Revisiting Books That Have Impacted My Life
I decided the other day that I’m going to go back and re-read some of the books that have had the greatest impact on me over the last few years. Books, like movies, news articles, our childhood, and even our dinner last night, are things that we think we remember in great detail, but upon revisiting them realize that there’s a lot we’ve forgotten. We might remember the ending, the overall theme, or the favorite part of our meal in the case of dinner, but the details always elude us. And sometimes we flat out get it wrong.
Over the past few years I’ve read hundreds of books that have helped guide me and shape my life. Books on self-improvement, optimization, health, and longevity. Books on agriculture and the food system. Biographies and memoirs. Books written by scientists, doctors, and researchers. And after finishing each book I’ve closed the pages convinced that I now knew everything contained between the covers. But the truth is that while the concepts might have stuck, the details mostly stayed on the pages.
I’ve learned this over and over. Each time, for instance, I’ve re-read Boyd Varty’s The Lion Trackers Guide to Life, I’ve picked it up convinced there was nothing new to pull out of his story, and no more sentences to highlight. But each time I’ve gone back through it, five times now, I’ve proven myself wrong. There are now more sentences underlined than not.
I’ve decided to start with a book that stands out in my mind as one of the first books to really impact my behavior. That’s in part, by coincidence or not, because it was one of the first books I read after leaving my job in 2018. It’s a book that I was only drawn to because of its bright yellow cover and its convincing title. The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg stands out to me as essential reading for anyone looking to break bad habits and start new ones. Charles Duhigg explains the scientific reasoning behind habit formation, which moves habits out of the realm of chance, luck, or genetics, and puts them firmly into the control of the reader.
Just a few pages into the prologue and I was already struck by how powerful the book is, which reaffirmed why it made such an impression on me. Here’s a paragraph from the prologue. [emphasis mine]
“Lisa was the scientists favorite participants because her brain scans were so compelling, so useful in creating a map of where behavioral patterns - habits - reside within our minds.
“You’re helping us understand how a decision becomes an automatic behavior,” the doctor told her.
When we think of habits, we picture something that is almost innate within us. Which makes it hard to picture changing. The self-limiting belief statement, “Its just the way I am,” which we all use, comes to mind. But when we break habits down into what they really are, behavioral patterns, we begin to see that a habit is a pattern of behavior, and we see that our patterns can change.
Second, “how a decision becomes an automatic behavior.” When we seek to change a behavior, to stop drinking, to exercise more, to be better partners, to be kinder to our children or pets, to clean up our diet, the first thing it requires is a decision. You need to decide, unequivocally, that you are going to do it, and not waver from that decision. The decision to change is the first step to change and, even if your actions don’t immediately align with that decision, and your behaviors don’t reflect it 100 percent of the time, you need to remain iron clad about your decision.
This is really powerful stuff and I’m only a few pages in. I’m so excited to see what else stands out to me as I flip through the pages for a second time. By the looks of it I can already see why 6+ years after my first time reading it The Power of Habit made such an imprint in my mind.