21 BEST BOOKS FOR MEN TO READ IN 2021

 

At Viking beard brand we believe that personal development is key for every man and especially every Canadian beardsman. There's no better way to learn how to grow and develop yourself then you keep on reading and that's why we put together a list 21 of the best books that every man should read.

So why read? Well there's lots of research that indicates that reading just 20 to 30 minutes a day is enough to see significant benefits overtime.

Reading both fiction and nonfiction are good for your brain but in this case we put together 21 nonfiction books that are great for personal development and inspiration in any man's life especially our fellow bearded Canadians.

Not all of these books are new releases and trust us some of the best reads are books that have stood the test of time throughout the years. Periodically we will go through and update our list of 21 handpicked book recommendations so that we may always give you the best books to read each year.

So with no further ado here we go and dive into our list of the 21 best books for 2021 for men.

HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE - DALE CARNAGIE

“Instead of condemning people, let’s try to understand them. Let’s try to figure out why they do what they do. That’s a lot more profitable and intriguing than criticism; and it breeds sympathy, tolerance and kindness. To know all is to forgive all. I have come to the conclusion that there is only one way under high heaven to get the best of an argument— and that is to avoid it. Avoid it as you would avoid rattlesnakes and earthquakes.”

- Dale Carnagie, How To Win Friends And Influence People

If I were to recommend only one book for you to read this year it would definitely be Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. It's called the only book you need to lead you to success. In this book Dale Carnegie shows you three fundamental techniques and how to handle people he shows you many ways that you can influence and help people to like you more. Dale Carnegie also explains the many ways to win people to your way of thinking and how to change people's minds without arousing resentment. The book How to Win Friends and Influence People has been around for many years and has stood the test of time this is a definite sure read for 2021.

THE ONE THING - GARY W. KELLER

“Long hours spent checking off a to-do list and ending the day with a full trash can and a clean desk are not virtuous and have nothing to do with success. Instead of a to-do list, you need a success list, a list that is purposefully created around extraordinary results. To do lists tend to be long; success lists are short. One pulls you in all directions; the other aims you in a specific direction. One is a disorganized directory and the other is an organized directive. If a list isn’t built around success, then that’s not where it takes you. If your to do list contains everything, then it’s probably taking you everywhere but where you really want to go.”

- Gary W. Keller, The One Thing

In Gary Keller's book The One Thing the surprising simple truth behind extraordinary results he shows and explains how focusing on one thing is better then focusing on many. Many people think that multitasking is the way to success but Gary explains very clearly with scientific proof that focusing on one thing more intensely and with more purpose ends up with better overall results and better success. The book The One Thing was voted one of the top 100 business books of all time and people are using this simple and quite powerful concept to focus on the things that matter the most in their personal lives and also in their work. Many companies and sales teams have used the Gary Keller's book The One Thing to help their employees Focus their energy on one thing at a time for better overall results in their careers. From strengthening people's Focus for losing weight bettering their finances getting in shape deepening their face and just overall nurturing stronger marriages and personal relationships. The book The one thing is a must-read for 2021 and that's why we put it on this list.

TOTAL RECALL - ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

“The better you get, the less you run around showing off as a muscle guy. You know, you wear regular shirts-not always trying to show off what you have. You talk less about it. It's like you have a little BMW - you want to race the hell out of this car, because you know it's just going 110. But if you see guys driving a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, they slide around at 60 on the freeway because they know if they press on that accelerator they are going to go 170. These things are the same in every field.”

- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Total Recall

The book Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger has been called the greatest immigrant success story of our time. It's an account of Arnold's unbelievably true life story where he was born in a small Austrian town and the son of a police chief. In case you're not completely familiar with the story of Arnold he went from a small poor boy from a small town to a Superstar actor, governor and the greatest bodybuilder that's ever lived. This is a great and inspiring story for men looking for inspiration in their lives to show you that anything that you set your mind to is achievable.

THE HAPPINESS HYPOTHESIS - JONATHAN HAIDT

“Happiness is not something that you can find, acquire, or achieve directly. You have to get the conditions right and then wait. Some of those conditions are within you, such as coherence among the parts and levels of your personality. Other conditions require relationships to things beyond you: Just as plants need sun, water, and good soil to thrive, people need love, work, and a connection to something larger. It is worth striving to get the right relationships between yourself and others, between yourself and your work, and between yourself and something larger than yourself. If you get these relationships right, a sense of purpose and meaning will emerge.”

- Jonathan Haidt, The Happiness Hypothesis

If you're looking for more happiness in your life and you want to take more of a scientific approach and to better understand what brings upon happiness the book The Happiness hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt is a fantastic book outlining and showing some of the deeper understanding of where happiness comes from. Every Canadian deserves more happiness and we want to bring you a book for all our bearded Canadians they can show you how to be happier this year in 2021 since last year was a real bummer. This book well show you the way so be sure to pick up the happiness hypothesis and you'll learn that what doesn't kill you can make you stronger and even in Rich and transform Our Lives.

AWAKEN THE GIANT WITHIN - ANTHONY ROBBINS

“Enjoy making decisions. You must know that in any moment a decision you make can change the course of your life forever: the very next person you stand behind in line or sit next to on an airplane, the very next phone call you make or receive, the very next movie you see or book you read or page you turn could be the one single thing that causes the floodgates to open, and all of the things that you’ve been waiting for to fall into place. If you really want your life to be passionate, you need to live with this attitude of expectancy.”

- Anthony Robbins, Awaken The Giant Within

I think everybody knows Tony Robbins or Anthony Robbins as some people call him and his book awaken the giant within is probably among his best. It's an overall Great Book 4 learning some of Anthony Robbins wisdom and success habits and stories to get you started. This is a great book for inspiration in 2021 and the book awaken the giant Within is on many successful people's book list and top 10 list I must read books.

FLOW - MIHALY CZIKSZENTMIHALYI

“To overcome the anxieties and depressions of contemporary life, individuals must become independent of the social environment to the degree that they no longer respond exclusively in terms of its rewards and punishments. To achieve such autonomy, a person has to learn to provide rewards to herself. She has to develop the ability to find enjoyment and purpose regardless of external circumstances.”

- Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi, Flow

When the book Flow came out it was most certainly revolutionary I think everybody's experience flow but not quite knowing how to explain it. In years past many people have called what is now called flow the zone. So if you've ever felt like you were in the zone and doing something you love and not exactly knowing the science behind it or even how to get back into flow this book will show you what flow is how you can get into it and how you can achieve your best year ever and the most success by obtaining flow in your everyday life.

THE MAGIC OF THINKING BIG - DAVID J. SCHWARTZ

“No one is born with confidence. People who radiate confidence have conquered fear and worry. They’ve done so through action as action does cure fear. Hesitation only increases fear so take action promptly and be decisive. To conquer your fear do the following: Isolate your fear and determine exactly what you are afraid of. Identify the action that can overcome the fear.”

- David J. Schwartz, The Magic Of Thinking Big

In the book The Magic of thinking big by David Schwartz he shows you that most people tend to think small in life. It's no fault of their own but he believes that thinking small as opposed to thinking big is just a product of our surroundings and how we've been taught throughout the years. The magic of thinking big shows you that anything is possible and that thinking big is sometimes easier than thinking small.

EGO IS THE ENEMY - RYAN HOLIDAY

“Your potential, the absolute best you’re capable of—that’s the metric to measure yourself against. Your standards are. Winning is not enough. People can get lucky and win. People can be assholes and win. Anyone can win. But not everyone is the best possible version of themselves.”

- Ryan Holiday, Ego Is The Enemy

In the book ego is the Enemy by Ryan holiday you will learn how your ego is sometimes causing the turmoil in your life. You also learn how ego can get in your way when trying to achieve things in your life. Ryan holiday explains quite clearly and he looks to the past four examples of how ego is the enemy and how great people could have been even greater by putting aside there you go and living in the moment.

THE COMPOUND EFFECT - DARREN HARDY

“Creating new habits will take time. Be patient with yourself. If you fall off the wagon, brush yourself off (not beat yourself up!), and get back on. No problem. We all stumble. Just go again and try another strategy; reinforce your commitment and consistency. When you press on, you will receive huge payoffs.”

- Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect

A simple concept of The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy is an amazing concept do you all pick up quite easily. We like this book because it shows you that small adjustments and habits in your life may seem like nothing at the time but they compound over time into exponential results. We think it's a great strategy and something that can help every man through 2021 to make the share your best year ever.

TOOLS OF TITANS - TIM FERRIS

“In any situation in life, you only have three options. You always have three options. You can change it, you can accept it, or you can leave it. What is not a good option is to sit around wishing you would change it but not changing it, wishing you would leave it but not leaving it, and not accepting it. It’s that struggle, that aversion, that is responsible for most of our misery. The phrase that I probably use the most to myself in my head is just one word: accept.”

- Tim Ferris, Tools Of Titans

In the book the tools of Titans Tim Ferriss breaks down and interviews many of the greatest entrepreneurs athletes authors painters and inspirational people of our time. He shows you and explains why they became so successful some of their great daily habits and just some of the best wisdom from each one of these most inspirational individuals. I tend to think of the book tools of Titans as the one book you pick up if you just want to get some great overall knowledge in a wide array of areas. This was the book My Mentor suggested for me to start with and it was a great choice.

MASTERY - ROBERT GREENE

“Think of it this way: There are two kinds of failure. The first comes from never trying out your ideas because you are afraid, or because you are waiting for the perfect time. This kind of failure you can never learn from, and such timidity will destroy you. The second kind comes from a bold and venturesome spirit. If you fail in this way, the hit that you take to your reputation is greatly outweighed by what you learn. Repeated failure will toughen your spirit and show you with absolute clarity how things must be done.”

- Robert Greene, Mastery

Robert Green is my favourite author and the book Mastery is one of his best. In the book Mastery Robert Greene breaks down again how people achieve Mastery in their life. He shows you that it takes at least 10,000 hours a practice to get to that point of mastery and how much effort goes in to creating such mastery and once life. Robert is a great author and does tens of thousands of hours of research when writing a book. You'll appreciate this book If you're looking for Mastery in your life or to achieve better results in anything you do.

PRINCIPLES - RAY DALIO

“Having the basics—a good bed to sleep in, good relationships, good food, and good sex—is most important, and those things don’t get much better when you have a lot of money or much worse when you have less. And the people one meets at the top aren’t necessarily more special than those one meets at the bottom or in between.”

- Ray Dalio, Principles

Ray Dalio is one of the world's most successful investors and entrepreneurs. In the book principles Ray Dalio shares the unconventional principles that he has worked on and developed throughout his career, refined, and has used over the course of 40 years to create a unique environment in his business and the amazing results throughout his life and career. Principles that  Ray Dalio lays out in this book can be used by anyone looking to adopt and achieve great success and goals throughout their life.

THE ALCHEMIST - PAULO COELHO

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.”

- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

In the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho he writes about a boy named Santiago who is a young Shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. Throughout the stories of Santiago he teaches us the essential wisdom I'm listening to our hearts and how to find our own path through life and to follow our dreams. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a fiction novel that will inspire every man looking for inspiration in 2021.

TRIBES - SETH GODIN

“The thermostat, on the other hand, manages to change the environment in sync with the outside world. Every organization needs at least one thermostat. These are leaders who can create change in response to the outside world, and do it consistently over time.”

- Seth Godin, Tribes

Seth Godin's book tribes we need you to lead us was published almost a decade ago. Seth shows us that it's human nature to naturally seek out tribes. Seth is a great writer that knows how to break down social dynamics and has a deep understanding of what makes people tick on an evolutionary scale. Seth has a certain type of wet and storytelling Flair that allows him to convey the story in tribes I can teach you why we strive for connection and tribalism.

ATOMIC HABITS - JAMES CLEAR

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”

- James Clear, Atomic Habits

James clear the writer of atomic habits lays out with scientific research what makes habits stick and why habits are important. James Clear also shows us how to adopt new habits drop old habits and what makes habit. In atomic habits you learn how to adopt new habits that will help you through life and alter the ones that are harming you. Everyone needs good habits in life and I'm sure you've got a couple of old ones you love to drop so pick up Atomic Habits by James clear and learn how to have better habits.

SAPIENS - YUVAL NOAH HARARI

“Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is unnatural. But from a biological perspective, nothing is unnatural. Whatever is possible is by definition also natural. A truly unnatural behaviour, one that goes against the laws of nature, simply cannot exist, so it would need no prohibition.”

- Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens

The book sapiens is a brief history of humankind. Most books about history of humanity pursue a more historical or maybe even a biological approach but in the book sapiens it's been broken down in a highly original way and taking on a more modern approach. The book sapiens examines the role of the evolving human and how they played a part in the global ecosystem through the rise of many empires. This is a great book if you want to learn about human history and humankind and it's definitely one of the best books I've read for 2021.

MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING - VICTOR E. FRANKL

“Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run—in the long-run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it”

- Victor E. Frankl, Man's Search For Meaning

No other book will inspire you more than Man's Search for meaning. In the book The Man search for meaning Viktor Frankl Chronicles his experience as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp throughout World War II. Victor applies a psychotherapeutic method to allow himself to feel and have purpose and positivity throughout the most horrendous experience anyone can imagine going through. If you think 2020 was bad Man's Search for meaning will show you that nothing compares the to the atrocity and horrendous crimes that Viktor Frankl went through in a Nazi concentration camp.

ELON MUSK - ASHLEE VANCE

“Elon is brilliant. He’s involved in just about everything. He understands everything. If he asks you a question, you learn very quickly not to go give him a gut reaction. He wants answers that get down to the fundamental laws of physics. One thing he understands really well is the physics of the rockets. He understands that like nobody else. The stuff I have seen him do in his head is crazy. He can get in discussions about flying a satellite and whether we can make the right orbit and deliver Dragon at the same time and solve all these equations in real time. It’s amazing to watch the amount of knowledge he has accumulated over the years. I don’t want to be the person who ever has to compete with Elon. You might as well leave the business and find something else fun to do. He will outmaneuver you, outthink you, and out-execute you.”

- Ashlee Vance, Elon Musk 

Well look no further then to the great Elon Musk for inspiration. In the book Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance she talks about the early life of Elon and how he first got started in his path in Journey to become the world's most successful and richest person. From building rocket ships to Tesla Motors and PayPal Elon has done it all. This is my favourite biography by far and one that will inspire you in 2021.

THE POWER OF HABIT - CHARLES DUHIGG

“Change might not be fast and it isn't always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.”

- Charles Duhigg, The Power Of Habit

Power of Habit is a great book if you're struggling with bad habits and looking for ways to replace those habits with new better habits. In the book The Power of Habit Charles shows you that the easiest way to kick an old habit is to not simply stop it but to replace it with a better one.

THE 80/20 PRINCIPLE - RICHARD KOCH

“golden rules for career success 1 Specialize in a very small niche; develop a core skill 2 Choose a niche that you enjoy, where you can excel and stand a chance of becoming an acknowledged leader 3 Realize that knowledge is power 4 Identify your market and your core customers and serve them best 5 Identify where 20 percent of effort gives 80 percent of returns 6 Learn from the best 7 Become self-employed early in your career 8 Employ as many net value creators as possible 9 Use outside contractors for everything but your core skill 10 Exploit capital leverage”

- Richard Koch, The 80/20 Principle

The 80/20 principle is a really cool concept that's been around for many years. Richard Koch describes the 80/20 Principle as achieving the majority of results through only 20% of the effort. Most people do lots and lots of things when in actuality only 20% of those things are achieving the majority of the result hence the 80/20 principle. You can apply the 80/20 principle in any area of your life and really it's a breakdown of looking at what is the main driver of the results they are achieving and focusing on that and eliminating the things that are time-wasters. The 80/20 principle will also allow you to save money by not spending and focusing on things that don't really matter.

THE POWER OF NOW - ECKHART TOLLE

“Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.”

- Eckhart Tolle, The Power Of Now

And finally the last book on this list and what we believe will help men the most 3 2021 is the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. The Power of Now quite simply is a way to focus your mind on the present and not on the past or the future. By focusing on the present power now will show you how you can achieve that perfect state of equilibrium and happiness calmness and peace in your life. In 2021 everyone needs a little bit of Peace in their life Eckhart Tolle is one of the best at teaching us how to focus on just this moment and get your mind off worries anxiety and frustration which don't really matter. The Power of Now is a book of Enlightenment and self transformation. Eckhart Tolle will introduce you to Enlightenment and its natural enemy the mind.

 

Hey guys, have a book recommendation or just some general questions about your beard or shaving tips? You can email us directly and we'll get back to you a soon as we can at: info@vikingbeardbrand.ca

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