The All Time Top 3 Life Changing Books...

[Kak]

Besides the MFL and RDPD which I'm sure you have read:

-Thick Face Black Heart- teaches you to deal with people, look at the big picture, keep from getting screwed over.

-The Travelers Gift- why not work on things as big as possible

-Atlas Shrugged- everything the government touches turns to crap

Life altering? How about the Bible?

 

[million$$$smile]

Ok, I really enjoy reading but due to time constraints I am currently very limited to the amount of time I can read. Neither do I want to waste my time by slogging through a book just to see if I can apply some of its principles.

I am looking for the TOP 3 BUSINESS BOOKS THAT YOU BELIEVE WERE TOTALLY LIFE CHANGING, and MIND ALTERING; that if you were left with a choice of only 3 in the world, what would they be and WHY????

if you want to add more than that, fine, but please keep them in order of priority.

Needless to say, most of us can agree that TMF is on the list or we wouldn't be here, but I want to know what your others are and a short reason WHY. That way, I hope it will help me eliminate this incredibly long list I have and may not ever get around to finishing.

So help me out, think about the TOP 3 life altering business books and if they are repeated enough by others, than it would be noted.

Thanks!

 

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[Silverhawk851]

Change is a process, so I believe that each one of these were never solely responsible for changing my life, but each gradually added important information and priceless lessons to take away.

Millionaire Fastlane and Rich Dad Poor Dad are undoubtedly the biggest kicks to the head.

Then,
1. Psycho-cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz : A plastic surgeon changes peoples faces and realizes why some people's personalities will change, while others won't. MUST READ. (most of Anthony Robbins stuff is based on this)
2. Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin: America's first millionaire shells out golden nuggets of wisdom in a compact little book.
3. Personal Power by Anthony Robbins : Audio series that breaks down human behavior, and how the mind functions.

These are just off the top of my head, I have a few gigs of books racked up in my read folder

 

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[Vigilante]

1. bible
2. MFL
3. 4 Hour Work Week

(in that order)

Honorable mention to Thick Face, Black Heart, The Art of War, and any of Henry David Thoreau's works.

Also dig Atlas Shrugged, and Blue Ocean Strategy mentioned above. Also the Discipline of Market Leaders.

 

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[Likwid24]

1- How to Win Friends and Influence People - Love this book!
2- Thick Face, Black Heart - Thanks for putting me onto that book @Kak
3- The Laws of Success - This book is REALLY long. I have the audio version and listen to it when I'm running, on a plane, at work, etc... I think that anyone who truly follows Napoleon Hills laws of success, will eventually become successful.

These 3 books will now tell you what to do to become successful, but will tell you the mindset and attitude you need to become a success. I believe that this is where you anyone should start first. Build your success from the inside, and eventually it will show on the outside.

 

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[jon.a]

I've never actually read Rich Dad Poor Dad. I know RK gets flack about the seminars but is the book a worthwhile read?

It is for a primer, for an absolute newbie to get them starting to think.

 

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[RHL]

In terms of specifically business books? These three, and what I took to be their most important lessons:

1. Ecclesiastes. Nothing has value when you run out of time; conversely time is of supreme value.

2. Rich Dad Poor Dad: "The rich buy assets, the poor buy liabilities."

3. The Millionaire Fastlane : Poverty is a mindset that begets certain actions; you can be a millionaire and a side-walker. Nobody who hasn't made a million dollars fast can tell you how to make a million dollars fast. Your product must exist independent of your time, either through duplication or longevity, to produce wealth rapidly.

From there, I think the forum really added a lot more insights, and reinforced what I missed on the first reading of TMF . After that, I've mostly been reading "tuning" books like Never Eat Alone; I need execution guidance now, I've been fully briefed on theory.

 

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[ZCP]

RDPD...... how to win friends and influence people...... Anyone can do it......

 

[MattCour]

If you really think that you can exchange a two years of hard work with one book and working by yourself, than you are literally really stupid.
If you think, that you can believe a Man, who even never did a one mba program, but is teaching it, than you are naive as 5 years old in addition.

Don't go to school, don't do mba. Yes, less producent a community of illiterated idiots.

Was a personal attack really necessary? He gave his opinion about one of his favorite books.

 

[liquidglass]

I know. But it can mislead people that going shortcuts will give them the same as two years of hard work with extreme inteligent people of enormous knowledge and experience.

I agree it can mislead people but at the same time, unless they are entering an industry where it's required it's easy to accumulate the information outside of paying tuition fees.

If you're just looking for the same information it's readily available in today's world. If you want the certificate, go to school.


My recommended book for you would be: How to Win Friends and Influence people.

Source: I've got an MBA

 

[Mike Kavanagh]

Gonna go off on a different tangent then everyone else.

Of course TMFL is on my list of top ten books. You want life changing books though so... Gonna do more than 3.

Salt, Sugar, Fat - I just got this book the other day. So far I've learned a lot about the food industry. Did you know that they modify fat on a molecular level to make it taste better? Did you know that sugar gives the same brain response as Cocaine in a MRI?
Recommended.

Sam Walton: Made in America - So much insight into the retail industry for only $7 or so.

Poor Charlie's Almanack - Buffets partner, Charlie Munger. Genius. It's worth the $60 I paid. It's also going to stay in my personal library forever. Unlike some of my other books. Look up his speech on the 25 cognitive biases.

Influence - Get in the human mind. This opened up a lot of pathways I didn't notice before. It's as good as the Army Psy-ops/Propaganda manual (wait that doesn't exist...)

Any book on physics that is legible - These are the laws you can't break. Gravity, Mass, Thermodynamics, Speed of Light speed limit. If you break these laws, you've probably broken the universe some how. Everything else is self-imposed limits.

Anything by Carl Sagan (Pale Blue Dot is a great read)

Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin

If you can't tell, I really like science.
Hypothesis, test, results/record, repeat

 

[GuestUser112]

Now I have a request - can anyone point me in the direction of a book that teaches business math? I'm OK at math in that if I have a formula I can get an answer... But it is so beyond unintuitive for me. I was hoping to find something that will help me to better understand and quickly determine percentages / %increase and decreases / figure out margins and markups quickly without a calculator / tell me the math that I need to know while running a business. Thanks so much guys!

I would think that the best way to hone your ability to quickly do math in your head is through consistent practice. Write down say, ten equations for yourself every day that might be relevant, ie. 15% of 270 - start small, work your way up - and do them throughout the day. Your brain will begin to create new ways to solve each equation and math will become more intuitive as time passes. But you should really just carry a calculator - better still, get a smartphone app.

It seems like you aren't yet a business owner, but if you know what type of business you will be getting into it will be easier to figure out the type of math you'll need. As far as books go, "Buffettology" and "7 Steps to Freedom" both include a fair bit of business math. The former examines the investing methods of Warren Buffett and the latter is a very technical book with diagrams of purchase orders, taxes, etc. that might help as well.

Also - if you are delaying starting on the path of entrepreneurship because you don't think you know everything you need to know, you're making a mistake. It is good to familiarize yourself with the terrain, but this can become a trap that will prevent you from ever starting. Necessity is the mother of invention.

Let's say you want to start a jewelry business - specifically, rings. We can figure out some numbers we need right now. 1. Price of gold, silver, etc. 2. Amount of gold in a ring 3. Initial cost of ring. You'd also need a furnace (which you could make or buy), molds, and then you can hire a jeweler to apply the finishing touches or you can invest the time of learning yourself. Then, distribution costs. Do you want to open a physical store, or an online one? Or do you merely want to sell your rings to other stores? If so, you'll have to raise your prices to keep your margin.

So the best way to do what I think you want to accomplish may be to just ask yourself these kinds of questions, to prepare yourself for the future. Choose random businesses and then analyze the costs that go into it - from there you'll be able to figure out roughly how much the price of the product/service is to the consumer for the owner to be able to turn a profit. That will also become more intuitive as time passes.

 

[OscarDeuce]

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George - Read it when I was 10 or 11. Nothing to do with business but taught me lessons in freedom, self-reliance, and independence that not only served me well in business but once or twice, literally saved my life.
Think and Grow Rich - I was a 20 year high school old dropout, broke, unemployed, and living in my car. Wasn't much work as the country was in the grip of a huge recession. It was before the days of the big bookstores with the comfy chairs, but I used to hang out in the local Waldenbooks to escape the sweltering summer heat in the Virginia suburbs of DC. I'd sit on the floor between the bookshelves and read and nobody seemed to care. I was drawn to this little book, Think and Grow Rich. Good thing it didn't say "Work Hard and Grow Rich" because back then, I'd have definitely passed it up. "Think and Grow Rich," I thought. "Heck, I can do that!" So I started reading. Even though I only had a few dollars to my name, I bought the book. It's old and yellowed now, but still sits on my office bookshelf. In that edition the preface said something to the effect "This book may be worth a million dollars to you..." They lied. It was worth several million and it's still giving.
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Think and Grow Rich had already taken me from homeless vagabond to middle manager in a fortune 500 high tech company. But, I was still rough around the edges. How to win Friends and Influence People took me from middle manager to the executive suite and private jet, and along with Think and Grow Rich, to CEO of another high tech company.

Yes, life changing.

Cheers,
O-2

 

[BostjanBel]

The 4-hour workweek, by Tim Ferris.

This one comes just after the MFL for me, really worthwhile.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0307465357/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

 

[tido]

Number one on my all time favorite, life-changing...mind exploding...rude awakening...is of course TMF , if I had to pick 3 more out of my 500+ ebooks collection would have to be:
1. Seth Godin "Linchpin" - it makes me realized that I'm just a cog in a machine and always dispensable.
2. "The $100 Startup" - don't need millionaire backers/investors/VC to start your biz.
3. "Blue Ocean Strategy" - think outside the box, create your own niche and space (blue ocean) inside the vast ocean of competition (red ocean).

 

[Supercar]

The first life changing book for me was "The Art of Exceptional Living" by Jim Rohn. It's a very captivating audiobook recorded by an inspirational speaker. I listened to it as if it was my favorite music CD for about 10 years. I wish I had met the man before he passed away. He was inspiring enough for me at that time.

The second life changing author was Ayn Rand. I started with The Fountainhead, then Atlas Shrugged, then the Virtue of Selfishness, then everything else that she has ever written, plus whatever else she should have written but didn't, that other people finished for her. Turned out Jim Rohn took 80% of his philosophy from Ayn Rand, yet didn't give her any credit. The remaining 20% of Jim Rohn's philosophy came from the Bible, which was just enough of poison to keep my mind confused. Ayn Rand fixed that once and for all.

Then came TMF . A topping on the cake.

 

[Supercar]

Jim Rohn about the power of ideas:

“Ideas can be life-changing. And sometimes all you need is just one more in a series of good ideas.

It’s like dialing the numbers into the lock. You’ve got 5 or 6 numbers dialed into the lock, the lock still won’t come open, but you don’t need 5 or 6 more, you just need one more.

And a seminar can do it, a sermon can do it, the lyrics from a song could do it, a dialogue from a movie could do it, a conversation with a friend, might do it. That one last piece you need, that number, dial it into the lock, that’s it, the lock comes open, and there’s the door for you to walk through..."

 

[JasonR]

1) The Millionaire Fastlane

2) The Charisma Myth

3) Models by Mark Manson

 

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[WilliamD]

1.) Scientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins.

"Scientific Advertising is an important work on advertising from the early 20th century and is still used today by those learning the basics and more advanced parts of the advertising field. The author of Scientific Advertising, Claude C. Hopkins, is well known as the father of modern advertising techniques, and this book has been widely used by students of advertising and marketing."

**BTW you can read the whole potent 73 page book online for free which also is legal at: http://www.scientificadvertising.com/ScientificAdvertising.pdf


2.)The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

" ....Why is there a naysayer within? How can we avoid the roadblocks of any creative endeavor—be it starting up a dream business venture, writing a novel, or painting a masterpiece? Bestselling novelist Steven Pressfield identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success...."

 

[MyronGainz]

1. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen
2. The Essays Of Warren Buffettby Warren Buffett
3. Winning by Jack Welch

 

[PureA]

1. TMF
2. Awaken the giant within - Anthony Robbins
3. Anyone can do it - Duncan Bannatyne

 

[mlk]

Very thought provoking and inspiring books you can check out:

The law of success
The Present - Universal Truth (for free online)

 

[Skys]

1. Eckhart Tolle - Power of now
2. 7 habits of highly effective people
3. Fight club

 

[markonestock]

Nicolas Darvas How I Made $2 Million in the Stock Market. Great read on the physcholology of what is needed to make huge gains from stocks

 

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[SeanyHang]

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad - I read RDPD when I had just turned 20.. Up until then I had never even been remotely interested in business (I was always the artistic type - It gave me a completely different concept of reality and what's achievable.

2.The Secret - The reason why I put this book on the list is because it truly changed my life once I realized it was complete bullshit and I REALLY had to grab life by the horns and get to work.. visualization plays a role in success - but magical magnetic positive thought rays casting out like fishing lines to hook your dreams and reel them into your lap while you sit ain't gonna f**king happen. I cringe when I hear people talk about how the law of attraction is working in their lives (it's usually always the people who have everything going wrong.) But hey - they're happy I guess, so that's cool.

3.Obviously TMFL - The first time I read it I was just like "this guy freakin' gets it!". It's a completely refreshing read in that it's not a cute little hand holding adventure about how "you can do it if you believe and try real hard" - no - it's a true kick in the a$$.


Now I have a request - can anyone point me in the direction of a book that teaches business math? I'm OK at math in that if I have a formula I can get an answer... But it is so beyond unintuitive for me. I was hoping to find something that will help me to better understand and quickly determine percentages / %increase and decreases / figure out margins and markups quickly without a calculator / tell me the math that I need to know while running a business. Thanks so much guys!

 

[pz4ever]

Wow, so many great advice for books I have found here that I haven't read yet! Cannot wait to place an order!

My list is:
1. The millionaire fastlane - It has changed my life. The best entrepreneurial book I have ever read.
2. Secrets to the millionaire mind by T. Harv Eker - Changed my view on money to the better
3. Rich Dad Poor Dad - Changed my view on money to the better

 

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[Jamesdoesmith]

TMF because not only did I learn a ton. I realized I was no longer alone. The things I had dreamed up were fairy tales crushed by old school slowlane tired closed minded parents and extended family whos advice boiled down to simmer down young man and stick to the plan. Become us. I found vibrant, youthful people who also thought the 5 for 2 was insane. That is no way to live. Glad to find the door to this place.

The Alchemist. This is a must read for anyone who thinks positive thinking can lead to a positive life. It has some Law of attraction type magic to it but it is certainly an eye opener of its own. A very calming book that sheds alot of light on things still very relevant today.

Secrets of the Millionaire mind T harv eker. This book further pushes the psychological part of money. And being barked at and always told to hit the clearance rack did things to my young mind. Watching my folks battle money head on is certainly apart of my financial conditioning. The "rich assholes" and the "they are so lucky" was creating a very hostile, bitter, envious young man. You do not have to be your parents. It was nice seeing that he had similar aspects of his childhood. he picks it apart and explains things.

Big mention to the 4HWW....Just being able to travel like him is going to be cool. I agree, for most people its "wut..." but I am sure I will use that book as a reference at some point in the future.

Just realized most of these books revolve around mindsets. Interesting. Will pick up and read a few of the ones mentioned.

 

[Don David]

Best books in the last year, not counting my rereading MFL for fourth time...

"A" students work for "C" students and "B" students work for the government by Kiyosaki

Takeaways, a perspective shifting idea that I'm not competing in this life with those "A" student accountants that can blow me out of the water academically, but with other "out of the box" thinkers.

Harvard commencement speech by Charlie Monger, http://www.rbcpa.com/mungerspeech_june_95.pdf
Kind of like the above Monger realized he would never be as good at science/math as the star student in his class so he decided to quite school and go into business, now he's a billionaire and one of the smartest men you could ever learn from. Read everything he writes.

And surprisingly enough, 10x Rule by Grant Cardone
Not a great writer but a great message. I'd never heard of this guy, but I am glad to have been exposed to him. Basically an old school salesman, got his start selling cars, then selling "how to sell" packages to car dealers.

His basic message is "When Lehman Brothers fell, we all became salesman... Everything I ever accomplished took 10x the amount of action I thought was required, 10x the hustle, 10x the hours, 10x the energy... Dream 10x bigger than you think you should, says his only regret was not dreaming big enough from the start.

 

[EvanOkanagan]

The most important books are probably the ones I've read many times over many years. The Millionaire Fastlane is one I go back to (and will be reading shortly again).. here are 3 more:

Getting Things Done by David Allen - Best book on productivity I've read and has completely cleared my head when I was going insane from too much workload. I first read this in college and have since read it probably 8-10 times. Have adopted some systems that I've used for years from this book and help my business greatly.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind - Another book that I've read many times and have even been to the free seminars (they try and up sell the shit out of you there of course but good value nonetheless). I grew up in a family with a poor mindset and this helped me change my thinking for the better over repetition. There are some great "wealth principles" that have been cemented in my lifestyle from this book.

The 4-hour workweek - This book gave me the realization that I wanted a business that I could operate from anywhere and detach my time from it. This philosophy has been my driving motivator for financial freedom. Will be reading again very soon.

 

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[Empire]

The Slight Edge - Jeff Olson