{"id":895,"date":"2021-05-14T01:41:32","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T01:41:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/2021\/05\/14\/the-9-best-books-i-read-in-2020-key-takeaways\/"},"modified":"2021-05-14T01:41:32","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T01:41:32","slug":"the-9-best-books-i-read-in-2020-key-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/2021\/05\/14\/the-9-best-books-i-read-in-2020-key-takeaways\/","title":{"rendered":"The 9 Best Books I Read in 2020 (+ Key Takeaways)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Reading is steroids for your mind.<\/strong> I can\u2019t believe that for $10 and a few hours, I can learn what took someone a lifetime to figure out.\u00a0<\/span>
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<\/span>When I first started reading business books, I was obsessed with motivation and mindset. I wanted to become an entrepreneur and needed all the motivation I could get. <\/span>
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<\/span>As I start running affiliate marketing campaigns, I studied every marketing and copywriting book I could get my hands on to boost my conversions. Then I hired my first employees. My daily Kindle reading was about leadership and management.<\/span>
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<\/span>What am I reading these days? I\u2019ve realized how little I know and how many blind spots I have in my mind.<\/span>
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<\/span>The quality of your thinking determines the quality of your life.<\/b> If that\u2019s the case, then it makes sense to try and improve your thinking.<\/span>
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<\/span>The best way to do that is to try and learn different perspectives and how others think. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some of my favorite books, and a few lessons that I gathered from them.
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My 9 Favorite Books this Year<\/span><\/h2>\n

1. Mastery<\/span> by Robert Greene<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

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My high school psychology class introduced me to Maslow\u2019s Hierarchy of Needs.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The different rows made sense, but I couldn\u2019t understand what self-actualization meant. It took me over a decade later to internalize the meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the formal definition: <\/span>Self-actualization is achieved when you\u2019re able to reach your full potential.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

You know what kept me up at 2 am every night trying to make it in affiliate marketing? I wanted that 4 Hour Work Week Lifestyle. I wanted to have enough money and just live it up in Asia.<\/span><\/p>\n

And I achieved that years later. I moved to Vietnam around 2012. I traveled around Asia for fun, only worked a few hours a day, and I had no stress or responsibilities. I engineered the perfect life for myself.\u00a0
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<\/span>But I slowly spiraled towards depression. I couldn\u2019t understand <\/span>why<\/b>. This is the life I wanted.<\/span><\/p>\n

I chatted with a friend and he gave me some advice. \u201cWhat were the happiest periods of your life and why?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The happiest period came when I was first learning affiliate marketing. Yes, that period was stressful and full of anxiety. But that period was also the one that had given me the most learning and growth.\u00a0<\/span>
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<\/span>I decided to leave Vietnam because it was making me too complacent. It\u2019s hard to feel the need to hustle if you can easily live on $1k a month. (This mentality is what motivated me to move to NYC later on<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Everyone has a great struggle in life that defines them. Mine is feeling as if I\u2019ve lived up to my full potential. I haven\u2019t yet and it\u2019s something that drives me in a healthy way. <\/span>
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<\/span>This feeling led me to discover the book <\/span>Mastery<\/span><\/i> by Robert Greene. In this book, Greene dissects the lives, behaviors, and habits of various masters. <\/span>
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<\/span>These masters included famous ones from the past such as Mozart, Einstein, and Da Vinci. He also includes many modern masters that aren\u2019t as well known.<\/span><\/p>\n

A few tidbits that I learned:
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1. Move towards resistance and pain. <\/b>It\u2019s easy to focus on our strengths because it\u2019s comfortable. We have to put ourselves in situations that challenge us. <\/span>
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<\/span>Let\u2019s say I\u2019m sparring against someone I\u2019m \u201cbetter\u201d than in Brazilian Jiujitsu. I could use my best moves and defeat them over and over. But that doesn\u2019t make either of us better. Instead, I purposely put myself in positions that I\u2019m weak in. It\u2019s uncomfortable to the ego, but I\u2019m learning more than I normally would. <\/span>
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<\/span> 2. Extreme focus + time. <\/b>These masters dedicate hours to their craft each day. Complete concentration. And they do it for decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s becoming harder in the modern age. There are distractions everywhere. Social media is training us to seek immediate gratification.
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The world\u2019s only going to become even more distracted. There\u2019s a competitive advantage to be able to cultivate your focus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Start small. Meditate for five minutes a day. Go to the gym without your phone and headphones. Delete ONE <\/strong>social media app from your phone.\u00a0
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Read More:<\/strong> The Most Important Skill<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Mastery requires obsession.<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to compete with someone who\u2019s obsessed. Obsession means they\u2019re thinking about their craft all the time. It means they would rather work than go out with friends or play video games.<\/span><\/p>\n

We all have natural inclinations and you have to discover them.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to become <\/b>obsessed with something. Going fishing is the most boring thing ever for me, yet some people out there can\u2019t stop thinking about it!<\/span>
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<\/span>The most important step with mastery is to figure out what your calling is. Don\u2019t let society, your peers, or your parents steer you away from it.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s simple for me\u2026what doesn\u2019t feel like work when you do it? <\/strong>What can you easily lose track of time doing?<\/p>\n

The world is becoming more competitive.<\/p>\n

Companies have finally realized the benefits of remote work. Being average can cut it if you\u2019re one of the few programmers in Iowa. But companies are realizing they can get better and cheaper employees if they start looking for talent outside their local city.<\/p>\n

The antidote to this is mastery. Be so fucking good at your craft that you\u2019re irreplaceable.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Billion Dollar Brand Club<\/span> by Lawrence Ingrassia<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

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Dollar Shave Club. Warby Parker. Casper Mattress. <\/span>
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This book goes into details on how some of the biggest D2C companies started.
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<\/span>Some interesting things:<\/span><\/p>\n