There are a few books that have formed the foundation of the Biz of You concepts. I’ll add more as I find more books aligning with the ideas herein.
Foundational Principles of the Biz of You:
Flow, Thy Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyl. This idea is central to the biz of you. The idea of flow is born from decades of experimentation and feedback from countless individuals from all walks of life. There are aspects of flow we can manage in our lives including having clear goals for our activities, ensuring we are in control of our performance, balancing opportunity with our capability, and engaging in activities giving us immediate feedback. There are also aspects of flow that emerge when we manage our activities with the properties above including deepening of our concentration, finding only the present matters, loss of ego and having our sense of time altered. When we experience more flow in our lives, more joy, meaning and life satisfaction emerge. Life is the same of our choices and intent is the sum of our actions, goals, objectives and vision. When we align our focus, choice, and intent, we form a bridge between being and becoming which opens the door for living a meaningful life. This is the nature of managing the Biz of You. I highly encourage you read Flow.
Power of Habit, Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. Summary forthcoming
Willpower, Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy Baumeister. Summary forthcoming
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell. Summary forthcoming.
What’s interesting is the intersection of Flow, Habits, Willpower and Tipping Point. There is a spiritual nature to changing one’s life. We can set our lives up to have a real chance of succeeding at whatever we set out to do with the time and energy we have. Once we chose who we want to be, we grow in the way we are exercised. The tipping point into this way of thinking is to find the flow within any given moment by merging with unfolding events and addressing the small critical things leading to the direct cultivation of happiness through precise refinements of our attention. What we do in the unfolding present moment while focused on our long term vision of what we want to be and more specifically connecting with something greater than ourselves in our quest to become that vision is the basis of living a spiritual live. This is the foundation of the Biz of You.
Creation and Destruction by John Boyd. This is not a book but rather the only published work of one of the most brilliant strategist of the 20th century. John Boyd revolutionized the military way of thinking about strategy. He created the Energy-Maneuverability theory in dog fighting along with civilian mathematician, Thomas Christie. His ideas were central to the creation of the F-16, Fighting Falcon which is still in service around the world. Boyd’s key concept is the decision cycle known as the OODA loop. We all continuously go through the cycle of Observation collecting data, Orientation to create our mental picture or model of reality, Deciding what to do based on our model, and Acting out our decisions. This works in dog fighting between military aircraft, military strategy, business organizations and our personal lives. A great biography of John Body is Robert Corams, Boyd, The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. If you are more interested in an analysis of the ideas that comprise Boyd’s synthesis of strategy, I suggest you read Science, Strategy and War, The Strategic Theory of John Boyd (Strategy and History), by Frans P.B Osinga.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
The Cave and the Light: Plato Versus Aristotle, and the Struggle for the Soul of Western Civilization by Arthur Herman
Triumphs of Experience by George E. Vaillant
Managing Oneself by Peter F Drucker
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
The 5 Mistakes Every Investor Makes and How to Avoid Them: Getting Investing Right by Peter Mallouk
The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully by Frank Ostaseski
The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence by Gavin de Becker
The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long Term Health by Justin and Erica Sonnenburg
Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals by Thomas C. Corley
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frank
Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge
Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Feel free to leave a comment about books you think may help people with the Biz of You.
Business of You 