Today, let us unpack the myth that self-help books are boring. It is also a common belief that these books cover the same issues and their language has been dipped in hyperbole, often selling fake motivation. This is not only false but also an attempt to keep most members of the bookish community ignorant. In case you have been seeking to give this genre a try, here is a list of five books that have helped in my journey of becoming. If you give them a chance you will feel transformed in thought, habit and belief. Enjoy.
Highly ranking is ; ‘ Sell or be Sold,’ by Grant Cardone. This book, dives into the different ways to get your way in business and in life. It is a perfect read for any person in leadership, or a salesperson and an entrepreneur. This read brings to our attention that our ability or inability to sell and negotiate impacts our survival. It does not only answer the question on sales but the ability to cause people to accept a product or an idea. The most profound lesson from this book is that one has to be sold on their product. Whether you deal in a product, a service you have to believe in it. This is because once you are sold on your product, then you will love your customers enough to learn how to hard sell. In this book, we are also reminded that there is no shortage of money; if you start looking for prosperity and abundance, you will see that these things exist around you. Selling is an important art, because if you are not selling, you are being sold. I highly recommend this read, it is an impactful read that will transform you. P. S You don’t have to be in sales. This book provides an ultimate cheat-code to life.
Second on the list is, ‘ Napoleon Hill’s keys to success,’ by Napoleon Hill. This book has seventeen principles that contribute to success. One of the greatest lessons was on controlling our enthusiasm ; in this book you will learn about that it is imperative to control your enthusiasm for instance , it boosts the intensity of your thinking and imagination. Napoleon Hill also adds that when we are overly enthusiastic we may talk about ourselves too much causing us to monopolize conversations and often when we talk about ourselves all the time, people won’t advise us in case we need it. He talks about adversity, we are all uncomfortable with the thought of adversity . He adds that adversity is something we all experience; defeat and failure are part of our journey. When it happens to us we need to see it as a temporary event through which our mistakes have been pointed to us. Through the book, we learn that some of the benefits of defeat include; revealing and breaking bad habits, replacing vanity and arrogance with humility, driving one to take an inventory of assets and liabilities and lastly, strengthening ones willpower. This book, is for anyone in their journey of becoming. The style of writing will have you glued from the first principle to the last. I can not recommend it enough.
In case you are in your healing journey, I highly recommend, ‘ When you are ready, this is how you heal, ‘ by Brianna Weist. In this book, the author takes us through the journey of dealing with our wounds, moving past our pain, agony and hurt and finally healing. I want us to know that not all wounds are romantic. The chapter that stood out for me was on being kind to yourself. It is clear that kindness is not a synonym with being nice. However, being kind to yourself involves doing that thing that you would rather not do, this involves giving priority to your future self over current wants. Being kind to yourself involves being aware of patterns that are self-destructing and this leads to the pursuit of healing. Finally when you are ready , you take on the journey of healing, which is more of a maze than it is linear. This book, really healed and consequently affirmed me . I was also able to pick a number of affirmations from this book. I would describe it as a transformative read. I highly recommend this book.
Let us look at Paulo Coelho’s ,’The Alchemist.’ This book is based on the story of a boy called Santiago, I really loved the story of this shepherd boy. Each step of the journey had countless yet priceless lessons to pick. My favourite part of the plot was when he was working at the crystal shop. Santiago lets us in to the principle of favourability, he says that when luck is on our side we have to take advantage while we still have the luck. I also love how despite the changes and detours in his journey, he remains relentless. My favourite line in the book is ,’ not everyone can see his dreams come true in the same way.’ That statement was very liberating and affirming. This is a pretty easy and equally short read, I recommend it highly.
Lastly, ‘The Diary of a CEO,’by Steven Bartlett . This book borrows majorly from the podcast, the diary of a CEO. It has thirty three laws on business and life. It is packed with lessons and because I would like for you to go and read the book let me share two take aways and a favourite quote from the book. My greatest take away was that pressure is a priviledge, and it only occurs to those who earn it. The second one was that in the event of failure or any challenge do not be an ostrich, burying your head; face the pain as it is inevitable. My favourite quote,’ If you don’t care about the tiny details, you will produce bad work, because good work is the culmination of hundreds of tiny details. The world’s most successful people sweat the small stuff.’ I highly recommend this book as it covers all matters life, you will be challenged and informed through this book.
These are some of the books that I have to be so impactful in my reading journey. There are more books that have not made it to this list, I would love it if you comment on the book that impacted you the most. If you loved these suggestions, comment and I will give an additional list. Thank you for reading and happy new month.
