5 books that impacted my life the most
+ 1 little extra ;)
Hello, Curious Birds!
If you didn’t know it yet, I LOVE BOOKS!
It all started on the 1st of May 2020.
The Covid pandemic brought me a lot of extra time, so I borrowed some books from our local library.
Now more than 100 books further, I still love to read.
And I want to share with you the 5 books that impacted my life the most.
(in no particular order)
You’re Not Listening - Kate Murphy
Okay, I must confess that when somebody asks me if I have a favourite book, I always say “You’re Not Listening”.
How it impacted me:
This book made me change the way I listen to others. It made me listen curiously, trying to understand the other, not just trying to answer.
Because of it, quite some people shared things about them they never told anyone else. There was even one person who said that I was “better than their therapist”.
It’s just so interesting how my worldview changed by hearing all of the emotional stories and deep thoughts that people have and are even willing to share.
I just had to listen.
Digital Minimalism - Cal Newport
This is the book that is at the root of everything I do related to helping people waste less time on digital distractions.
How it impacted me:
Simply put, this book introduced me to the world of Digital Minimalism. A world in which I’m delving deeper and deeper nowadays.
I’m very grateful for the gift it has given me ever since reading it:
Time.
Precious time.
Time to meet with others read books and work on my projects.
I freed up so many hours that I now wonder how my life would have looked like now if I had never found this book on the shelves of my local library.
I’m so grateful for having had that opportunity, that I want to help others have a similar and even better experience with the Unplug & Unfold challenges.
The Power of Strangers - Joe Keohane
A book that I read at the perfect timing: while travelling.
How it impacted me:
I remember reading the book while I was travelling in Spain. I wanted to practice my Spanish and this book helped me start conversations with strangers. Even in Spanish!
This book for me perfectly explains 3 things:
Why we don’t talk that much with strangers
Why we should talk more with strangers
How we can talk more with strangers
This book has led me to have many interesting conversations with strangers. Combined with what I learned from “You’re Not Listening” it feels like a superpower!
It even made me organise some “Talking to Strangers”-events.
I even twice put a table on the “Grote Markt” in Leuven just so that I could talk with strangers.
It’s cool to realise all the people I met because of it.
The Bullet Journal Method - Ryder Carroll
A book that made me (a bit) less chaotic.
How it impacted me:
I love to gather ideas. However, for a long time, I used to have my thoughts and notes spread out everywhere. On my phone, on my laptop, on post-its and in 5 different notebooks and in my diary. This book made me centralise them in one place:
The Bullet Journal.
I still use bullet journals to this date. However, the way I use it has changed a lot over time (I’m now also using a method called Zettelkasten)
I love that I have to write my thoughts down by hand. I’ve noticed that it helps me think clearer than on a computer screen.
The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying - Bronnie Ware
Instead of being a rather practical book like the four books above, this one is an autobiography.
How it impacted me:
Bronnie Ware tells us the story of her life as a palliative nurse. Because of her profession, she got in close contact with people who were at the end of their life. Some had regrets, some hadn’t.
The book tells us some real-life stories centred around the top 5 regrets she encountered the most.
I will always remember the top 1 regret:
“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life other expected of me.”
Without keeping this in mind, I think I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing right now.
Extra: The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
A book about books and lives.
It is simply the most interesting and emotional fiction story that I have read until now.
It’s also the ideal book to start reading again.
Enjoy!
(Matt Haig has also written some interesting non-fiction books on anxiety, depression and hope)
Thanks for reading all the way here :)
I really want to recommend you to read at least one of these books.
Know that if you want to borrow one of them from me, you can always ask.
Or if you want some more specific book recommendations. Feel free to reach out!
Cheers,
Quinten Voordeckers
And now, get off your screen and read something!