See which books keep these athletes motivated
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Every day should be World Book Day, so we thought a good way to celebrate is to ask some athletes what their favorite books are. The results are a mixed bag: mainstream fiction, one obscure novel, and quite a lot of self-help books. But as expected, there are common, unifying themes apparent in these books: overcoming struggle, relying on hard work, and detaching oneself from the external world. These are themes that are telling of the kind of philosophies a lot of athletes have tried to live by. Here they are, as explained by some of the best athletes we know:
Sel Guevara, bodybuilder
“‘Strengthsfinder 2.0’ by Tom Rath. It talks about how part of loving yourself is knowing what your strengths are and how to maximize them.”
Karen Toyoshima, kendōka
“Confessions of a Mask” by Yukio Mishima. It’s very interesting. It tells the story of a Japanese boy growing up in the World War II era who struggles with homosexuality and grows up isolated and consumed with fantasies of death and sadism. To survive, he must live behind a mask of propriety.”
Joy Wong, triathlete
“Mindset” by Professor Carol Dweck. It reminds me that Growth Mindset is the key for me to unleash my potential as I pursue something I have not done or experienced. Also, coming from my previous zero-sport mindset, this was the book that helped me step into the world of triathlon.”
Bubbles Paraiso, triathlete
“My fave book of all time would be “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” by Robin Sharma. It’s basically yoga philosophy written as a ‘self-help’ book that teaches you what to really value in life. I loved how it delved deep into aparigraha or non-attachment. It helps the reader realize how material possessions are not as important as human connections, among other things. My second favorite book would be “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson. Again, it’s basically the teachings of yoga but in a non-yogic way as it is aggressive and has a lot of cussing. It’s like a triathlete is the one speaking to you. It’s basically telling you to just do you and not give a damn about what other people would think. Do what feels right, do what makes you happy—and it tells you how to do that.”
Nikko Huelgas, triathlete
“’Tuesdays with Morrie’ by Mitch Albom and ‘The Art of War’ by Sun Tzu. They’re my two favorites for two very important reasons. ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ taught me about the true value of life; ‘The Art of War’ about the foundation of excellent strategy in dealing with everyday life decisions and competitions.”
Sofia Guidote, figure skater
“My favorite book is ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ by Kevin Kwan. It’s my favorite because it’s really funny and actually true.”
Abel Galliguez, basketball player
“I really love ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho. I like it so much I even had a quote from it read at my wedding last month. It is about a young shepherd boy who goes on a journey to find treasure only to find his destiny. He also realized that he has to what his heart and soul desire. It also has other themes that I resonate with, like: Failure is an inevitable part of the journey and the simple things in life are the most extraordinary. It’s a book that can be read countless times that I always find new lessons from the boy in the story each time I read it.”
Mauricio Mendez, triathlete
“My favorite book until today is ‘Run or Die’ by Kilian Jornet. The simplicity of life is in this book.”
Thirdy Ravena, basketball player
“My favorite book is ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ by Viktor E. Frankl because it taught me a lot about facing my battles in life.”