I recently read 1984 by George Orwell. One line in that book just destroyed me. With light spoilers ahead, allow me to share one of those moments that struck me deeply. 

I wish I read this book when I started my career. The way it simply explains a wide range of concepts would have helped me achieve success long before I learned the lessons the hard way. Donald Miller is an incredibly clear writer, making difficult concepts simple to understand.

I find this passage inspiring. It’s so relatable as a creative person. I’ve had my own seasons of living violently, drinking hugely, eating and sleeping too much and too little, working way too hard or not at all. For all the chasing I do of moderation, stability, and consistency, there are certainly times on all ends of every spectrum. And in Steinbeck’s eyes, this is magical in its own way, too.

Reading a Seth Godin book is like scrolling someone’s profile on TikTok. A series of short-form pieces hit you one by one, each one meaningful and insightful in its own way.

The key concepts of The Power of Habit are in the title. Duhigg explains how much power habits have over our lives, as well as how to understand and leverage that power for our own good. He doesn’t just talk about snacking or fingernail biting either–he focuses on how community habits affected the social justice movement and how corporate habits destroyed massive organizations.

Donald Miller’s new book, Business Made Simple, is a great overview of key business concepts for people who are interested in business. And that’s the key here. It’s for people who are already interested in business.

My work is heavily influenced by the books and blogs I read. My process for writing is this: wake up, shower, walk, read, write. Reading gets my mind warmed up, it introduces me to new ideas, and it inspires me. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did.

If you’re looking for a breezy, pleasantly cynical description of freelance life, pick up a copy of Carol Wolper’s Adapt or Wait Tables. This book reads like a Saturday afternoon glass of wine with your cool artist aunt.

Stillness is the Key reads similarly to a lot of modern research-based self help books. Holiday pulls together anecdotes from the most successful people in history. What makes this book different is the fact that he considers both the successes and failures of these people.

He recommended trying out a One Line A Day journal. One Line A Day is a journal that has 365 pages, and 5 places to write a few lines on each page. It allows you to keep track of what you did every single day for 5 years in one little book.

Bullet Version

• What I like about Donald Miller's Building a StoryBrand

• A 2-Minute outline of the book that you can use today

• More valuable related resources