When Warren Buffet was asked about the key to success, he pointed to a stack of books and said, "Read 500 pages like this every day. That's how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it."
Most successful people, if not all of them, read a lot. Even Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, reads a lot and shares a reading list with readers periodically to encourage them to read.
I was resistant to this idea of regular reading until I started to do it. My mindset has changed completely since I started and I’ve never looked back.
It has also been scientifically proven that people who read are more likely to be rich, smart, and emotionally intelligent than people who don't.
So, what should you read?
It depends on you, your lifestyle, and what you want to achieve in life. A mix of self-improvement books, business books, and even fiction books will help you be entertained and have a wellspring of knowledge that will get you to where you want to be.
Here’s a top 10 list of the books that have helped me in the past 2 years since I made reading a habit that has contributed to building my business even when time and money were limited.
There is a giveaway running on the blog now where I will give a lucky winner all 10 of these books shipped from Amazon. To participate, click here to find out more.
Anything You Want
If you don't know Derek Sivers, then you are doing yourself a disservice.
I've been an avid reader of Derek for a year now, and this guy's thinking is out of this world. I like how he views things. The best part, of course, is that he has changed the way I view things.
My mindset had a 180-degree shift after I started reading his works.
One of the best things he’s published to date is his book Anything You Want. In the book, he shares the lessons he learned from building and selling his company, CD baby.
What can you expect from a book forwarded by Seth Godin?
Along with the mindset shifts in the book, one of the things I learned from it is the strength of many little customers. Don't always be chasing the big people. Stay true to the audience you want to target, serve them well, and you’ll grow over time. So don't get so caught up in scaling up that you forget what and who got you to where you are in the first place.
The Slight Edge
Do you know what it takes to build a successful business or achieve success in any part of your life?
It comes down to this simple equation,
Do one simple action every day + time
This is the slight edge.
A penny, doubled every day, will grow to over $10 million in just one month.
So however small the action may seem, just do it repeatedly, and over time your life is sure to change.
SmartCuts
People always think about shortcuts to save them time. But as Sonia Simone says it, "Don't take shortcuts, they take too long."
So what’s the solution to finally get 10x the results you want without wasting so much time?
Enter Smartcuts by Shane Snow.
He introduced me to the topic of lateral thinking. As he puts it:
“Lateral thinking doesn’t replace hard work; it eliminates unnecessary cycles. Once they’ve shortened their path, overachievers tend to look for ways to do more with their effort.”
Companies that pivot - that is, switch business models or products - while on the upswing tend to perform much better than those that stay on a single course.
Switching ladders can help bypass “dues” and accelerate the Bigger or Better cycle.
If you want to save time, you need to be smart about where you’re moving with your business and your life.
Incremental progress depends on working harder. 10x progress is built on bravery and creativity.
I know this may sound contradictory to The Slight Edge. The Slight Edge was essential to make me master the basics and not to worry about the time it takes, but after that, you need Smartcuts to get 10x the results in less time.
Tools of Titans
Would you like to know the smartcuts of high-achievers to achieve the success they had in the 3 major parts of life, "health, wealth, and wisdom"?
Then you need to read this book.
Tim Ferriss has created the Tim Ferriss show and after interviewing top people in every industry and how they achieved their success, he wanted to create a master note "for him" to take with him for the rest of his life. In the mid through it, he knew that people would want it, so he published it for the public.
Think of it as the best bits of information from every interview in 3 major areas of life, coupled with Tim’s tips to make the information more accessible.
This book is a masterpiece. The reason it is low here in the order is that I read it later last year. If Tim has published it earlier, I’m sure the results I had achieved with it would be completely different.
Don't forget, you can get a chance of winning this book and the other 9 books here by entering this giveaway. Click here to learn more.
Man's Search For Meaning
Whatever you do in life, there must be meaning in it. Don't just think about money, because when you have money, you’ll lose your motivation.
The book shares the story of Viktor Frankl's experience in concentration camps during the war and how he survived it by finding meaning in his life and how you can find yours.
I read this book when I needed it the most. I was drowned in introspective thoughts such as, “Why am I here in life?” and “What do I want to accomplish?”
The biggest lesson I got from this book is that your life has its own meaning and it is up to you to find it at any moment.
Viktor did not lose hope when many others in the camp lost hope. He always kept his wife at the forefront of his thoughts. She was the meaning of life and the one thing he wanted to live for.
The Dip
Another great book by Seth Godin that completely changed my way of thinking.
Many people think that quitting is a wrong strategy and an act of cowardliness. The truth is you need to quit a lot of things to achieve what you truly desire in life.
If it’s worth doing, there’s a dip in it.
Think of being a surgeon. You will need more than half a dozen years just to study academically, and then you’re put into a residency program where at the beginning you are nothing.
It’s hard. Very Hard. And there’s a huge dip in it because you can't put people's lives into someone’s hands very easily.
Going to the middle of the dip and then quitting is most of the time a wrong strategy because if you persist more, you’ll reach the top and reap all the benefits. But if you quit, you will lose money, resources, and time.
This book is a short read. Highly recommended for anyone.
Do The Work
There is always a resistance that will meet you when you do something that is going to impact you positively on the long road and/or impact others’ lives.
This book was created mainly for creative types, but I think everyone should read it.
If you know the obstacles (resistance) you are going to meet along the road and how to deal with it as you go, then you are going the achieve the end results you want.
This short read is all about that. The resistance you are going to meet and how you can overcome it.
The Motivation Manifesto
People think that motivation is over rated. The reason for this is that when the initial surge of motivation goes away, people lose their desire indefinitely and don't continue what they started.
The thing is you need to sustain the motivation to reap the benefits and build that business you want and achieve success in your life.
This book is completely different than all the other books in this list. It’s written in an artistic way that makes you want to read it all at once. It’s truly a delight to read.
Brendon goes over many of the obstacles that will face you that will make you lose your motivation and how you can overcome them to achieve greatness in your life.
I’m sure you won't regret reading this book.
Don't forget, you can get a chance of winning this book and the other 9 books here by entering this giveaway. Click here to learn more.
The School of Greatness
Lewis Howes created The School of Greatness podcast, where he interviewed top achievers in the world to learn how they achieved success, which is similar to what Tim Ferriss has done.
After that, he distilled all the things he learned into 8 steps that anyone could use to achieve success in their life.
This book is a practical book with strategic top-level thinking. A mix that is hard to find.
I owe Lewis a lot because he made me change my direction in life to achieve greatness and impact more people’s lives.
The best chapter for me is the first one, The Vision. As Lewis says in the preface, "What The School of Greatness is going to teach you is, first and foremost, what is great and special about you."
And he was damn right about it. The practical tips he shares in every chapter in the book will truly help you achieve greatness.
The Miracle Morning
This was the first book that made me make reading a habit. It’s no exaggeration to say that this book has completely turned my life around in the best possible way.
A lot of what I have achieved in the past 2 years is because of this simple and short-to-read book.
One thing I learned as I was reading this book is that success is something that is attracted depending on the type of person you are. That’s why you need to seek to improve your life as you go.
And the best time to do this is in the morning.
Hal made me care more about self-improvement. That’s what made me read more and more books over the past 2 years.
Needless to say, waking up early is a habit now that has changed my life.
If you really want to take your life to the next level, read this simple book.
Don't forget, you can get a chance of winning this book and the other 9 books here by entering this giveaway. Click here to learn more.
Take Your Life To The Next Level
Reading is important to improve any aspect of your life. Start with even 10 pages a day in the morning, while you’re commuting, or before bed.
Read more when possible, and you’ll take your life to the next level.
It is a simple secret that has been known for years.
Those who know this are not the same as those who don't. You are simply adding other people's life knowledge in an hour without taking all the risks and spending all the time they did.
So, make reading a habit. The books on this list are a good starting point to help you get going.
Who knows, maybe we’ll meet together on the other side 🙂
And don't forget to enter the giveaway. Maybe, you could win all these books and kickstart your business without losing your life.
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