Books that will change your life
In 2016, I attended Tony Robbins’ Date with Destiny seminar, which ran for 6 days, with each day being 14 hours in duration.
Upon completion of this incredible seminar, I also attended a one-day seminar, by Dr John Demartini. During Dr John’s seminar, I learnt that he had read over 30,000 books in his lifetime. Having only ever read two books in my life, I was curious as to how I could read even a tenth of that number of books.
At the age of ten, I had been told that I would never be a good reader, by my teacher, so like most, I accepted this limiting belief and didn’t bother trying to read at all. I was by no means stupid, but I realised at that age, that if I was going to learn, I would need to do it in a less conventional way.
After Tony’s Date with Destiny, a fellow attendee, who I had formed a network group with, lent me Tony’s new book; “Money, Master the game.”
Given that Tony’s book was over 600 pages, I was thankful that the version my new friend gave me, was the audio book. The book contained around 15 hours of listening, which he had said took him three weeks to complete.
The following day, I began listening to the book, and instantly, I was obsessed with absorbing as much of the content, as possible. As the week progressed, I found myself listening to it, in the car, instead of watching TV, while walking the dogs, and at any stage, that I had a few spare moments.
The book became my main focus and I soon discovered that this laser like focus, was how inspirational people, such as Tony and John, have lifted themselves to greatness.
Soon after, I discovered that the library had an app where I could download audio books direct to my phone and listen to them, whenever I wanted. With my new-found love of learning, I set myself the target of reading 50 books in the next year. With each book, being roughly 6-10 in length, I figured that this was achievable.
What I didn’t count on, was that I would become so hooked on learning, that I would find 3-4 hours per day, to listen to books. These hours didn’t come at the expense of anything, other than useless time wasted on social media or watching the misleading news on TV. I found that I was able to find many occasions throughout the day and night, that I could contribute to my listening, and before I knew it, the year had passed.
Instead of reading 50 books, as per my goal, by years end, I had actually listened to 280 books on personal development. Yes, 280!!!
Thankfully, my slightly obsessive compulsive personality, led me to keep track of the list as I read. The main reason for this, was so that I could remember all of them. As my list grew and I searched for new titles on the library app, I had trouble remembering every title that I had read, so my keeping track was crucial.
The more I read, the more I grew and the more I grew, the more I wanted to share what I had learnt with others, so that they could also benefit.
Besides, my own growth, I wanted to somehow capture what I had learnt, and share it with the world. As a result, I compiled all of my learnings, into my own self-help book, “The No Bullshit Approach to Create the Life You Want.”
Throughout the book, I list many of the amazing books that I read, along with how I managed to find so much time in every day to read these books.
As the list is now almost 350 books, to list them all here, would be impractical, so instead, I have included my top-ten only. For a full list of the books, I have read, I have a reading list on my website.
TOP TEN BOOKS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE
10. Money, Master the Game – Tony Robbins.
This book was where I started my journey and is an incredible book for anyone wanting to create financial abundance in their life.
Tony interviewed some of the richest and most successful businessmen and investors in the world, to compile this incredible book. It is long, but I promise you that if you see it through, it will change your life for the good.
9. The Gratitude Effect – Dr john Demartini.
Even though Dr Demartini, gained much notoriety from being part of “The Secret” John had been very well known in personal development circles for many years. As almost all mentors teach, gratitude is one of the most important keys to success in life, hence why this book is part of my top-ten.
8. You were born rich – Bob Proctor.
Like Dr John, Bob also shot to fame as part of “The Secret”, however, his teachings have been a part of many spiritual growth areas, for many years. While the title suggests that the book is about making money, this is not exactly the case. The book is more about mindset, than money, but if you can grasp the concepts shared in the book, then I have no doubt that both areas of your life, will improve.
7. The subtle art of not giving a Fu@k – Mark Manson.
While the title of this book, is pretty much, how the book begins, the further you get into the book, the more you realise that it is actually a very spiritual book, about being enlightened and worrying more about yourself, than anyone else. Mark is very brash in the beginning, but as the book progresses, he almost softens in his delivery, and seems more like a sage, than the title may suggest.
6. The law of Attraction – Esther & Jerry Hicks.
It is only in recent years that the word “attraction” has meant more than the chemistry between two lovers, for most people. It is Esther & Jerry Hicks, who have been mostly responsible for this shift.
While “The Secret” explained in brief, how to attract into your life, the things that you desire, where it fell short, is where this book, really comes into its own. The law of Attraction, is a much more in-depth explanation of this concept and provides readers with the tools to actually make it happen.
5. Think & Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill.
Don’t be fooled by the title of this book. While it does explain how to bring riches into your life, the main premise of this widely admired classic, is about how each of us have absolute control of our lives through our thoughts.
The measure of a truly great book, is how it is seen by generation after generation and it is for this reason, that Think & Grow Rich is on the book shelves of almost every successful person in the world.
4. Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor E. Frankl.
If you ever need inspiration to get you out of a tough spot in life, or feel like you have no reasons to live, this book is precisely what you should read. Written by someone who survived the atrocoties of the German concentrate camps, Dr Frankl found a reason to live, while those around him perished.
Inspiring and incredibly uplifting. I was captivated throughout the entire book.
3. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho.
This story had me captivated from the first paragraph. Even though (As previously stated) I was not a great reader, I sat and read the paperback version in one weekend and was incredibly inspired by the tale.
The book is written like a children’s fable, about a young sheppard boy named Santiago, who goes on a search across the desert for worldly treasures. Along the way, he encounters many people and circumstances, that ultimately teach him valuable lessons in life.
The book is about finding your true purpose in life. The thing I loved about this book, is that every person reading it, will no doubt get a different meaning from it, to their friends.
2. Conversations with God – Neale Donald Walsch.
A young version of me, would have dismissed a book like this, but thankfully, it was the older, wiser version, that found it. The book is incredibly honest and so well written, that any perceived scepticism in the early pages, is quickly dismissed as you become captivated in the details of this book.
The cover above is for the audio book, which I highly recommend, because the casting of the voices of “god” is so authentic and brilliant, that it makes the largely controversial content so believable. By controversial, I mean that to many, what is written, may be challenged, but if given a chance, it becomes irrefutable by the end of the book.
1. The Monk who sold his Ferrari – Robin Sharma.
The lessons in this book are so special, that I recommend reading the book more than once. To be honest, I am almost lost for words to accurately describe this book, so as to fully illustrate the profound effect, it had on my life.
Enlightening and inspirational are two words that come to mind, but more than anything, the book proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that there are definite ways to create an exceptional life, if you wish to.
Each and every one of these books have had a profound effect on my life, hence why I recommend them all.
Every person is different, so while I love these books, perhaps you will be inspired by different titles. With that in mind, I have a web-page listing all of the books that I have read, of which I have learnt something from each.
To look through my entire reading list, click here.
If you wish to read about what I learnt from reading 280 books in one year, my book “The no Bullshit Approach to Create The Life You Want” is also available.
