Books like Living The 80/20 Way — picked by fans

Reading this book helped me change my life for the better. Putting Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings into practice in my daily life helped me live a more mindful, more peaceful life at a time of great transition in my personal life.

One of the things I love the most about this book is how simple it is to incorporate its practices into daily life. There are sections on how to be mindful about washing dishes or answering the phone! There are also sections that went much deeper, which dealt with how to be mindful of my emotions, which I have found so valuable in dealing with anxiety, difficult situations, and fear.

One of my favorite experiences related to this book was guiding a group of middle school-age kids through a discussion inspired by the “Tangerine Meditation.” Instead of a tangerine, we considered a piece of paper and talked about the… show more.

Bruce’s work and words have had a lasting impact on me. He squeezed a lot of living and achievement into a relatively short life. I come back to this book again and again. My copy has been read and re-read. Many pages and passages are highlighted. It's also one of those rarest of books that seems to teach you something new each time you pick it up.  

The book is broken down into various themes that deal with the human condition but there is a heavy focus on simplicity and seeking the straightest path. Bruce's genius was exploring and learning from many sources, formulating his own ideas, keeping what worked, and leaving the rest. Or to quote the man himself: "Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless and add what is uniquely your own"

Bruce seemed to live by this philosophy. What would happen if we tried to do… show more.

I believe deeply in the power of movement practice with strength training leading the way in foundational needs. Being a simplicity seeker, I am particularly drawn to the stripped-back nature of training with your own body weight (calisthenics) as a weight. I find this practice endlessly challenging and rewarding. I have long been a fan of the work of Danny Kavadlo (and his brother Al) who are two of the world’s leading authorities on calisthenics and were writing about its benefits years before it became as trendy as it is now. I’ve been fortunate enough to be coached by Danny several times whilst we holiday in New York and have written on my blog about some of our time and talks together.  

Danny is also a proponent of keeping things simple and likes to focus on what matters most. This book is something of a simplicity manifesto (to all things… show more.

Along with Bruce Lee's Striking Thoughts - Wisdom for the Way, the Tao Te Ching is one of the most re-read books on my shelves. It teaches me something new or gives me a fresh perspective on life every time I make time to read it. How many books can claim the same? Not many in my experience.

It's a concise book that punches above its relative weight. A gift that keeps giving. At first glance, it is a simple read with simple lessons to share. However, when you read the words there is a deepness to them, which often means you will read a page or passage and sit with it before moving on. Trying to absorb what you have read. There is wisdom in these pages.  

Whether you believe Lao Tzu was one man or many, isn't the point for me. There is a treasure in these pages.… show more.

This is not a traditional business book.

In this book, the author shows how aligning yourself with your needs and being able to express them leads to more effective communication. This is in the context of being a woman who has a very narrow acceptable definition of wants that we are allowed to have.

For me, Ivanna, reading this book opened up my eyes to the times when I have failed at negotiating. It helped me understand how to effectively communicate the needs that I have in a negotiation.

I had to add a second book that I refer to often to keep my mind focused on what I have accomplished instead of what I still want to do with my business.

I love this book as it helps me to reframe business growth (and setbacks) in a way to keep my energy and focus going. I also like the summaries in the back that I can refer to when I just want a reminder of technique to get back into the gain.

I needed a different book and found it in this one. The author wrote it based on interviewing more than 200 people over 60. And I learned a lot from it!

If you want to make a checkup about your life and how you live it, this is the book you need. The 5 secrets will help you to see if you are on the right path.

What shocked me was to learn that happy people aren’t afraid to die. People who live life wisely accept death as part of life. When I read that, I committed myself to putting into practice the 5 secrets because I want to be like those the author interviewed: nothing to regret.

It’s more than a book: it’s a great life guide!

Kaplan debunks everything you were taught about luck. If you’re like me, you were taught that some people were lucky and others weren’t. Have you ever heard someone say, “Well if I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any luck at all!”? That’s a ridiculous thing to say because why would anyone associate luck with something bad? This is exactly what Kaplan brings an awareness to. 

Lucky people create their own luck; anyone can do it if they believe they are lucky. That’s it. Certain behaviors create luck, and those behaviors are fully outlined. For example, place affects luck. The book explains that “To get lucky, you have to be in a place where opportunities are going to be around you” (p. 53). Opportunities will elude you if you’re hanging out at the same bar with the same people for twenty years in a row. But opportunities will fall… show more.

Whenever I feel inadequate, insecure, overwhelmed, and diminished, I come back to this book. Errol was a Navy SEAL Commander. He should be dead by now. His survival is due to a gripping tale of control and recovery through a unique process that can be applied by anyone struggling with life and wondering whether they will ever be able to get anywhere under their own steam.

Errol has a way of writing that makes what he says memorable. The effectiveness of what he says is testified to by his own survival of a traumatic brain injury that should have made him one of the statistics. Reading his account is humbling and eye-opening.

Far too many people are stuck in life and don’t even know what they are passionate about. A few years ago, I read this book and took the test. I not only found my top five passions, but it also helped me hone into my top five passions simultaneously. I am now living them, loving them, and being quite abundant for them. It was the starting point that got me where I am today.

This starting point led me to a successful business in an industry I love. I found new ways to grow and become a leader, so much so that I was inspired to write my book a few years later.