My Reads | Abhijit Bhave

Read Recommendations

The Psychology of Money

I love the area of behavioural finance and found this book presenting innovative & thought provoking ideas in this field. Here this award-winning author shares 19 short stories exploring the strange ways people think about money due to emotions linked to wealth, greed & happiness. It teaches you how to make better sense of one of life’s most important topics - money.

Let's Talk Legacy

Recently I have started gifting this book to those over 40 years of age, as a detailed & useful workbook for recording key aspects of financial life & writing a will

The Professional

Gifted to me by my ex-colleague from Deutsche Bank and now co-founder of inMobi, Piyush Shah, this books lays down all major qualities & actions that make a person a true professional

Good to Great

I have organized 2 annual offsites in 2 different organizations with the theme "Good to Great". That's how influential this book has been in my life. Here the author share numerous real life examples, of organization he has analysed, and his conclusions about the qualities that differentiate and catapult a few companies to great companies while the rest remain average

Atomic Habits

I have been able to achieve whatever success that I have, through putting in place the daily discipline of positive habits. This book offers a proven framework for improving ourselves, every single day. The author reveals practical strategies that will teach us exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behavioural changes that can lead to remarkable results.

Do Epic Shit

I has carried this book with me to read on a flight and to my utter surprise, I saw two other co-passengers too carrying it. That's how popular this book was on its launch. It' a simple self-help book, where the author talks about learnings from his own failures and has multiple short lessons that are very easy to understand & implement

Happiness Express

I have personally spent quality time with Khurshed and Dinesh, both Art of Living teachers, who have spent the greater part of their lives being happy and coaching others to be happy. In this book, they share the secret behind their smiles. It’s a warm and funny book, which has many personal anecdotes and practical tips for everyday well-being and happiness

How to get from where you are to where you want to be

A must-read book for all mid-career executives. The very qualities that have made us successful in the first 10-15 years of our careers can come in our way of success in the next phase of our careers. It gives a list of 21 common mistakes that we need to avoid, to ensure success in the 2nd half of our career.

Life's Amazing Secrets

I am a fan for Gaur Gopal Das and his wonderful talks. Hence I picked this book up as early as I could and loved this story, which gives simple advice on how to find balance & purpose in life.

Longevity

I got an opportunity to hear Peter Diamandis, who is known to be a futurist. He spoke passionately about the marvels that await us in the near future, especially in the areas of healthcare & technology. In this book, he introduces the term healthspan (v/s lifespan) which refers to the period of life spent in good health, free from chronic diseases, diseases and disabilities of aging and gives clear actionables to achieve a longer healthspan

Secret

I open "The Secret" app in my phone every single day. This is an iconic book about what you can do to achieve everything you want from life. It talks about the law of attraction, which says that whatever our thoughts are, good or bad, they will attract positive or negative outcomes, respectively.

The 4-Hour Work week

I read this eye-opening book before the era of post-Covid work from home, way or working. This book answers the question, “How can I work smarter and not harder?”. The crux of book is thought-provoking principles so as ensure that we complete 50% of your weekly work in 48 hours and how to use the time freed to do much more and achieve much more in life

The Habit of Winning

This is book of stories & ideas that helped me get more positive & focussed on achieving success in all areas of life

The One Thing

I have personally learned over the last 30 years, the hard way, that multi-tasking is bad and it can cause more harm than help. This New York Times, bestseller book talks about the benefits keeping extreme focus on just ONE thing at a time instead of multitasking so as to deliver extraordinary results in every area of life - work, personal, family & spiritual

Who Will Cry When You Die

I loved this book so much that it got me back into the reading habit. This is an easy-to-read book of wisdom, with short 101 chapters, that can be the guiding light towards a new, brilliant way of living. Every chapter offers easy reading & provides simple solutions to life’s most complex problems.

Same as Ever

I keep on gifting this book to all those who want to know more about behavioural finance. Here the author shares 24 short stories that explain to us that markets & events will change over a period of time, but the human emotions & behaviour in response to them will always be the same.

The First 90 Days

I have personally followed the advice given in this book during the transition phase of my last two job changes as it gives a detailed guide & useful tools for making this transition successful.

Rich Dad Poor Dad

This is book that I recommend to everyone who want to become rich as this covers the basics of how to increase your wealth by having a 2nd source of income

101 Ways To Be Less Stressed

I recommend that you read 1 chapter per day of this book, which has simple self-care strategies to boost out mind, mood & mental health.

Blitzscaling

I was gifted this book by Navneet Munot when I joined a FinTech Start-up to help me revisit by thought process to organization building. This book defines "Blitzscaling" as starting and scaling massively valuable companies at a dizzying pace and the book offers a set of techniques to make this happen.

Good Vibes Good Life

I picked up this book because I loved the title & the book also did not let me down. Here the author talks about the "Law of Vibration" that goes beyond the "Law of Attraction" and provides practical advice on how to cultivate a positive mindset and practice self-love.

Happy Habits

I found this to be a positive, happy & easy to implement boo. The author present 50 habits that span body, mind, relationships, work, home & play. These are 50 science-backed rituals to adopt (or stop) to boost health & happiness

Winning

This book has been useful to me in my professional life. It's a practical guide on how to achieve success in your career & for your organization. from Jack, who was led a large conglomerate like GE to huge success over more than 20 years

How to Live Your Life

I have gifted this book to many of those who don't find reading easy as this is a short book with lot's of pictures. It’s a letter of advice in the form of a book on how to lead a self-fulling life by becoming whatever we want to be

Magic

I absolutely loved this book about the Power of gratitude and still follow some daily practices like "the Magic Rock" everyday. The book showcases 28 practical daily gratitude practices which make you feel positive every single day.

Telomere Effect

I came across this book by accident and it is one of the few "Science" books that I have liked. It guides the reader on how to live younger, longer & healthier. Telomeres are like the caps at the end of your shoelaces that protect them from fraying, but on tips of our chromosomes. People with longer telomeres have lower death rates. In this book the authors tell us that long-term stress or negative thinking can shorten your telomere length, while specific practices including eating well, sleeping well and a positive frame of mind can increase their length and as a result, help reduce chronic disease and improve wellbeing.

The Art of Creative Thinking

Often my work has got repetitive & boring and that's when some of the lessons from this book have been useful e.g. "Trading places amongst by team members for a day have made them think differently. This unique book gives an overview of various creative-thinking techniques that can help us make our life more interesting & more rewarding.

The Leader Who Had No Title

I have seen a lot of my younger colleagues not making suggestions or taking action at the workplace as they think they don't have a leadership role to justify their actions. This is a path-breaking book that debates that regardless of what position you are in today at work or in personal life, the single most important fact is that you have the power to show leadership; with any fancy titles.

The Secret of Leadership

I was very eager to read this 2nd book by Prakash Iyer after reading his "Habit of Winning" and it met my high expectations too. With a foreword by Rahul Dravid, this is power-packed book of stories from all over the world, that will help the reader understand qualities of effective personal and professional leadership.

What Got You Here Won't Get You There

I have found this book very useful and have recommended it to many of my team members. A must read book for mid-career executives which tells the reader about 21 mistakes that can hamper success as one gets into higher levels of hierarchy in an organization

Let's Talk Money

This is a good starting book that I will recommend to all those who want to learn the basics of financial planning & investments. The books uses simple language to explain all concepts & practices in the Indian context.

What your CEO wants you to know

This book was a great learning for me as it gave the basics of running a business - a nice comparison of a CEO with a roadside banana cart owner

Start with Why

I personally use the concept of "Start with Why" in my daily life & also encourage my team members to do so. The book beautifully demonstrates the concept of the Golden circle where WHY comes first, followed by HOW & then WHAT, with example of super success of iPhone & other Apple products

11 Rules of Life

I have been a fan of Chetan Bhagat for his novels. This is 1st ever “gyaan” book & I have read twice. Chetan draws on his own failures and triumphs in life, in this book, written in the form of a story a Zomato delivery boy. It is inspiring, easy-to-read and straight-talking guide that will help youngsters equip themselves for success in today's highly competitive and unfair world.

Business Etiquette

I personally know Ms. Mehra quite well & have also attended her workshops. She is a modern-day guru on corporate etiquette & executive presence. I highly recommend this book as a basic read for anyone who wants to maximize your potential and fast-track your career by ensuring the correct & best behaviour and communication skills in a professional setting.

Grit

I read this book during Covid times & it really resonated with me as that was indeed a period of collective resilience in wake of the pandemic crisis. In this New York Times bestseller, Angela Duckworth shares her hypothesis, with evidence, that the secret of outstanding achievement in every field of work is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit”

How Come No one told me that?

This is the 3rd book of Prakash Iyer, which I bought as soon as it got published & it matched my high expectations. It’s a simple to read book on life & success, where the author shares the stories and observations that have made an immense impact on his life and help all those who are aiming for massive success in their lives.

Leadership Wisdom

I got a lot of new learnings from this book, which I executed in my role the CEO of Karvy Private Wealth. A great source of learning for business leaders; in this sequel to the iconic bestseller “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”, Robin Sharma uses a story format to teach the reader how to restore trust, commitment and belief within our organisation, while simultaneously changing the way we live our life in the process.

Limitless

I picked this book up at the Mumbai airport when my flight to Coimbatore was delayed by 4 hours and really enjoyed the straight talking advice on what to do to increase our chances of success, where the author draws a lot from her personal experiences of overcoming adversity on the way to success

Managing Your Boss

In my career, I have had good bosses & bad bosses and have learned from both. I have also realized that you cannot be a great manager, if you cannot manage the relationship with your boss. In this popular Harvard Business Review article, the authors provide valuable guidelines for building this essential relationship and thereby benefit yourself, your supervisor and your entire organization

The 12-Week fitness project

I have personally found this book extremely useful. Rujuta Diwekar is an unique diet & life expert where she goes against the norm of all diet practices and recommends that you should eat everything that your grandmother used to feed you in our childhood, without any inhibitions. This books offers a simple & practical 3 month programme to get fitter & more energetic by losing inches, gaining health & sleeping better.

The Diary of a CEO - 33 laws of Business & Life

Despite my long work experience & having read so many self-help books, I still got a few new, innovative ideas to implement in my role as a CEO. The author details 33 laws that will ensure that our lives more enjoyable, more successful and more fulfilled. These laws are rooted in psychology and behavioural science and are based on Steven’s self-experience & also the wisdom drawn from the conversations he had on his podcast with the world's most successful people.

The Magic of Thinking Big

This book has helped me raise the bar in my mind about what can be achieved at work & in life. It’s a practical & engaging self-help guide where the author inspires the reader to get to the very core of why thinking big will make us live BIG

The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying

I found this book very interesting as it elaborates on the top regrets of most people, as they look back at life, before leaving this World,

The Almanac of Naval Ravikant

I had this book with me for a long time but read it much later and then I repented not reading it earlier. It is a kind of a biography Naval Ravikant based on his words on twitter, blogposts & podcasts. It is awesome guide to achieving the rare combination of wealth & happiness

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