Last year, I started the practice of reflecting on the year from a content perspective and sharing my Top 10 Books, Videos, Articles and Blogposts from the year (Click here for the 2016 list)

The exercise helped me a lot – because it mandated going back to all the key content pieces and find the top ones – in the process helping you refresh your memory (and more importantly emotions) when you encountered them

Presenting the 2017 List for my Top 10 Books, Videos and Articles and Blogposts

All of this content was consumed in 2017. They could be (and most likely are) from an earlier year

 

Books

Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

One of the best books for me, of 2017. Matched with my introduction to meditation, I am certain this book will be a game changer for me, when I look back.

Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

Fucking brilliant! Loved it so so much. Mark Manson is a brilliant writer and I am so glad he wrote this book.

Existentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less

If you are fed up with the overindulgence of everything in life, this book is a must read. Loved several aspects about it – things that I dont do well in life. Now I know :)

Grit: The power of passion and perseverance

The book title may as well been Grit: The story of warikoo :)
Loved this one. Angela Duckworth is magic

The art of thinking clearly: Better thinking, Better decisions

(Almost) Book of the year for me – because I picked this up when I needed something like this the most. Brilliant book on what drives our minds and thus our decisions

Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

Something I have spent a lot of time in the past years wondering – and the book comes close to helping me understand it better. A great read

Originals: How non-conformists change the world

One of those books that I had to read again – to make sure I had read it. And loved it yet again

Tools of Titans

THE book of the year. Cannot recommend this enough. Great book, great gift, great book to re-read, great life lessons. And oh – did I mention – THE book of the year

Total Recall

WHAT a book! WHAT a life! Arnold Schwarzenegger’s autobiography – didnt match Shoe Dog, but came close on several fronts

Genghis Khan and making of the modern world

Genghis Khan’s reputation precedes him. This book looks at him objectively – and is a great read especially if you care about world history

Bonus: Kashmir: History, Politics, Representation

My kashmir roots someone took shape this year. Read more about it than I ever have. Starting to care.
And this book helped a lot. Brilliant compilation of 11 essays

 

Videos

If 2016 was the year of video for me, 2017 stamped that! TV has completely gone (we dont have a connection anymore) and everything is Youtube, Netflix, and Amazon (in that order).
And – Oh – I dont watch any series. Only one-time watch content

Mandy Harvey: Deaf Singer on America’s Got Talent
Broke down when I saw this. There is so much awesomeness in this world :)

Us Rah Par
Coke Studio Season 10 (Pakistan Version) came out – and didnt disappoint. This one peaked it for me, with Muntazir as a close second

Gerua/Kabira Cover Medley
This was stunning. LOVED the composition, the singing and everything about it. Just made me very happy :)

Dont give up, Dont give in
2017 was a sad year, when it comes to respect, acceptance, tolerance. And this video made it for the best representation of my feelings. MUST WATCH

Interview interrupted by children
Everyone has seen this. And even if you have several times – this possibly cannot bring in a smile again. Go ahead :)

Ping Pong Domino Shot
I am a sucker for domino effect videos – and this one took the first prize. Awesome piece

Darci Lynn America’s Got Talent Final
She is such a rockstar – and performs effortlessly. If you havent seen Darci Lynn, you havent witnessed talent in person

Jim Carey: What it all means
Jim Carey has gone through massive transformation and this video has him share his learning from the journey he has undertaken. Pretty solid

Imposter Syndrome: Mike Cannon-Brookes
Mike is the cofounder of Atlassian and this TEDx talk felt as if it was my talk.

Why you should define your fears instead of your goals
Tim Ferris’s powerful TED talk (and his book – Tools of Titan and Tribe of Mentors) makes him my sought after digital guru. And he makes so much sense in this talk

 

Articles

Am not going to describe them – instead strongly encourage you to read all of them

Role of the CEO – you have one job

The strange way that being good hurts your willpower

Practicing the subtle art of detachment

Difference between open-minded and close-minded people

Difference between amateurs and professionals

Its never too early to fire

Execution is a people problem, not a strategy problem

The 2 mental shifts that highly successful people make

Lets stop calling them “soft skills”

Extraordinary results are disproportionately created by fewer actions

 

Blogposts

Thanks ISRO for showing me the middle finger

Why “pick your brains” is the worst email pickup ever

The one word that will annoy people and make you smarter

The worst motivational quote ever

Whats the first slide of your pitch deck?

It doesnt matter what you know

A wise man once said

Play your own game

The saddest thing about technology

Grass spoilt it all for us