Ask HN: Books to read when you are down and lost

[throwaway9178]

This is my throwaway and I dont want to reveal too much. I am 31.

More than 10 ideas I've launched with only 1 app that generates some revenue (~250$/month).

so many failures.. i feel miserable.. I just went to the store, bought cigarettes, then to another store and a lighter and started smoking.. I never smoked before.

Nothing is going for me.. no love life... crappy regular job.

Anyone has a good motivational book to recommend?

[pro_zac]

I always go back to "This is Water" by David Foster Wallace. Not technically a book (It was a commencement speech). I keep the pdf on my phone. Puts things in perspective for me when I'm feeling overwhelmed.

http://metastatic.org/text/This%20is%20Water.pdf

[Japhy_Ryder → pro_zac]

Fantastic recommendation. I got the book version of this for my brother after he graduated high school (or was it college?). DFW really saw through the noise. May he rest in peace.

[mindcrime]

It's kinda cliched, but Tony Robbins' stuff always helps me.

I'd try Awaken The Giant Within and/or Unlimited Power. Another good motivational book is Relentless by Tim S. Grover. There's also Unleash The Warrior Within by Richard Machowicz.

[throwaway9178 → mindcrime]

thank you. your recommendations means more than I can express

[_5scg]

Mark Manson- "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck" and "Everything is fucked." I know the titles don't spark hope, but the content might. Helped me through a tough season. Good luck!

[WheelsAtLarge]

Hold on, failure is important for success as long as you learn from it. There's something that gets lost when we fail and that's the more you try the more you learn and it makes it easier the next time.

I suggest you study your past failures and review what went right and wrong. Take the time to look at it alone and then with someone else to get a more objective view.

Also keep in mind that an idea or product are not a business so I would suggest you learn that part. Grab a copy of "The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It" to get you started.

[santa_boy]

This is not directly motivation oriented but I think Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl will help level the mind and put things in perspective leading into a more positive outlook.

I recently read on some controversy around the book, but honestly I don't care. It helped to be oblivious to this information.

And BTW $250 p.m. at 31 and 9 failures is quite encouraging actually. Maybe you need a mentor. There are lot of good guys on HN. Try approaching them.

[going_to_800]

Almost the same age as you. I've failed on about 20 projects in the last 12 years until I found the one that started my company.

My mistake was that I always tried to have some new, innovate ideas.... that's super hard to make it work. I switched to looking at what works well, has a great mature market, but it's not working well for a specific niche.

Build something that serves that niche much better and your chances of success increase 10x.

[is_true]

You got the willpower to launch 10 things? Teach me, master.

How do you choose what to launch?

Do you think it's a market fit problem?

Have much have you tried to promote your products?

And to answer your question listen to HIBT (podcast), the last episode was amazing (salad chick). And if you want to read, I personally love masters of doom, that book is fuel for me.

[lioeters]

I'd like to recommend the book, "The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving-Kindness" by Pema Chodron. It's written by a Buddhist nun, and her words helped me when I was down and lost.

[jesuslop]

Give yourself a breath, forget entrepreneurship for a moment and palate some good old English comedy from P. G. Wodehouse. Any Bertie Wooster story would do.

[francescopnpn]

1) get a better job 2) get a partner 3) do smth rewarding such as non profit work

[ryanmccullagh]

250 per month? How long have you been working on this project?