As young people, we are always looking for ways to grow and improve ourselves. Ever since I left school, I have dedicated myself to reading 1 book every month. Some of these books have been a complete waste of time, while others are pure gems. I want to share these gems with you and help you get to where you want to be in your life. These are the top 5 books that have helped me in terms of business, lifestyle, health, and daily challenges. At the top of the list is a seriously underrated book called, The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.
- Book 1: The 4-Hour Workweek, Tim Ferriss
-
There is a big reason why this is the first book I am mentioning. This was the book I first read when I left school and it completely changed the way I see business and my life goals. Ferriss talks about his life of luxury and getaways and islands, and how he outsources people for his business so that it can run without him. This book teaches brilliant business skills while motivating you to reach for your dream.
Ferriss pushes you beyond the limitations you’ve set yourself by making you define your nightmare. “If you started a business and got burnt to the ground what would you do? How would you get back on your feet? Start waitressing and earn money and start again.” Ferriss wants readers to get unrealistic with their dreams. He also mentions that if you want to start a business you should contact successful entrepreneurs, take them out for coffee, and ask them what they believe they did right and where they feel they went wrong. Ferriss says: “I believe success can be measured by the amount of uncomfortable conversations you’re willing to have”.
With the knowledge and power in this book, anyone can be inspired to work for their dreams. The next book is one that I would pair with The 4-Hour Workweek.
- Book 2: How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
-
Well, the title says it all. This book is a step-by-step guide on how to be a better person, leading you to win friends and be a massive influence on many people. This book is not about ticking boxes which make you likeable to many people; it’s about changing the way you treat people so that you are genuinely an improved self.
Carnegie speaks about how to be a good leader, how to arouse enthusiasm in others, how to make people feel important, and how to talk in terms of another person’s interests. It is a brilliant read and one of the reasons I have been able to work through my differences with people without starting a nuclear war. If you want to be a people-person, I suggest you read How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Now that we’ve gone through the top 2 books about success, I want to bring up a book about safety. Namely, The Gift of Fear.
- Book 3: The Gift of Fear, Gavin de Becker
-
If you have read any of my previous articles, you’ll know that I idolize this book. It coaches you to predict violent behaviour in people. The book does this, by offering practical tools for seeing when someone is going to attack you or harm you in any way. It tells you what people say, the way they act and the tactics they use to convince you that nothing is wrong. This is a book that every womxn should be reading. If you haven’t read my article on predicting violent behaviour, please click here.
I believe that The Gift of Fear should be considered a classic. In the same way, that the next book is considered to be.
- Book 4: Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert T. Kiyosaki
-
I’m sure many people have heard of this book. And there is good reason for it. It teaches financial literacy to readers, using every chapter as a different ‘lesson’. Kiyosaki shows people how to have a rich mindset, through looking at the differences between a father who taught him how to work for money, versus a father who taught him how to make money work for him.
One of my favourite quotes from this book is: “Each push from life in any direction is life saying Wake up, there’s something I want you to learn”. And whenever I feel like I’m in a bad situation I turn and think to myself, where is the thing that I need to learn in this?”
Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a brilliant book for learning how to financially handle yourself, especially if you’ve never been taught how to. This leads us to the final book on my list, Selling to Win.
- Book 5: Selling to Win, Richard Denny
-
This book might be last on the list, but that by no means makes it any less important to read. Not only does it teach you how to sell things, but it also teaches you how to ‘sell yourself’. At any point in your life, for any interview or opportunity you get, you need to be able to sell yourself. This book teaches you how to engage with people so that they want to keep working with you.
Selling to Win is not only about the exterior aspect of sales, but also about believing in yourself; “Think like a general, speak like a general, look like a general and you will be a general”. It encourages you to invest in yourself and build your self-image to be exactly what you want. This book is something you should give to every young person as they leave school. In fact, I believe all the books mentioned above are books that should be prescribed in school.
Investing in yourself and building on your knowledge of life and business is one of the most important things you could ever do. So, next time you have load-shedding during the day, grab a book. Sit in the sunshine or climb under a warm blanket and start building yourself from the inside-out. You can only benefit from it.
Stay safe and keep growing,
Nat.