Three Books That Have Changed My Life

If you can only read three books in your life, read this.

Dec 24, 2024

I have been reading many books, and they run into the 100s. It is difficult to say which books impacted me the most. Many times, it’s not the entire book but parts of it that have given me new perspectives. However, if you ask me what books I have read repeatedly, only three of them come to my mind.

1. The Book of Wisdom - by Osho

This book is best consumed in the audiobook format. This is not a book narration but a recording of Osho’s discourses in his ashram around the 1980s. His teachings were later converted into written books by his disciples, but the audio version has its original essence.

Osho’s teachings have helped me to remember to enjoy life and consider this life as a gift. We often get caught up in ego games and compare ourselves with each other. The education system has spoiled us to compete in toxic ways. From school, we have been “graded” based on marks and other stupid metrics. 1st rank holder, 2nd rank holder, and so on. We continue that habit in the real world. Too much is never enough.

Osho’s perspectives are unadulterated by the influence of the world around us. His teachings are pure and ring of truth. This has been a perfect compliment to my Vipassana meditation practice.

2. The Rational Male - by Rollo Tomassi

I got married when I was 24—divorced at 30, and married again by 35. The Rational Male has helped me get back into dating and reorient my belief systems about relationships after my first divorce. I discovered that most of the things that I believed about women and relationships were false and that society had misguided me on my path. I learned what makes a man truly attractive.

The movies teach us that the man who is most dedicated to his woman is the most attractive. But in reality, the man dedicated to his goals is more attractive. You don’t ask the fish what it wants to eat if you're going to catch it. Similarly, you don’t ask women what they want because they don’t know what they want. Attraction is subconscious, and women will give you logical answers about how you should be and behave to be attractive. But if you follow their advice, you will turn them off.

3. The Bitcoin Standard - by Saifedean Ammous

I heard about Bitcoin when it was around $100 in 2013. Then I noticed it again in 2016, and it was $500. I ignored it until 2021, when it went past $25,000. I couldn’t ignore it anymore and wanted to learn more about it. I picked up this book called The Bitcoin Standard, and I learned not just about Bitcoin but about money, debt, and central banking.

I got a solid foundation for my understanding of Bitcoin, and it helped me start accumulating some Bitcoin for my future. I have read a lot of books about Bitcoin, but nothing beats the Bitcoin Standard.

So there you go. One about spirituality, one about relationships, and one about money. I highly recommend that you read all the three books. These books will be the most controversial books you’ve read on these topics. But read them, and make your own conclusions. Don’t hesitate to read something that goes against your beliefs. That’s how you challenge your belief systems; either it breaks or it gets strengthened.