If you are looking for interesting books that can help you self-reflect at the end of the year and plan for the future, consider “Same as ever” by Morgan Housel and “Die with zero” by Bill Perkins.

Same As Ever

The whole book is about things that never change. Morgan argued that while humans tend to chase change and like to predict the future, the most valuable lessons and the most powerful insights come from things that rarely change throughout history.

“Change captures our attention because it’s surprising and exciting. But the behaviors that never change are history’s most powerful lessons, because they preview what to expect in the future. Your future. Everyone’s future. No matter who you are, where you’re from, how old you are, or how much money you make, there are timeless lessons from human behavior that are some of the most important things you can ever learn”

“It’s a simple idea, but it’s so easy to overlook. And once you grasp it, you’ll be able to make better sense of your own life, understand why the world is the way it is, and become more at ease with what the future has in store.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos once said that he’s often asked what’s going to change in the next ten years. “I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next ten years?’ ” he said. “And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two.”Things that never change are important because you can put so much confidence into knowing how they’ll shape the future. Bezos said it’s impossible to imagine a future where Amazon customers don’t want low prices and fast shipping—so he can put enormous investment into those things.”

If you expect to read complex rocket science or secret recipes to success that noone ever knew, you’d be disappointed. “Same as ever” provides timeless lessons proven by numerous historical examples, applicable to everyone in any walk of life and, as cherry on top, beautifully told by an author as gifted as Mr Housel. You may say: oh great, another book that regurgitates what countless other books already talk about. That may be true, but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t re-learn and be reminded of valuable insights.

My three best take-aways from the book:

• Everything worth having in life is not free. There is an overhead cost to pay and it often is worth paying. Sales and discounts are rare to come by.
• A little inefficiency is the ideal spot to be in. It works in life, career or investing.
• Complexity sells and offers a delusional and comforting impression of control and assuredness but that doesn’t mean complexity is better than simplicity

Die with zero

If I have to summarize this book into one sentence, it is that this book challenges readers to stop putting off life experiences for some vague objectives and start to maximize life experiences while we still can.

“Die with zero” does not tell us how to spend our life and money. Instead, it wants us to think more about what to spend money on and when, given the constraints we have. Here is the situation that most of us face.

We have plenty of time and health in our 20s but little money. Between 30s and 50s, we have health and money, yet little time due to family duties and professional aspirations. Past the big 60, we have money and time, yet health is now a limiting factor. In addition, some experiences can only be maximized at a certain point in time. Backpacking in a foreign country and sleeping in a run-down hostel with strangers only appeal to youngsters, not when we are older. A physically demanding trek or hike to an exotic destination is not for old folks with declining health. On the other hand, often only rich middle-aged or senior people, not poor college students, can afford a luxury cruise trip or a meal at a Michelin restaurant.

For good measure, there are things that can never be reclaimed, once lost. Time with children when they are young, your aging parents, your health.

Reading this book made me think a lot about my life. Admittedly, I wasted my 20s on stupid work that no-one, including myself, remembers any more, instead of traveling about Asia and experiencing what life had to offer. That part of my life is now gone forever that I can never take back. I can still work out how to spend the next years and decades, though, hoping that it is not too late. In fact, my wife and I did spend time in the past two days discussing what experiences we want to have and when. Believe it or not, once we have a rought draft of our future plan, it doesn’t look like we have a lot of time. Nonetheless, it’s better than just burying our heads into work, meaningless emails and pointless meetings.

Personally, I found the idea of this book helpful. It could have been a lot shorter, though. I wouldn’t blame you if you skimmed or skipped some parts. Nonetheless, I hope you will find these two titles useful.