Letters from a Stoic – Seneca
Required reading for everyone. I would not have survived my darkest nights without it. It is similar to the Power of Now and The Meditations. The key takeaway is to that you are not your thoughts and thus not your feelings. Learn how to settle your mind on the present and you'll never suffer unnecessarily.
“True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.”
Come As You Are – Emily Nagoski
As a skinny guy who was struggling to understand his sexual engine this was eye-opening and liberating.
“You are normal. Everything else is marketing.”
So Good They Can’t Ignore You – Cal Newport
Fuck passion. Get good at something and get paid. Passion is a lagging indicator of success, not a leading one. The three things you need for happiness in the workplace: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
“Don’t follow your passion. Let it follow you in your pursuit of mastery.”
The War of Art – Steven Pressfield
As someone who makes art and finding the whole creation process hopelessly vulnerable, this was INSPIRING.
“Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work.”
Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor E. Frankl
I feared reading this as someone who's lived a traumatic life, but it's like having a gentle grandpa calling you home. Sobbed.
“Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.”
The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk
How to reclaim your life after trauma. Note that trauma recovery can take decades, but it's still an excellent roadmap.
“Trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you.”
go explore!