MY FAVORITE BOOKS

A diligent author can digest a whole library to write a great book; a smart reader will steal all these ideas and consume them in 7 days. Books are mines of solutions. I create time every day to dig deep and find treasures in books. I am sharing with you some of the books that have changed my life and the way I see the world.

The Dip

SETH GODIN

Success requires lots of dedication, hard work and resilience. Everyone knows that, but Godin introduces a new angle, which is knowing when to quit a project, a company, a relationship so that you can win in other things. Godin describes those tough times before success as either a dip or a cul-de-sac. In a cul-de-sac, you recite the mantra of resilience and perseverance, but it’s a ploy to drain your energy and resources – it’s a dead end. While a dip mirrors the same climatic conditions you face in a cul-de-sac, except that it’s going to lead you to a bright side – things get better if you push hard enough.

Bird by Bird

ANNE LAMOTT

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Anne Lamott’s compendium of instructions on writing is a superb blessing for any passionate writer. The book uncovered some nuggets via personal stories blended with humour. Lamott insists that to become a superb writer, you have to write more and don’t judge your competence based on your first drafts. You will have terrible first drafts. The earlier you know that, the better for you. For storytellers, Lamott’s advice is to keep writing until you unravel the hidden gems – the profiles of your characters, the dialogue forms, the setting and many more. 

Zero to One

PETER THIEL

Zero to One by Peter Thiel

This is a must-read for anyone interested in today’s style of entrepreneurship and start-up business. Peter Thiel is a highly intelligent founder and entrepreneur with more than two decades of experience in pioneering innovative technologies. The book makes a case for the true meaning of technology and demonizes the word “globalization” as copying what others are doing. 
 
Although the book tilts towards collaboration between businesses and paints unhealthy competition as idiotic, it has answers for entrepreneurs in both monopoly and competitive terrains. What takes any business from zero to one is doing what others are not doing – creating new solutions and not merely repackaging what others are doing. I love the part that delved into how to set up a mafia team for a start-up, how to distribute and sell a new product, how to build a company with a robust culture. 

 

Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

MICHAEL HYATT

Platform by Michael Hyatt

This is a goldmine of resources for anyone that is about the test the waters of digital marketing. It’s a very interactive book and Hyatt’s practical approach is amazing. It contains guidelines on how to start your personal blog, how to make money from your blog and the legal way of marketing digital products. I read this book before starting my blog and I personally recommend it to anyone that’s about to tow the same path.

The Psychology of Selling

BRIAN TRACY

If you want to master the art of selling, this is the book for you. Selling is a tough job but Tracy made it look very simple with his proven principles. This book is a compendium of ideas, methods, strategies, and techniques that you can use to sell anything. It explores the psychology of selling, how to make appointments, and how to convert leads to buyers. You will make more sales faster and easier.

Rich Dad Poor Dad

ROBERT KIYOSAKI

It’s really not about the amount of money you make but your ability to manage money. If you want to be in control of your financial future and make money work for you, reading Kiyosaki’s book is a great starting point. This is a bundle of inspiring stories and principles that will give you a winning mindset towards personal finance. Everyone wants more money but it takes an investment in financial education to gain mastery of strategies that make financial freedom possible. Get a copy for yourself, your spouse and your kids.

I Will Teach You to Be Rich

RAMIT SETHI

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

Ramit Sethi’s expert advice on personal finance is a brilliant place to start if you are bent on living a life of financial freedom. Management of personal finances requires one to take charge; don’t be reactive but be proactive. You will learn the rules of optimizing my credit card(s) and how to enjoy the perks that come with it. The book shows practical ways to supercharge your negotiation skills and avoid unnecessary bank charges. It went deeper into practical strategies for investing and how to start immediately. Ramit shows how to create a conscious spending plan after looking closely at your monthly spending behaviour. And then the exciting part kicks in with using automation as a smart way of saving more money. 

Emotional Intelligence

JEAN GREAVES & TRAVIS BRADBERRY

Greaves and Bradberry teamed up to create an instant supercharger for Emotional Intelligence. The book is a robust tool for anyone interested in learning about Emotional Intelligence and seeking practical ways of improving their Emotional Intelligence Quotient. The introduction gives an eye-opener on how the emotional part of the brain continually overrides the rational part of the brain. It explains why the default response of human beings is usually a gust of emotions and not a series of logical and thoughtful reasoning. The scheme of emotional hijacking as many call it. The book further emphasizes the impact of High Emotional Intelligence on personal and professional pursuits. I learnt that Emotional Intelligence could be seen through four lenses: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management. 

 

The Lean Startup

ERIC REIS

Eric Reis unravelled compelling arguments to lay the solid foundation of the Lean Startup method. The method seeks to help entrepreneurs conserve resources as they experiment with their ideas. The process discussed in this book holds innovators accountable in the midst of uncertainty. The principles for the Lean Startup method are: (i) Entrepreneurs are everywhere. (ii) Entrepreneurship is management. (iii) Validated learning. (iv) Build-Measure-Learn. (v) Innovation accounting. These principles constantly test the drive behind the leaps of faith that often feed innovators with blind optimism about the prospect of their products or services. He did this with several practical examples in real-life business. I had an interesting time reading this one. It’s a classic that is meant to be read four times.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

JOHN C. MAXWELL

John Maxwell is a leadership guru with a wealth of experience on the subject. This book contains ideas that will create a spark of revolution in your mind. You will learn practical insights on how to be a successful leader in your sphere. Plus, the 21 Laws are relatable, simple, workable, and comprehensible.

Footprints in Time

JEFF O’LEARY

Footprints in Time by Jeff O'Leary

I was literally fired up by this book. Fired up to make an impact! Fired up to fulfill destiny! Fired up to help others! Fired up to leave footprints in the sands of time! He shared stories of seven path makers who left the world with an eternal legacy. He talked about Florence Nightingale, Booker T. Washington and Winston Churchill. Get a copy and find out the remaining four.

Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do

ROBERT SCHULLER

Life can be very tough sometimes and Schuller has shown us how to survive the trying moments. This book is filled with nuggets on how to imbibe positive thinking and seeing possibilities in the midst of glaring impossibilities. Winners never quit and if you want to keep winning at everything you do, get a copy of Schuller’s book.

Published.

CHANDLER BOLT

If you are on the verge of publishing your first book, this is a must-read for you. Bolt will guide you from a blank page to publishing your work. This book will show you proven ways on how to save money on editing, book production, and many more. It will also show you different kinds of launch strategies you can use when it’s time to place your book before your readers.

The Elements of Style

WILLIAM STRUNK Jr. & E.B. WHITE

This is simply the Bible of English Grammar – it highlights the elementary rules of usage, elementary principles of composition, a library of expressions commonly misused and approach to style. If you are passionate about writing, please get a copy of this book and read it. The language used is very simple and the principles are timeless.

30 Days To A More Powerful Vocabulary

DR. WILFRED FUNK & NORMAN LEWIS

Powerful speakers and successful writers are masters of words. Building a strong and rich vocabulary is compulsory for any writer or speaker that wants to make a meaningful impact. In just 30 days, you will learn how to make words your slaves, how to find the right words to say exactly what you mean. Now, to the icing on the cake – you will learn how to pronounce words properly especially the difficult ones. Reading this book will take you a step closer to becoming a lively conversationalist.

Free Prize Inside: How to Make a Purple Cow

SETH GODIN

This is a blockbuster from a renowned thought leader in marketing and business, Seth Godin. This book takes you on a journey of creating irresistible products and services. Godin shows practical ways of getting ahead in a competitive industry without wasting millions of dollars in advertising. Asides learning how to create a free prize you’ll learn how to sell it in a compelling way.

Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers and Challengers

ALEXANDER OSTERWALDER & YVES PIGNEUR

This is more than a book but a handbook and an encyclopedia of simple but practical steps for designing business models that work in the 21st century. It’s a book for visionaries, game-changers, innovators, challengers, entrepreneurs, and creatives with a zest to build enterprises that last. The book was co-created by an amazing crowd of 470 practitioners from 45 countries; it offers diverse views from different sectors from a business standpoint. If you want to start a business or improve the one you have, then go get your copy now and thank me later.

No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline

BRIAN TRACY

As human beings, we are wired to follow paths of least resistance thinking that success is a product of luck or perhaps a proceed of great talent. Tracy elucidates on the lives of highly successful people and how they achieve success – through a sheer measure of self- discipline. This book will open your eyes to how you can practically be more disciplined in all the major areas of your life. It’s time to kill your excuses, let Tracy help you!

Do you have an idea that you would like to share with me?

Get Free Writing & Productivity Tips

Get Free Writing & Productivity Tips

Sign up for my free weekly newsletter and get free tips on writing, life, creativity, and other stuff. 

Welcome to the winning team! I am so glad to have you here. Your life is about to experience a quantum leap. Thanks. Sam.

Pin It on Pinterest

Shares
Share This