 Books are referred to as the knowledge-based elixir of the gods when it comes to learning. Through reading, you can look into people's minds, learn diverse cultures and change your life. All these you can do by just sitting in one spot. In this video, I will share with you 8 life lessons from 8 excellent books that everyone should read. 1. If you have 2 frogs, eat the ugliest first. This lesson, which is derived from Brian Trace's self-help book, Eat That Frog, implies that if you have 2 essential tasks to carry out, do the hardest one first. In the words of Mark Twain, if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that it's probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day. The idea behind this lesson is that when you carry out the most challenging task first, the satisfaction you derive from completing it will motivate you to carry out the other functions. Sometimes as a result of the difficulty of a job, you may be tempted to drop it and move to another. However, for you to be more productive in life, you must discipline yourself to complete a challenging task at hand before moving on to the next one. The moment you give up on your first task and move to the other, there is a likelihood that you will keep jumping jobs all through the day. Thus, having a busy yet unproductive day. 2. Don't condemn and criticize people's actions. Instead, try to understand why people do what they do. In the book, How to Make Friends and Influence People, Dill Kanagi insists that you can change other people's behavior only by changing your own. Many times when it feels like someone is adamant to a bit of advice, the fault lies in your approach. Your message might not be out of place, however, the way you relate can make it offensive. It is easy to complain about, criticize and condemn people's actions, but it takes a person of good character and self-control to be understanding and forgiven. The author, Dill Kanagi, urged that when dealing with people, individuals should remember that we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion. Those bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity. 3. Get 1% Better Every Day James Clare, the author of Atomic Habits, defined habits as a compound interest of self-improvement. Many people believe that for you to be successful in life, you must take one mighty action. However, this book teaches that improving just 1% every day leads to dramatic results. According to James Clare's mathematical calculations, a 1% change yields 37 improvement by the end of the year. In almost every aspect of life, the focus is placed on the result. This is not the best way to be productive. James asserts that it is better to focus on processes and build systems, because big goals can even be counterproductive. Although it may seem that those tiny changes make no difference in your life, it is only when looking back to 5 or perhaps 10 years later that the value of good habits and the cost of bad ones becomes strikingly apparent. 4. Emotional Intelligence May Matter More Than IQ In The World Today A famous quote goes thus, Competence can take a man to the top, but character keeps him there. Many people pay attention to increasing their IQ, but do not bother about developing their emotional intelligence. The book Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goldman points out that emotions are not only what define our relationship or extreme situations like a fight. They are integral parts of our decision-making processes. People who are highly emotionally intelligent will make rational and balanced decisions and deal with people more effectively. While insensible people often make irrational decisions based on their emotions alone, it is difficult for them to have a good relationship with others. Everyone feels an emotional rush, but not everyone can manage it. In the words of Aristotle in the Nicomachean Ethics, anyone can become angry, that is easy. But to be angry with the right person to the right degree at the right time and for the right purposes and in the right way, that is not easy. The statement is true for other emotions as well. If you must succeed in life, then you must pay attention to your emotions. 5. Your Partner's Love Language Gary Chapman, the author of the book The Five Love Languages, wrote this book based on life experiences and stories from his client. The main idea about this book is that if you want to create a stronger bond between yourself and your partner, you must learn and understand your primary love language and your partner. Although this book has been noted to be effective in restoring the fire in marriages, its lessons can be applied in every relationship, be it family or professional. Research has shown that every human possesses at least one of the five love languages. Quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service, physical touch and given gifts. If you can understand the love languages of those people around you and act accordingly, you will be able to build more durable and long-lasting relationships. 6. The Key to a Good Life is Not Caring About More In the book titled The Sottle Art of Not Giving, Mark Manson posits that the key to a good life is not having the most expensive cars or having a fat bank account. It is showing concern for only the things that are true, important and immediate. One of the reasons why people die early is because they worry about too many things, important and unimportant. Rather than channel your fears to every circumstance that arises in your life, focus on only the ones you can change and are worth your concerns. George Burns F.1 said, if you ask what the single most important key to longevity is, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you did not ask me, I would still have to say it. Indeed, there are times when life gets messy and you cannot run away from anxiety, tension and worry that come out of it. But it would be best if you learned how to let go so that you can enjoy life more. 7. Riches Begin with a State of Mind This lesson is derived from the book Think and Grow Rich, written by Napoleon Hill. If we want to get rich, we must first change our mind so that we can become, as Napoleon calls it, money conscious. A person who thinks he can achieve something is already a step to the finish line. If we think failure, then failure will be transmuted into reality. If we believe success, then success will be transformed into reality. Napoleon Hill further translates thinking as a mixture of initiative, faith, willingness to win, and resilience. Do you know that Steve Jobs was 20 years old when he began to think about the iPhone? Yes, the Apple Company, one of the most valuable companies in the world, was once a mere thought in someone's head. This tale is the same for other successful companies. Even though it sounds dumb to some people, the only way anyone has ever gotten rich starts with a thought in their head. If you want to amass wealth, you must pay attention and be in control of your thoughts. Luckily, in the book Think and Grow Rich, several specific ways to think of wealth are shared. 8. Skills Can Be Cultivated Through Effort The book Mindset by Carol S. Dweck explains that regardless of the differences between individuals, everyone can attain different levels of mastery if they put in the effort. Many individuals argue that the reason why certain people reach greater heights than others is that the former was born as achievers or as the latter is not. But this is not the case. The truth is that there are two types of mindsets. Those who seem to achieve much have a growth mindset, but those whose growth levels are slow paced are stucked with a fixed mindset. Little wonder. Benjamin Barber, an eminent sociologist, once posited, I don't divide the world into the weak and the strong or the successes and failures. I divide the world into the learners and non-learners. While the fixed mindset makes you concerned with how you'll be judged, the growth mindset makes you concerned with improving. Improvement requires effort, and only a growth mindset will encourage that kind of behavior. Building a growth mindset will help you associate your self-identity with the talents you were born with and perceive both failure and challenges as opportunities to grow. In the words of Nelson Mandela, education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world. Well, education is not limited to schooling alone. Reading is an incredible form of training. You should try it often.