Books That Shaped My Year: Lessons in Purpose, Habits, and Focus

Finding Purpose: Ikigai

*Ikigai* is the Japanese word for "a reason to live" or "a reason to jump out of bed in the morning."

This book taught me how important it is to have a purpose in life—and how meaningful everything becomes when you focus on that purpose. It's not just philosophy; it includes practical habits for staying focused on what truly matters.

The question it forces you to answer: What is your reason for being?

Building the Right Habits: Atomic Habits

Once you understand the importance of purpose, the next question is: how do you actually get there?

*Atomic Habits* by James Clear was the game-changer. The book focuses on the importance of process over goals. It drives you to think about small daily rituals—how habits compound over time to become the foundation of success.

Key insight: You don't rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.

Maximizing Productivity: Deep Work & The One Thing

After deciding to build better habits, the challenge becomes efficiency—how do you use available time wisely?

Two books helped here:

Deep Work by Cal Newport taught me the value of focused, distraction-free work in an age of constant interruptions. The ability to concentrate deeply is becoming increasingly rare—and increasingly valuable.

The One Thing by Gary Keller reinforced a simple but powerful idea: extraordinary results come from narrowing your focus, not expanding it. What's the ONE thing you can do such that everything else becomes easier or unnecessary?

Learning from Visionaries: Shoe Dog

*Shoe Dog*, Phil Knight's autobiography about building Nike, inspired me deeply. It's raw, honest, and shows that even the greatest companies were built through struggle, doubt, and countless failures.

The takeaway: Great victories require great failures along the way.

Why Reading Matters

The pages you read give you wisdom even if you haven't lived those experiences yourself. Books offer insights into other lives without living them—and we can use that wisdom to our advantage.

In a world moving faster than we can anticipate, reading remains one of the highest-leverage activities for growth.

Keep reading. Keep learning. Keep evolving.