I love to learn. And reading is my favorite way to learn. But sometimes I get tired of reading. Do you know that feeling?
I try to read two books per week. But when I’m working on a lot of things, and have an irregular schedule, like the past three months, I tend to read less.
But no matter what’s going on in my life, I must read at least one book a week. Why? Reading is simply my favorite time of the day. Reading gives me energy and new ideas. That’s why I do it.
But for the last three months, I’ve been working on a lot of things. We opened a new office, and I spent a lot of time with my hands tied: Moving, decorating, putting together new desks, painting walls, building a garage-gym in our warehouse, you name it.
It’s probably not the most effective use of my time, but I like to work with my hands and make myself useful. Sitting at the computer all day long is not my forte.
So I had less time to sit down and read a book. But I still read two books a week. How? By reading one book a week and listening to an audiobook when I’m doing simple tasks in the house or office (I don’t listen to audiobooks/podcasts when I’m doing focused work).
However, a lot of audiobooks are read by a professional voice actor and not the author. I think they often do a great job and all. But listening to an audiobook that’s been read by an actor just doesn’t do it for me.
That’s why I created this list with 5 books that are read by the author. Give one of them a try and you’ll find out why it’s much better than a voice actor. And hopefully, more authors will read their own audiobooks.
1. The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone
Grant Cardone’s audiobooks are 10X better than his paper books. He’s by far my favorite narrator because he’s so natural. At least, that’s how it sounds like.
But if you look closer at Grant’s life, you can tell he’s put in thousands of hours into doing what he does. He’s a well-known sales experts. And this book on thinking big is a must-listen for every entrepreneur, sales/marketing expert, or leader.
I recently listened to it for the second time. I don’t do that very often. That’s how much I like this book. Grant delivers. The 10X Rule is inspiring and entertaining. Grant is hilarious and serious at the same time. My favorite combination.
2. Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
I loved Mindy Kaling’s role in The Office (which is one of my all-time favorite TV-Shows). But I also found out she’s a writer.
She actually wrote or co-wrote almost 30 The Office episodes (including two of my personal favorites, Frame Toby and The Dundies).
Currently, she stars in her own show, The Mindy Project, which is also great. She’s a very funny and intelligent TV writer. You can also tell that by her books.
I enjoyed this book more than I expected. It’s Mindy’s life story. It’s about how she found contentment and excitement in life. Two opposites that we all need.
Plus, the book is very pleasant to listen to. And, of course, it’s also funny.
3. Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babbin
It’s time to get serious. I have to be honest, the first time I heard this audiobook, I was driving to a meeting. And I’m not joking. I got scared by Jocko’s voice and intensity. So I turned off the audiobook and listened to it later when I came back home. Seriously.
At the beginning of the book, Jocko and Leif share true war scenarios. When you’re listening, it feels like you’re in the middle of it. It’s truly intense. There’s no other way I can describe.
But Extreme Ownership is not a war memoir. It’s a book that teaches you to become an effective leader—at work and at home.
If you’re tired of the standard books on leadership, I highly recommend this audiobook. There’s nothing like it. One thing: If you don’t like violence, don’t listen to this.
4. #AskGaryVee by Gary Vaynerchuk
I must say, I spend very little time on social media, but I always make sure to check out what Gary’s doing. He’s huge on social. Obviously, that’s for a reason. He’s great at what he does.
Plus, I love that he grew his family business, Wine Library. And he’s still involved. As someone who also has a family business, I have a lot of respect for that.
Personally, I prefer Gary’s books over his social media content. And Gary’s books are all very good. Especially his last one, #AskGaryVee.
If you, like me, don’t spend a lot of time on social media, this book will help you at least in one area of your life. Still, if you do follow him, it’s worth listening to this book.
Gary talks business, self-awareness, family, sports, health; you name it. Also, he’s an excellent narrator.
5. Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
I’ve been reading a lot about investing this year. And I’ve grown to like Ray Dalio’s perspective a lot. The reason is that Dalio bases his life and career on a set of distinct principles.
I think people with strong values are always clearer on what they want In life. And that automatically makes you more fulfilled. That’s also what Ray Dalio’s book, Principles is about.
He’s one of the most successful hedge fund managers ever. But he doesn’t talk about his success with arrogance. His results speak for him. His firm Bridgewater Associates has $160 Billion in funds under management.
One of my favorite parts of the book is where Dalio talks about his 5-step formula for getting anything you want out of life. It’s based on setting goals and doing everything you can to achieve them.
But the difference is that Dalio has a sequential approach to everything. He always focuses on one step at a time.
I highly recommend Principles to everyone who’s interested in living a meaningful life and having a fulling career.
Bonus: Steve Job’s Commencement Speech
Even though this is not an audiobook, I still want to mention it here. I’ve downloaded an Mp3 version of Steve Jobs’s speech and put it on my phone.
I listen to it at least once a month. I think It’s one of the most inspirational things I’ve ever seen/heard.
There’s just something about Jobs that gets me every time. Maybe its because he’s a great speaker. Maybe it’s because he followed his own advice and was hugely successful by doing that. I don’t know exactly what it is.
What I do know is that after listening to the things I mentioned in this article, I feel energized to DO more in my life. And that’s exactly what I want.
Knowledge without application is useless. We all know that.
Now, we must execute.
