What am I reading?

Reading is like meditation for me…

I do not read with numbers in my mind that in this month or year I need to read these many books and to be honest not a follower of any genre or writer.

I just love reading and could not find any good reason so far but whenever I am down or feel a little low I picked up a book and that experience felt good, really good and while reading I almost lost track of time, a few rare moments.

In January 2022, I have published an article on the best of 4 books from the 2021 reading list:

Here’s a link:

Best of 4 books from my 2021 reading list! | by Kaushik Trivedi | Medium

From 2021 onwards, I have changed my reading style — today I do not read a book at a time, on the contrary, I read almost 3 books at a time.

So let me share what are the 3 books that I am reading and let me admit, I am a slow reader:

1 GRIP by Rick Pastoor

What makes this book special is;

We may have come across many versions of self-help books, productivity tips, and methods but GRIP not only offers but also shows us all practical and actionable steps to improve our everyday productivity;

That too simply by focusing on 4 key elements of our everyday essentials

- Calendar

- To-do

- Email

- Friday Recap

Here’s a link to my medium article on GRIP:

GRIP Book — Part 1, Grip & Your WEEK | by Kaushik Trivedi | ILLUMINATION | Apr 2022 | Medium

2 All Marketers Tell Stories by Seth Godin

I am always in search of a good business book, being in the field of sales and business development any new idea helps.

I don’t remember the recommendation of this book but surely I have read about it on Medium only.

Marketing is not a niche field nowadays, it has become an essential part of our work life and All Marketers Tell Stories is just a brilliant read on this subject.

Here are a few quotes and lines from the book:

- Many things that are true are true because you believe them.

- When you find a story that works, live that story, make it true, authentic, and subject to scrutiny.

- Each person has a different set of biases and values and assumptions — Worldview

- As Red Maxwell said “Lenses distort things”

- People can see the same data and make a totally different decision.

attention

this is the unstated precious commodity. Consumers don’t notice anything until they pay attention and pay is the perfect word.

- Who believe in your story will work hard to share their lie with their peers.

- A lot of people want what other everyone else is buying.

3 Zen and the art of happiness By Chris Prentiss

I am an avid reader of religious philosophy and enjoy all the major ideologies and especially enjoyed Zen.

“The idea of awareness in all your activities is the essence of Zen Philosophy”

This books on Zen I picked up for 2 reasons first it’s a book on Zen Philosophy and second, it’s a simplistic approach to Mindful Happiness.

Few Lines from the book:

- as you believe, so it is for you

- the true man sees what the eye sees, and does not add to it something that is not there.

- the universe does not make mistakes.

- not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving.

- what happens to you is the best possible thing that can happen to you

To give you an idea about the next book inline:

1. Contagious — why things catch on by Jonah Berger
2. The One Thing by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan

For book 3, I am open to your recommendations.

Thank you for reading.

Keep reading, keep sharing.

Astu.