10 COMMON REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER AMENDING YOUR TAX RETURN

My list spanned Viktor Frankl’s search for meaning and resilience against impossible suffering, the financial discipline of Profit First, and the strategy of cultural phenomena like Taylor Swift.

Some of these books, which I have reread, prove that business success and personal resilience are inseparable. Jim Collins showed us Level 5 leadership requires a paradoxical blend of personal humility and fierce professional resolve (Good to Great). Stephen Covey taught that all effectiveness begins with being proactive.

Organizational change (like in Our Iceberg Is Melting) is fundamentally a challenge in human commitment.

Ultimately, these books gave me one challenge: To stop reacting to life and start designing it. They taught me to navigate both external disruption and internal turbulence (Pema Chödrön's When Things Fall Apart) by leaning in with compassion.

I've shared the frameworks that shaped my year. Now, I’m curious: what book did you read?
 

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

"In 1890s Nigeria, the Igbo society of Umuofia was a complex, self-sufficient, and deeply traditional world, governed by rigid customs, ancient gods, and the fierce ambition of men like Okonkwo. But the title of this book, taken from a line of W.B. Yeats' poem 'The Second Coming,' is not a question—it is a devastating prophecy.

 Things Fall Apart is more than just a tragic story of one proud man; it is the essential, counter-narrative to the colonial literature that preceded it. This book forces us to witness, from the inside out, the devastating and systematic unraveling of a thriving culture—how the arrival of European missionaries and administrators did not simply introduce a new religion, but permanently fractured a society, shattering its laws, its beliefs, and its very identity. We are here to explore the themes of tradition versus change, masculinity, and the catastrophic cultural collision that changed a continent forever.

 

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey,
Before you can change what you do, you must first change how you see the world. This book isn't about time management tricks or quick fixes; it's a profound journey to achieve Principle-Centered Leadership—moving beyond the reactive mindset to intentionally design a life defined by proactive creation, clear priorities, and win-win relationships.

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As a Man Thinketh

This small but profound essay acts as a practical handbook for mastering your own existence. It delivers one essential, powerful truth directly to you: Your life is the external manifestation of your inner thoughts.

It argues that you are not a victim of fate or circumstance; you are the architect of your own character. Think of your mind as a garden—you can either cultivate beautiful flowers (positive, purposeful thoughts) or allow weeds (negative, fearful thoughts) to take root. Every situation and achievement in your life, good or bad, is the inevitable harvest of the seeds you plant in your mind.

 

The book challenges you to embrace full personal responsibility. If you are dissatisfied with your current life, don't blame the world; instead, look inward. By disciplining your thoughts, cultivating a clear sense of purpose, and anchoring your mind in serenity and purity, you can fundamentally transform your circumstances, your health, and your destiny.

 

As a Man Thinketh ultimately empowers you to realize that true strength lies not in external struggle, but in the quiet, absolute control you exercise over your inner self.
 

 

The Psychology of Money
How many people here can recite the formula for compounding interest, or define a diversified index fund? Most of us can. We are taught that finance is a math problem—a subject defined by formulas, data, and logic. But if that were true, everyone who knew math would be wealthy.

Morgan Housel’s The Psychology of Money offers a far more powerful and unsettling truth: Success with money has less to do with intelligence and everything to do with behavior. This book is a profound exploration of the subtle, irrational, and often counter-intuitive ways our emotions, personal history, and biases drive our biggest financial decisions. We are going to dive into the most overlooked secret to lasting wealth: mastering the soft skills of patience, contentment, and a healthy respect for the role of luck and risk.

 

Good to Great by Jim Collins
What separates the companies that merely succeed from those that achieve sustained, transcendent greatness? Jim Collins and his research team spent five years finding the answer, revealing that the transition to greatness is not a matter of revolutionary technology or a charismatic CEO, but a deliberate, repeatable process built upon the Hedgehog Concept, Level 5 Leadership, and a culture of discipline.

 

 

Our Iceberg Is Melting
Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions, in a rapidly changing world, the biggest threat is not the change itself, but the paralysis and denial within our organizations. This is the simple, allegorical tale of a colony of penguins forced to confront a crisis, providing a practical, eight-step framework for diagnosing and successfully implementing change, from the frontline employee all the way to the top.

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Leading Through Disruption
Disruption is no longer an event; it is the permanent business climate. In this environment, the strategies of the past are rendered obsolete. This book focuses on the critical, adaptive mindset required for modern leadership: how to cultivate antifragility, embrace rapid experimentation, and turn existential threats into opportunities for radical, sustainable growth.

 

Man's Search for Meaning
What is the last, ultimate human freedom that can never be taken away, even in the most horrific circumstances? Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, discovered that it is the freedom to choose your attitude in any given set of circumstances. This is a testament to the human spirit and the transformative power of finding purpose even amidst profound suffering.

 

 When Things Fall Apart
Pema Chödrön, Our default reaction to pain and fear is to shut down, build walls, and desperately seek certainty. But what if we did the opposite? This book is an invitation to lean into the 'messy parts' of life, using timeless Buddhist wisdom to learn how to be present with discomfort, cultivate fearlessness, and discover genuine compassion for ourselves and others."""

 

There's Nothing Like This
The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift Forget what you think you know about being a successful artist; Taylor Swift is a strategic blueprint in human form. From the masterful 'Eras' tour to the meticulous re-recording of her catalog, this book dissects how she built an empire not on luck, but on brilliant business decisions, radical authenticity, and a peerless understanding of how to turn fan loyalty into market dominance.

 

 

I've shared the frameworks that shaped my year. Now, I’m curious: what book did you read?