Continuing to stick with the ‘Top 5’ theme, today I am going to share the Top 5 books that I read in 2018. As many know, I’ve become a huge reader as I’ve gotten older, something I would have never seen coming 10 years ago.
Some of the books on the list may be new to you, some may not be. Some of the books may have come out in 2018, some may be a few years old. For some of the books it may have been the first time I read it, some of them may have been the second time. No matter the case, here are my Top 5 of 2018.
Culture Code by Daniel Coyle
In Daniel Coyle’s previous book ‘The Talent Code’ he breaks down what it has taken for some of the most talented people in each field did to get where they are and what similarities there were between all these people. In ‘Culture Code’ Coyle aims to figure out what makes the best teams the best teams, which is why I really enjoyed the book. All of us, no matter what field we work in, will most likely have to workout alongside other people and work as a team. 
Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
This was the second time I read this book and it is without a doubt one of my top 5 books of all time. The point of Olson’s book is pretty straight forward – its the little things, the simple things, that are both easy to do but just as easy not to do, that will determine the quality of life we live based on the compound effect of those decisions.
Want to lose a few pounds? Its those simple decisions you make every day, like whether or not you choose to work out and what you put in your mouth, neither of which will make a bit of a difference when you do it once, but over the course of time the little decisions will either slowly start helping you lose weight or not.
Without a doubt, I’ll read this book again for a third time at some point – it’s that good!
The One Thing by Gary Keller
“If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one.”
Another book that has a relatively straight forward point. Gary asks, ‘What is the one thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?’ Then double down and do a lot of that one thing. 
Think BIG – but then focus on that one thing that will help you achieve what it is that you want to achieve.
School of Greatness by Lewis Howes
Lewis Howes was new to me in 2018 – somehow I had never heard of the guy even though he had one of the top podcasts in the world and a best selling book.
“This book is the distillation of the eight master lessons on greatness that I (Lewis) have discovered on my journey, with help of my network of mentors and coaches, colleagues and teachers. By studying greatness this way, we will learn that it is a process of continuous education and self-realization.” – School of Greatness, page 6
Highly recommend picking this one up and giving it a read.
Intent by Devan McConnell & Justin Roethlingshoefer
The only strength and conditioning related book on the list was Intent, which was about athlete monitoring, something that I don’t have nearly enough knowledge in which this book helped with a lot. 
From the Amazon write up;
“Intent takes you inside the world of two strength and conditioning coaches and how they continue to develop a holistic approach to sport science to work with their players to help them achieve their optimum levels of strength, power, and speed. Intent explains the different aspects of sport science to give players an edge and to assist head coaches in planning their practice and game strategies. Strength and conditioning coaches help provide head coaches with a physically and emotionally better-prepared athlete. This book does not talk about a set program but shows different components that enable strength and conditioning coaches to establish individual programming while maintaining team mentality. The methodology shared in Intent can be used from high school to all levels of professional sports. It takes a mindfulness on everyone’s part to make the elements of Intent work. It takes intent. When players and coaches are on the same page, that team can reach for the highest rung.”
If you are looking to gain practical and applicable knowledge in athlete monitoring, read Intent.