Here are the 10 best books that Ive read in 2018

Here are the 10 best books that Ive read in 2018Here are the 10 best books that Ive read in 2018How many books does a person read in a lifetime? I did the arithmetic one night over beers with a friend.close dialogAdvertisementclose dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1012257 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-type-agilityzone .bx-close z-index 2-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -ms-transform rotate(0deg) to -ms-transform rotate(360deg) -moz-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -moz-transform rotate(0deg) to -moz-transform rotate(360deg) -webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -webkit-transform rotate(0deg) to -webkit-transform rotate(360deg) keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from transform rotate(0deg) to transform rotate(360deg) bx-close-inside- 1012257 top 0 right 0 /* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative *first-child padding 0width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative background-color transparent.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close stroke whitebackground-color blackborder-style solidborder-color whiteborder-width 1pxbox-shadow 0px 0px 0px 3px black.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-3RBnJGC sttte absolutetop 50%left 50%transform translate(-50%, -50%)z-index -1.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-wryzWV5 width 55px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-wryzWV5 *first-child animation-name bx-anim-1012257-spinanimation-duration 800msanimation-iteration-count infiniteanimation-timing-function linear.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-lyDBLV9 width 900pxheight 550px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-me4p1bl padding 10px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-ZdLO37u width auto.bxc.bx-ca mpaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-ZdLO37u *first-child padding 2px 4pxfont-size 10pxcolor rgb(255, 255, 255)text-transform uppercasebackground-color rgb(0, 0, 0)background-color rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.34)First, we established that averages are useless. Some statistics say that people read 12 books per year on average. There are always a few people who read mora than 100 books a year. So that number is inflated.Based on our experiences, most people we know only read a book thats popular. For example, this years book welches 12 Rules For Life by Jordan Peterson. Most people read books because everybody has read this bookAnd then they might pick up one or two other books in a year. They probably wont even finish them. But lets be optimistic about people and assume most folks read 5 books a year. Over a 50-year career, thats only 250 books.But lets say youre different. You realize that reading is the single most important thing for your personal development. And you set a goal to read 2 books a week. And over your career, you fail to achieve it. Its a lofty goal, after all.But you still manage to finish 80 books a year. Thats 4,000 books Whats the difference between 4,000 and 250? Well, a sh-tload of wisdom, my friend. And like you and I both know, when you apply wisdom, your life will be better. Whats the lesson here?Read as your life depends on it. Why? Because it does. Here are the best books Ive read this year.1. Incerto by Nassim Nicholas TalebTechnically, this is a series that consists of five books. Before this year, I had never read Taleb. Several of my friends are big fans of his work. And when his latest book in the series, Skin In The Game, came out this year, I felt compelled to read it.In his latest book, he writes about how most decision makers have bedrngnishing to lose when things go wrong. Having skin in the game will change everything. After all, its easy to make a decision or give advice when you have nothing to lose.I love his katechese and style. Ta leb is someone who doesnt care what certain people think of him. And hes not afraid to make bold statements. Hes not only a good writer but the contents of his books are also excellent.After I read Skin In The Game, I decided to read all his books. That took me about a month and Im glad I did. If you havent read any of his books, check out which one appeals to you the most. You can read them in any order you want.2. Laws Of Human Nature by Robert GreeneI got into personal development because of The 48 Laws Of Power. And with his latest book, Robert Greene, shows that living a successful life is not only about power and status.How well we are at dealing with people is one of the most important predictors of career success. Since everything we do relies on others, we must get better at understanding others.And whats the best way to do that? By understanding yourself. And thats what Laws Of Human Nature helps you with. Great book for improving your self-knowledge.3. Stay Hungry by Seba stian ManiscalcoI love stand-up comedy, but I had never heard of Sebastian until recently. When I saw his Netflix comedy special and read about his story, he instantly became one of my favorite comedians.Hes not only funny, but hes also humble, down to earth, and a hard worker. For 20 years, hes been working at his craft. For the first 7 years, he also worked at the Four Seasons hotel. Now, hes selling out arenas.In Stay Hungry, he shares his life story in a funny way. So if you want to quit your career after only a year, please read Sebastians story.4. The Snowball by Alice SchroederEven though I think some parts of this book were a little bit of information overload, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Buffetts life. Contrary to what you might think, this book is not only about investing.The Snowball goes deep on different topics like Buffetts relationships with the most important people in his life, the way he views the world, and how he conducts business. Every professional can l earn from his life story. And Alice Schroeder did a great job telling it.5. The Mastery Of Love by Don Miguel RuizThis book changed my perspective on love. As the relationship between my girlfriend and I became more serious this year, we both wanted to improve this area.Subconsciously, we often keep score in our relationships. We have an internal scoreboard for everything, from how often one called/texted the other, who says I love you more, or cares more about certain things than the other.In The Mastery Of Love, Ruiz writes a lot about unconditional love. He believes that love is a never-ending resource. So you dont need to keep score if you can always give. Plus, if you already have love, you dont need anything in return. My experience is that this strategy works best if you both change your perspective.When only one person in a relationship adopts this perspective, it might work for a while, but you often fall back to your old behavior. So if you decide to read it, ask your part ner to do the same.6. 12 Rules For Life by Jordan B. PetersonAs you can tell, I read books from all types of philosophies. The last book is spiritual, and 12 Rules For Life is very practical and hard-hitting.Like almost everyone who is interested in personal development, I read Jordan Petersons popular book this year. I share many of his beliefs. And like he says, theres nothing new about taking responsibility for your life.However, it is NEW to give people tough love - which is exactly what this book does. Read it - regardless of your views. It will make you a more stable and reliable person.7. Philosophy As a Way of Life by Pierre HadotHadot was one of the best historians of philosophy in recent history. Ive been reading philosophy since I was 16 and somehow believed that writing ABOUT philosophy is not the same thing.But Hadot proves that writing about philosophy is just as, or even better, as the real thing. I read Philosophy As a Way of Life this year and it made me understan d the concepts of Socrates, Plato, Stoicism, Epicureans, and Cynicism a lot better.What I learned is that philosophers are all searching for the same thing To satisfy their thirst for knowledge. Philosophy comes from the Greek word philosophia, which translates to love of wisdom. And if you love wisdom, youll love this book.8. Elon Musk by Ashlee VanceIm not a fan of Elon Musk. People in personal development are always surprised by that. I dont know why, but I cant idolize assholes - no matter how successful they are.However, my opinion on Musk did change after reading this book. He might be a weird guy, but he also has a crazy work ethic and ability to focus like no one else on this planet.Can you learn from outliers? Sure. But this book is mostly for entertainment. I personally know no one who wants to be like Musk. I sure as hell dont. But I can still learn from the man.9. The Complete Divan of Hafez by HafezMost people are familiar with the other Persian poet, Rumi. But Hafez i s the one whos more read in his native country. I used to be a lot into poetry but stopped reading it for many years until I received this book as a gift from my girlfriend.Sometimes I open the book and read a poem or three. Hafez is spiritual and sometimes I have no clue what hes talking about. But it makes you think. And thats a good feeling.10. Seeking Wisdom by Peter BevelinThis is probably the best summary Ive read on practical and scientific thinking. Bevelin is an excellent writer and he captures the wisdom from Charlie Munger in a perfect way.The book respects the reader and doesnt show off. Its a book that I already referred to several times after reading it. And together with the Jordan Peterson and Pierre Hadot books, I plan to re-read these books going forward.Just like the title of Bevelins book, to me, life is about seeking wisdom. Its the only pursuit that we can perform as long as our brain works. You can get physically impaired, lose your money, friends, status, but you can never lose your thirst for knowledge.In fact, writing this article made me thirsty. Its time to devour another book.This article first appeared on DariusForoux.com