Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2015? - anildigital
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Sol2Sol
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I had pretty much given up on the self help
genre but a comment left by a poster on Youtube video led me to the book.
Something about the title grabbed me and I read not only The Power of Now but
3 of his other books as well over a 3 week period in December - all of which
strongly resonated with me. I live my life - really each present moment -
differently because of Tolle's teaching. So my life changing books for 2015 -
all by Eckhart Tolle were:

The Power of Now; Practicing the Power of Now; Stillness Speaks; A New Earth

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cconcepts
The Cost Of Discipleship by Deitrich Boenhoffer. Being aware and committed to
something bigger than myself rather then trying to find the next thing to make
money and potentially become, as Tim Ferriss calls it, another fat guy in a
red BMW.

These individuals have riches just as we say that we “have a fever” when
really the fever has us. – Seneca

~~~
meric
There's an idea in my mind I've been trying to make happen. I started learning
programming when I was 11 to build it. I've tried numerous times, each time,
for a lack of skill it was beyond reach. It's only this year, 15 years later,
I feel like I have the knowhow and resources to complete it. It's on this path
that I've been following for the last decade and a half, I've gotten into this
software engineering career, I met my girlfriend in the office building where
I work, I've become best friends with a fellow programmer for the past 10
years, and I find a kind of peace and contentment every time I find myself
taking steps to actively pursue this idea. I never knew, never thought about
and still don't know whether achieving the idea will make me money, make me
more attractive to the opposite sex, or help me become popular and make new
friends, but looking back in hindsight, it's because of moments when I didn't
think about these "things", when the idea is consuming me and I can't help but
try to work on, that I have all these things, today. And it's when I've
temporarily given up on my idea to pursue these "things", I lose them.

Do I have the idea, or does the idea have me?

~~~
drakonka
I'm in what seems like a similar situation. I've had an idea for ten years and
have actively or passively worked toward the direction of implementing it
since then. At this point the idea has almost become like a living thing in my
mind, and when I get distracted from it with other things like work (or even
just relaxing instead of thinking about in my spare time) those things suffer,
too. It's like the drive towards the idea fuels other, seemingly unrelated
aspects of daily life.

I don't think of it as an "it has me or I have it" situation - it's become
almost a symbiotic relationship. I help bring the idea to life, it helps me
maintain focus and improve knowledge in other aspects of my life. If I abandon
it other things seem to suffer, too.

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jaksdhkj
Victor Frankl's, "Man's Search for Meaning". Title says it all. An incredible
book that shares an incredible perspective. Helps me get perspective while
providing insight so that it doesn't all seem pointless.

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elbasti
Note: I am an atheist, but "Jesus and The Disinherited"[0] was a very
influential book for me. I read it after seeing this review[1] by Chris
Blattman, social scientist at columbia.

It helped me understand the relationship between fear, oppression, hatred and
crime.

It also gave me renewed disdain for the evangelical (as in, spreading of
gospel) european and american tradition, a disdain which is probably shared by
the author.

Before reading the book, I had never really "understood" Martin Luther King
Jr. How could it be _morally_ right to want to integrate, forgive and even
love one's oppressors? I feel like I have a better understanding of the civil
rights movement in the US, and perhaps a slightly more optimistic view of the
future.

[0]: [http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Disinherited-Howard-
Thurman/dp/0...](http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Disinherited-Howard-
Thurman/dp/0807010294) [1]: [https://chrisblattman.com/2015/09/29/fear-and-
what-a-centuri...](https://chrisblattman.com/2015/09/29/fear-and-what-a-
centuries-old-theologian-can-teach-the-modern-social-scientist/)

~~~
cconcepts
Would you say you have a disdain for the "evangelical tradition" because of
their particular ideology or how they go about promoting it?

I'm not baiting you I'm generally interested.

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Anand_S
1> Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg [http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Habit-
What-Business/dp/08129...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Habit-What-
Business/dp/081298160X) 2> Mini Habits - Stephen guise
[http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Habits-Smaller-Bigger-Results-
ebo...](http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Habits-Smaller-Bigger-Results-
ebook/dp/B00HGKNBDK)

After reading these books I am now able to successfully create new habits.
Last year I tried to get into a habit of reading good books and was able to
read around 40 good books ( twice of what I had planned)

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JSeymourATL
How do you engineer breakthroughs in your business? How do you get mentally
unstuck? How can you optimize and fix what isn't working?

Labeling a book a Life Changer is a bit melodramatic. Still Jay Abraham's
"Sticking Point Solution" is worthy and profoundly thought provoking read,
impacting that intersection of buiness/personal life. >
[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6515635-the-sticking-
poin...](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6515635-the-sticking-point-
solution)

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firebones
Steven Pressfield's "Turning Pro" got me out of a rut. I usually don't go for
this type of book, but it is more or less a couple of hour read and it helped
me establish a better mindset that I've been able to build upon.

It really reminded me of the Admiral McRaven speech about making your bed,
which is occasionally quoted here:

> _“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first
> task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will
> encourage you to do another task and another and another,” he said._

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eswat
_A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy_ by William B Irvine.

The last few months of 2014 and the first couple of months in 2015 - when
Canadian winter SAD and the stress of starting a new business kicked in -
really did me in mentally and I was going through a severe bout with
depression.

This book was recommended to me by a friend and founder. It gave me the tools
I needed to deal with the ongoing BS life tends to throw at you. Amazing how
powerful and still highly applicable a mindset developed centuries ago can be
today.

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perseusprime11
The good gut really changed our lifestyle. Lot of good advice that is
actionable with sound research. I try to not use antibiotics, drink kefir in
my juices, eat more wheat bran in my diet. Amazing how corporate America has
eliminated most of the fiber from our foods. Must read for anyone who wants to
improve their lifestyle. It starts with the gut!

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montbonnot
none... my life is unchanged.

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DyslexicAtheist
Antifragile by N. N. Taleb

