My 2020 in Books

Taken from my Goodreads account

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear (5/5, fav) — summary linked

2. How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius by Donald Robertson (3/5)

• To de-catastophise events, ask “so what?” and “what’s likely to happen next?”, instead of “what if?”
• We should also look at the lens that we look at the world through, and recognise how these lenses color our vision. Noticing how our thoughts and beliefs tinge our perception of the world is a prerequisite for changing them.
• Purification/ catharsis of the mind — by this, Marcus refers to the cognitive process of realising that our value judgements are perceptions, and separating them from external events. Separate value judgement from facts (objective representation).
• Acting with a reserve clause — undertaking any action while calmly accepting that the outcome isn’t entirely under your control
• Fear is a future focused emotion.
• Always do your best but add on the caveat of ‘fate permitting’
• “It seemed right to him.” — Everyone acts in the way they do because they truly believe that’s the right way in some sense. Don’t jump to conclusions about someone else’s intentions as you’ll never know.
• Leave the wrong with the wrongdoer. He who does wrong, does wrong…