Reading List 2024
2024 has been a year marked by growth, setbacks, lessons, and some of the worst pains of my adult life.
As the year winds down, I’m making time to slow down, recharge, and reflect on the challenges encountered and overcome while preparing for what 2025 may hold for us.
Celebrating my mother’s 85th birthday reminded me of the ephemerality of life and how important it is to savor life’s every moment with the people we love the most while at the same time following our dreams, because as the saying goes:
“You only live ones” — YOLO!
And while I didn’t finish the draft of my book about my philosophy and self-development, I found immense joy in the thinking process and little writing that I’ve done — and some much-needed comedic relief crafting a stand-up routine draft about an OCD Product Manager/Magician character (purely fictional, of course! 😉).
As I turn the page to 2025, I’m working hard to remain optimistic and embrace all the work that always remains to be done.
For Aaron! ❤️🪦😢
Only the Good Die Young by Brian May
“A hand above the water
An angel reachin’ for the sky
Is it raining in Heaven?
Do you want us to cry?
And everywhere the broken-hearted
On every lonely avenue
No one could reach them
No-one but you
One by one
Only the good die young
They’re only flyin’ too close to the sun
And life goes on
Without you
Another tricky situation
I get to drowin’ in the blues
And I find myself thinkin’
Well, what would you do? (Ooh)
Yes, it was such an operation (ooh)
Forever paying every due (ooh)
Hell, you made a sensation (you made a sensation)
You found a way through (found a way through)
One by one
Only the good die young
They’re only flyin’ too close to the sun
We’ll remember
Forever
And now the party must be over
I guess we’ll never understand
The sense of your leaving
Was it the way it was planned?
And so we grace another table
And raise our glasses one more time
There’s a face at the window
And I ain’t never, never sayin’ goodbye and it’s
One by one
Only the good die young
They’re only flyin’ too close to the sun
Cryin’ for nothing
Cryin’ for no-one
No one but you”
2024 Reading List:
Amazon links:
Black Sheep: Unleash the Extraordinary, Awe-Inspiring, Undiscovered You by Brant Menswar
How to Live: 27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion by Derek Sivers
The God Equation: The Quest for a Theory of Everything by Michio Kaku
This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans (Create a Strategy to Elevate Your Career, Community & Life) by Seth Godin
Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty
Creatively Jacked: 43 badass motivation ideas for ambitious creators by Alex Mathers
The Art of Self Respect: Twenty-five subtle habits for cultivating deep self-respect and attracting the respect of othersby Alex Mathers
How to Lead in Product Management: Practices to Align Stakeholders, Guide Development Teams, and Create Value Together by Roman Pichler
Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier by Kevin Kelly
Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It by Kamal Ravikant
The Gap and The Gain: The High Achievers’ Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Successby Benjamin Hardy, Dan Sullivan
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
Jobs to be Done: Theory to Practice by Anthony Ulwick
Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products (Silicon Valley Product Group) by Marty Cagan
Silos, Politics and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable About Destroying the Barriers That Turn Colleagues Into Competitors by Patrick M. Lencioni
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business by Patrick M. Lencioni
The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues by Patrick M. Lencioni
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick M. Lencioni
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport
The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential by Wim Hof, Elissa Epel, PhD
Right Thing, Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. (The Stoic Virtues Series) by Ryan Holiday
When Coffee and Kale Compete: Become great at making products people will buy by Alan Klement
The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you by Rob Fitzpatrick
Untrapping Product Teams: Simplify the Complexity of Creating Digital Products by David Pereira
The Art Of Practice: Same Effort, Twice The Progress, Any Skill by Laido Dittmar
The Dice Man: A Novel by Luke Rhinehart
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by Joe Dispenza
The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying about What People Think of You by Michael Gervais
Reframing Negative Thinking: Transform Your Perspective, Calm Your Mind, Find Peace by Zera Young
Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield, Shawn Coyne
The Love Prescription: Seven Days to More Intimacy, Connection, and Joy by John Gottman, Julie Schwartz Gottman
The Courage to Be Happy: Discover the Power of Positive Psychology and Choose Happiness Every Day by Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga
Containing Big Tech: How to Protect Our Civil Rights, Economy, and Democracy by Tom Kemp
Change Your Questions, Change Your Life, 4th Edition: 12 Powerful Tools for Leadership, Coaching, and Results by Marilee G. Adams, Marshall Goldsmith
So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport
Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered by Austin Kleon
Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture by Kyle Chayka
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon
Mind Shift: It Doesn’t Take a Genius to Think Like One by Erwin Raphael McManus
The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness by Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga
The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? by Seth Godin
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles, Ted Orland
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (A Memoir of the Craft) by Stephen King
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García, Francesc Miralles
Creative Doing: 75 Practical Exercises to Unblock Your Creative Potential in Your Work, Hobby, or Next Career by Herbert Lui, Rachel Jepsen
The Art of Encore Living: Craft Your Path to a Life of Greater Prosperity, Purpose, & Peace of Mind by Scott Perry
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz
The Stoic Creative Handbook: Struggling Creatives Are Driven By Passion. Thriving Artists Are Driven By Purpose by Scott Perry
Warrior of the Light: A Manual by Paulo Coelho
The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller by John Truby
Meditations: A New Translation by Marcus Aurelius, Gregory Hays (Kindle Edition)
Here’s to a new year full of new chapters, challenges, learnings, magic, and wonder… always wonder!
Diego
Give this post some ❤️ by 👏 and share it ♻️
👉 Diego Schmunis for more insightful content
