can start a vicious cycle of abuse. Intergenerational trauma is an especially important subject in Nunavut and other native American societies today.

Trauma is not experienced in the part of the brain where words are created; the experiences are stored in the body, as images, feelings, emotions. It often comes back in flashbacks, physical ailment, or any number of devious ways.

›› Read more…

09 Nov 2016
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How High Achievers Manage Energy

powerfullengagementWe have 4 different types of energy: physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. In order to be our best selves, it is important that we use these energies, and – equally important – replenish these energies.

A common characteristic of high achievers is their ability to be explosive in one energy, relax, recover, and do it again. The best way to do that is to train completely exertion and completely relaxation for each energy.

›› Read more…

09 Nov 2016
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The Magic of Thinking Big

thinkingbigAchieving your goals is a matter of attitude. If you say you can, or if you say you can’t, either way, you’re right. And science can prove it.

When you ask the question “can I do this?”, your brain makes a judgement call – yes, you can”, maybe, or no, you can’t. However,“can I do this?” is the wrong questions to ask – the phrasing allows you to say “no, I can’t” and stop thinking.

›› Read more…

08 Nov 2016
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Why Arnold Schwarzenegger is Awesome

arnoldDid you know that Arnold Schwarzenegger was a millionaire before he ever began acting?

›› Read more…

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Recent Blog Posts
  • Favourite Books of 2018
    Favourite Books of 2018 As many of you know, I am an avid reader of books. (Actually I’m a “listener”...
  • The Power of Meditation
    The Power of Meditation Russell Simmons is a very successful and powerful American entrepreneur and...
  • My Favourite Books of 2016 (and Their Lessons)
    My Favourite Books of 2016 (and Their Lessons) I’ve read more than 80 books this year, guided by topics that have excited me...
  • Everything We Know About Healthy Food is Wrong
    Everything We Know About Healthy Food is Wrong In the last hundred years, due mostly to industrialization, our perception of...
  • The Body Keeps the Score
    The Body Keeps the Score Trauma is the root cause of crime, poverty, mental health problems, drug abuse,...
  • How High Achievers Manage Energy
    How High Achievers Manage Energy We have 4 different types of energy: physical, intellectual, emotional, and...
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