How Reading Impacts My Life
I've never been "good" at reading. At least not in my own mind. I'm a terribly slow reader and every comprehensive test I ever taken revealed that reading comprehension was my area of extreme weakness. On top of that, I've never really considered myself a reader. Despite my weakness, one quote has motivated me to create a discipline of reading in my life:
“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” - Charlie Jones
Reflecting on the Charlie Jones quote, I found myself inspired to write this post because of the personal implications it's had on my life. If you haven't heard, I just left my cubicle job to pursue a passion in helping others with they personal finances. While this is a complete career paradigm shift in my mind, it's been a long time coming. (today is my first day on the "job")
I've always wanted to own my own business, and while that has taken a shape of it's own in this new adventure, I think teaming up with someone else is a win-win. The deeper root of my dream to own my own business, has been working in an area that I am truly passionate about, and not having a ceiling on my potential based on positions available. More importantly, I want to work on something I believe in, and can be passionate about everyday.
That being said, I'd love to share with you some books that have guided me toward this transition. Whether they directly or indirectly helped me, I'm not sure, but I think there's something for everyone on this list.
It's a long list, here are my top 5 from what I've read.
Take a look and pick up a copy of one that interests you. It is "back to school" time after all.
- Linchpin by Seth Godin
- The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley
- From Snapshots to Great Shots by Jeff Revell
- Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
- E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
- Quitter by Jon Acuff
- Getting Things Done by David Allen
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
- Strong Fathers Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker, M.D.
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
- The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- The 4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
- Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins
- The Power of Habit by Charles Dehigg
- Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey
- Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
- Start by Jon Acuff
- The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
- Influencer by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, and David Maxfield
- 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker
- Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port
- Think, Act, and Invest Like Warren Buffett by Larry E. Swedroe
- Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships by Daniel Goleman
- Tribes by Seth Godin
- Debt-Free Living by Larry Burkett
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
- The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell & Stephen R. Covey
- The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch (currently reading)
- The Bible Study Handbook by Lindsay Olesberg
- The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly (Just finished this weekend)
This list was started from a personal goal I had of reading 12 books in 2011. That's become a habit for me over the years, especially since signing up for Audible, where I get one free audio book a month.
What books are you currently reading, or that have changed your thinking? What should I add to my list?
P.S. I almost forgot to mention that my book just celebrated it's first birthday as of August 29. Hooray! If you haven't heard the Lively Show podcast episode when I was interviewed, you can check that out here for free. Or just buy a copy here. ;)