I have a huge love affair with books and reading. I am a voracious reader and have been most of my life. A few years ago the job I had took me on the road A LOT. I spent 10s of thousands of miles in the air and around 150 nights a year in a hotel room. While that much travel certainly had its drawbacks it also had its rewards (air miles, hotel points and sightseeing). It also came with the added advantage of hours and hours and hours of reading.
At the time I would average a book a week. Since leaving that job I left behind the air miles and hotel points but I retained the reading schedule. In fact, thanks to Audible and their 2x capabilities, I have actually increased the amount of book content that I can consume. I now average about 1 ½ books a week sharing time between my Kindle Paperwhite and Audible (in Automobile University :)) Because of this schedule I have read close to 350 “business” (nonfiction) books in the last 10 years.
From ALL THAT reading, I have learned 2 huge things- 1) there are a lot of great books out there and 2) the more you read the better you can do your job, engage with your family, interact with friends and colleagues – in short….reading makes you a better person.
So this week I am sharing the “Essential Eight”, the 8 books that have had the biggest impact on my growth and development, my motivation and inspiration. Today is the blog but on Thursday I dive even deeper into these books on my podcast. When it goes live you can listen to it here (goes live on March 12th — episode 021).
The Essential Eight are books that I believe must be read, reread and implemented into your life (they are all favorites so I ordered them in alphabetical by author)
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Dr. Stephen R. Covey – Had a huge impact on helping to start Family Before Fortune. I think is better and more applicable than his other “Habits” book. (read more here)
- The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy- I have a very detailed routine that I follow with my goal setting and weekly accountability. That discipline comes from multiple readings of this great book on building step by step to success. (read more here)
- Winners Never Cheat by Jon M. Huntsman- Talk about an example of integrity, Jon Huntsman walks through a number of real world scenarios where cheating and dishonesty seemed the easiest course. He became a billionaire philanthropist through hard work and never compromising. (read more here)
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek- There is no better book on the sales cycle and creating lifelong raving fans than Start With Why. It is a must read for any business and employee. (read more here)
- Smartcuts by Shane Snow- You may have heard me rave about this book on my podcast (episode 012). This book was so transformational for me that I read it twice…back to back. The premise is how the most successful rise to the top of their game through strategic “shortcuts with integrity” (smartcuts). (read more here)
- The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall- A short but impactful parable about a young man discovering his value through lessons his deceased uncle Red left as his inheritance. (read more here)
- Rule #1 Investing by Phil Town- I think the easiest to understand investment book on the market. Rule #1 comes from Warren Buffett’s famous quote about investing “Rule #1- Never lose money. Rule #2- Never forget rule #1. (read more here)
- See You at The Top by Zig Ziglar- If you know me then this comes as no surprise. I love anything and everything from Zig and this book launched his career. The motivation and inspiration needed to reach your full potential and a blueprint for making it happen. (read more here)
Honorable Mentions- I wanted to throw in a couple of highly impactful books that just missed being included in the “Essential Eight”. Too bad we didn’t make it the “Tremendous Ten”
- 3 books with equal influence The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand