"You dropped a hundred and fifty grand on an education you coulda got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the Public Library."
- Will Hunting (Matt Damon) in Good Will Hunting
Do you remember that quote from the movie? It was funny because Matt Damon uses it to tell off an arrogant jerk, but it resonated because it spoke to a larger, simple truth: you can get a fine education and change your whole life with nothing more than the right collection of books.
I love reading - specifically books that are inspiring or motivating, and geared towards self-help or business help. I always have a book going, because I'm always trying to improve myself.
Actually, I'd be remiss not to say this first: everything starts with self-analysis.
If you want to know what to read to be successful, here it is: Read into yourself.
The following 10 must read books, in addition to their stated subjects, will help you do that in one way or another. And they're all "soft toss" books; they're easy reads, and they don't offer complicated lessons. They don't try to teach you how to hit a home run. They teach you how to make contact and string together a few hits, so you can "win" over the long haul. I'm not saying you should necessarily read all ten- just that these ten were all tremendously helpful to me in my journey (in no particular order):
Swim with the Sharks by Harvey Mackay
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Greatest Success in the World by Og Mandino
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
How to Sell Anybody Anything by Joe Girard
Sell Your Way to the Top by Zig Ziglar
Discovering the Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard
Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray
All of these books emphasize the little things. They help show you that, generally speaking, success comes from being a better person, not taking people for granted, and getting in touch with your spiritual side.
What's on your list of must reads??
