… that does not include Rich dad poor dad * 🤪
In no particular order:
13 things mentally strong people don’t do by Amy Morin
from Nic Irvine, APIA member
This book is packed with excellent tools to help you thrive in our modern way of living. It offers gentle reminders of the sort of self-sabotaging behaviours and mindsets we inadvertently engage in, how to put a stop to them to stay on the right path of mental resilience going forward.
Leap Of Faith: Quit your job and live on a boat by Ed Robinson
from Mark Withers, Withers Tsang partner
I love boating and read this book after completing my goal of sailing to the Pacific Islands on my own boat. I love the intoxicating dream of true freedom. Whilst I enjoy my career and don’t necessarily want to live on a boat, at least not full time, I loved the simple lessons this book teaches on how to declutter your life, simplify things and live more happily with fewer material possessions. Over the last year, I have calmly & systematically changed my life by doing just that, decluttering and simplifying.
This book inspired me to make choices to enable me to work only because I want to.
The sugarbag years: An oral history of the 1930s depression in New Zealand by Tony Simpson
from Tony Alexander, independent economist
My favourite book which I dip into to read sections every few years is The Sugarbag Years by Tony Simpson. It contains the descriptions of life during the 1930s Great Depression spoken largely to the author’s father in the years after WW2. The book is a good reminder that people have been through hard times before and they adapted to survive, but also that people are not affected in the same way and some hardly notice tough times at all. It helps to put the crises which affect us every decade into some perspective, especially as no crisis since the Great Depression has exceeded its broad impact on the economy and society – including this one.
How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie
from Therese Bisquera, APIA board member
Using the techniques from this book, I’ve won arguments, got more yeses than nos without compromising my outwardly cheerful disposition. I think it is a wonderful read for anyone who wants to lift their business, work and family relationships to the next level!
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferris
from Rene Swindley, Initio Insurance founder and director
Tim Ferris’ book is a great collection of short stories and experiences of highly regarded people on their rules for business and managing their routines. The layout and style of the book make for an exciting and user-friendly reading experience. You are not going to get bored reading this book!
Blue ocean strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
from Heath Dickenson, APIA member
When something happens, I ALWAYS ask myself What is the opportunity? And that’s why this book resonates with me. It challenges the common belief that you have to out-compete business rivals to achieve sustained profitability and offers an alternative: make your competitors irrelevant through innovation and creating your own market. This new market is your blue ocean.
Being able to innovate is becoming increasingly important because markets are getting saturated and competition is squeezing traditional profit margins. The authors of this book use evidence-based studies to demonstrate the urgency for companies to change and adapt.
This book is an international bestseller. And rightly so.
1000 years of joys and sorrows: A memoir by Ai Weiwei
from Sarina Gibbon, APIA general manager
When it comes to books, I am not one for emotional heft. Over the years I’ve steadfastly avoided reading about wars, political turmoils or any sort of seismic cultural shifts that breathe life into excessive introspection. I don’t know what made me pick up Ai Weiwei’s memoir. Maybe because his was one of the few exhibitions that ever truly struck a chord. Maybe because I’ve grown sentimental, after two years of border closures, to think of my father a great deal and with that, his activism. Maybe I just like the cover art. Nevertheless, I am pleased I did. To read the book is to have an intimate dialogue with a stranger-friend who is as proud of being an outsider as he is deeply committed to the outcome of the collective. It is unflinchingly honest, though at times somewhat dispassionate, about the power of institutions, the pervasiveness of groupthink and the virtues of subversion. It offers a sense of calm and singular focus to someone like me who is still grappling with the kaleidoscopic life of being a Kiwi-Asian. I suspect as I revisit the book throughout the summer, more will be revealed to me. And if that is not the definition of a rich reading experience, I don’t know what is.
What the most successful people do before breakfast: A short guide to making over your mornings-and life by Laura Vanderkam
from Amanda Watt, APIA board member
This is a brilliant book on time management. It reframes how we see our time – being 168 hour weeks rather than 24 hour days and puts into perspective how you can better, and more meaningfully, allocate your time. Laura Vanderkam has done a great deal of research on time management and productivity. I find the learnings and practical tips from these studies hugely beneficial as a working parent.
Good shit I’ve learned by Shelly Davies
from Natasha Wright, Waikato PIA president
This book is refreshing, honest, raw and designed to be read in small chunks – just right for a busy working mum like me. You can read it over and over and get something new out of it each time. Even the first page itself offers a strong life lesson. I love how Shelly doesn’t muck around!
The monk who sold his Ferrari: A fable about fulfilling your dreams & reaching your destiny by Robin Sharma
from Ryan Smuts, Kris Pedersen Mortgages advisor
I’d highly recommend this book because it encourages people to look at life holistically rather than being singularly focused on one thing. Having the ability to step back from your day to day activities and take stock of your life allows you to realize what you’re doing it all for.
The girl with seven names: A North Korean defector’s story by Hyeonseo Lee
from Monique Moss, APIA board member
The journey of this woman escaping from North Korea is inspirational and shows that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. The trials and tribulations she and her family go through bring perspective to the challenges I have faced and will face in my life. This book will leave you feeling truly grateful for what you have and where you live.
One up on Wall Street: How to use what you already know to make money in the market by Peter Lynch
from Andrew Bruce, APIA member
Peter Lynch’s mantra: Average investors can become experts in their own field and can pick winning stocks as effectively as Wall Street professionals by doing just a little research. This is obviously a great book for someone who wants to diversify into the shares market but for the hardcore property enthusiasts, this is a reminder to take notice, do research and make it your mission to educate yourself every single day.
The art of war by Sun Tzu and translated by Samuel B Griffith
from Lewis Dawson, APIA member
The Art of War is a series of essays written around 100BC and first translated in the west in 1772. This translated version was written in 1963. It is a book based on military operations, with many statements and ideas that can be used in everyday life. There are many books and University lectures in business that apply strategies and tactics used in the Art of War. Some excerpts:
- When the strike of a hawk breaks the body of its prey, it is because of timing.
- When torrential water tosses boulders, it is because of its momentum.
- Those who do not use local guides are unable to obtain the advantages of the ground.
- You should not encamp in low-lying ground.
- To Sun Tzu the general unable to use ground properly was unfit to command.
- In planning, never a useless move, in strategy, no step taken in vain.
- To foresee victory which the ordinary man can foresee is not the acme of skill.
All relevant to property investing.
*You should probably read that too 😊
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