Without education there is no progress, no opportunity for change. Here are some of my favourite books to become more educated about the world, people our surroundings.

• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg — This book takes the concept of habit to the next level. The author pushes the analysis really far, and has a scientific approach that really changed my vision of habits in general. It made me understand why it can be extremely hard to change some of our habits.  Check out the book here.
• Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, by Barack Obama — The main reason I loved this book is because it made me understand that Barack Obama’s character and desire to become President had nothing to do with greed and power, like it is the case with so many politicians. This book was written 9 years before he became President, and his intentions were the same all the way through: to do the best he could to make the world a better place. Check out the book here.
• The Spirit of St. Louis, by Charles A. Lindbergh — The story of how Lindbergh became the first man to make a non-stop flight from the USA to France, and became an instant worldwide celebrity for doing it. Inspiring because nobody ever saw him coming. He had very few resources, only a crazy plan, and it worked out. Check out the book here.
• Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert — The first book that made me start reading consistently. Following a mid-life crisis, Gilbert quits her job, her husband, and everything she knows to go travel around the world: India, Italy, and Bali. Check out the book here.
• Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World, by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler — Really inspiring book on how to take the most  advantage of the current technologies and frameworks to create wealth for yourself and for the world. The book revolves a lot around a really interesting analysis of exponential technologies, and I highly recommend it for anyone with a desire to change the world for the better. Check out the book here.
• Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think, by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler — This book is all about optimism. It goes agains the classic doomed and depressing vision of the current state of the world, and looks at all the great things happening at the moment. Refreshing, accurate, and eye-opening. This book is part of the reason I read the news less and less. Check out the book here.
• 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, by Laura Vanderkam — This book was a game changer for me. Unlike other generic self-help content, if you actually follow the advice, it can seriously change your life. Vanderkam helps you realise where your time is going, how to optimise its use, and how much free time you didn’t even realise you have. Check out the book here.
• The Art of Happiness, by Dalai Lama XIV and Howard C. Cutler — An amazing work by the two main protagonists of the book. Every time I talk about developing compassion and gratitude, I mention this book, because for me it is the number one step to work on developing them. Appreciating the life you have and respecting the world around you makes it so much easier to change your life. Check out the book here.
• The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World, by Eric Weiner — This book is a great combination of a lot of things I personally enjoy: dry humour, geography, and sociology. Weiner is on a quest to find why some countries are really happy, and others just not as much. He goes on location and has a lot of interesting conversation with interesting people. Check out the book here.
• Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, by Yvon Chouinard — I always loved the style of the brand Patagonia, but I never knew the story behind the company. From donating a ton of their profits towards saving the environment to being consistently ranked as one of the best companies to work for, the history of Patagonia and its founder is one that is worth the time to read about. Check out the book here.
• Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty, by Daron Acemoğlu, James A. Robinson — Education is the number one root solution for so many problems in the world, both in poor and rich countries. People lucky enough to be born in rich countries would be a lot more open to social change and diversity is they read more books like this one. This book explains the reality behind the state of the world using facts, history and numbers instead of stereotypes, hate and anger.  Check out the book here.

This list is updated when I find the need to do so.

Apart from books, here are some people that inspire me.