Out of all the habits I’ve built over the years, reading has been one of the most impactful. 

 

Why? 

 

Because you become what you consume. 

 

Books have the power to change your life. They help you think differently. They expose you to new ideas. You get to learn the wisdom and life experience from experts in their fields. 

 

I used to keep track of how many books I read each year. It was a bit of an ego thing. Last year I stopped tracking. I’ve always got a few different books on the go. And I don’t feel obliged to finish them these days. Sometimes I just read chapters from certain books. And I’ve become an advocate for re-reading great books.

 

If I had the option to:

 

 

I’d choose option one every day of the week.

 

For the first newsletter of 2025, I will share the 5 most influential books I read in 2024 (in no particular order).

 

 

 

How had I never heard of this book before?

 

This is now one of my top three money books. Dr. John Demartini is brilliant at teaching the relationship between the spiritual and material worlds. 

 

The reason I respect Dr. Demartini’s teaching so much is because he’s dedicated the last 50 years of his life to the pursuit of learning and teaching the Universal Principles of Life. He’s studied over 200 disciplines at depth. This means he has a rare understanding of how different fields are connected. 

 

One of my highlights from 2024 was getting the opportunity to unpack this book with Dr. Demartini on the podcast. If you haven’t heard it yet, you can listen here.

 

 

When I first read this book six or so years ago I was still working as a mechanical engineer. I couldn’t fully appreciate the ‘Start with Why’ message Simon Sinek teaches in this classic. 

 

This book hit me differently after re-reading this book during 2024 as a business owner. It helped me realise I was too focused on ‘what I do’ and ‘how I do it’ – rather than WHY I do what I do. Which is a mistake most companies make (and how they turn into commodities). 

 

As I read this book each morning, I reflected on my WHY. What’s my mission? What gets me out of bed in the morning?  

 

As a result of this, I started writing down my WHY every morning in my diary to connect me to my mission at the start of each day.

 

If you’re a leader, a business owner or have the aspiration to be either – then this is a great book to acquaint yourself with. 

 

 

I’m not much of a ‘home hardware’ kinda guy… But get me in an Officeworks or Book store and I totally geek out!

 

I stumbled upon this book while browsing a bookshop in Atlanta. Human Design is an area I’ve been fascinated with for the past couple of years. 

 

If you’re someone who loves to learn more about yourself and others, then I highly recommend going down the Human Design rabbit hole.

 

I’m what you call a ‘6/2 Projector’. Projectors only make up 20% of the population. Yet we’ve been conditioned to operate like Generators (who make up 70%).

 

Understanding this was a liberating realisation.

 

If you’re someone who doesn’t align with ‘hustle culture’ – then it’s highly likely you could be a Projector too.

 

 

This book made the top 5 last year! 

 

I re-read this twice in 2024. Once in preparation for interviewing Trevor Blake at the start of 2024 (the most listened to episode). Then again in December to check back in with some of the practices I’d adopted from the book.  

 

The second step from this book is about ‘taking quiet time’ – which is another form of meditation. But with the purpose of rewiring your neural pathways and creating space for new ideas to bubble to the surface. 

 

(Most people need to tune out from the noise of life so they can hear their inner wisdom)

 

I committed to taking 20 minutes of ‘quiet time’ every morning since first reading this book in December 2023. And I’m pleased to say I haven’t missed a day since. 

The principles in this book are so simple. They don’t cost anything to start. And anyone can do them. As Trevor often says – “change a little, change a lot.” 
 

 

I probably enjoyed reading this book more than any other in 2024.

 

If you’ve never heard of Scott Galloway before, he’s the Professor of Marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business, a serial entrepreneur and a best-selling author. 

 

He became a 25+ year overnight success in 2024. 

 

Chris Williamson (Modern Wisdom) and Steven Bartlett (Diary of a CEO) interviewed him on their podcasts. And this is where I discovered Scott and this book. 

 

He’s a down to earth guy with a practical philosophy on life, business and finances.

 

The part that stuck with me the most was on ‘passion vs talent’. 

In a nutshell, Scott says DON’T follow your passion. Follow your talents. This chapter alone is a must read. Particularly if you want to find your own unique way to build wealth in alignment with your talents.

 

 

Reply to this newsletter and let me know.

Happy New Year,