The Books You Read

One of the modern day personal development coaches and mentors, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones stated that “You are the same today as you’ll be in five years except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read”. I wanted to expand on Charlie’s quote by stating that “Your future success will depend on the choices you make today – your thoughts, your attitude, the people you meet, the books you read, the plans you make and the actions you take!”

Learning is the foundation of a personal development program. Books can provide you with mental growth and the ability to learn from other people’s experiences.  They can also provide you with self-education where the learnings can be applied to your work and personal life.

I am a believer of establishing a professional development library and slowly building a wealth of knowledge for yourself and your family. The first step in starting your library is to write a list of the books you feel will make a difference to your self-education and personal development. If you cannot afford to establish your own professional development library then I would suggest you subscribe to your local public library.

Senior executives of successful corporations and high achievers generally read at least one book per month, while a proportion will read up to four books per month.

Following is my list of the top 10 books that would add value to your self-education or personal development program. I have focused my list on the proven classics but have also included some modern classics (for further information on each book click onto the title below):

1. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
2. As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
3. The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel
4. The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason
5. The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles
6. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
7. The Greatest Salesman in the World By Og Mandino
8. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
9. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
10. 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness by Jim Rohn

What would your reading list of the top 10 books look like? Go ahead – add your list as a comment.

Make it a great day!

Dr John Kapeleris