Reading

free online school“Being rich isn’t about money. Being rich is a state of mind.” Harvey Mackay

There are a million quotes that allude to this idea, but this one is the most blunt and direct (which is why I like it).

Being rich isn’t about money, it’s about having the time to do the things you love without being concerned about money. The methods I teach aren’t intended to make you fabulously wealthy, they are intended to give you passive income streams that give you true freedom. Once your passive income level matches your ideal lifestyle, that is when you are truly rich.

I’ve been a bookworm my entire life (not a nerd though!) and I am still astonished by people that never read at all.  Reading has brought me more financial success, perspective on life, and personal happiness than I could ever have hoped to achieve on my own: why not learn from the greatest minds in human history, directly from their lips?

Here are some of my most highly recommended books ever, for financial success, personal philosophy, and good ol’ pleasure reading.  It’s really hard to not keep adding books, so I narrowed it down to my absolute favorites.

Entrepreneurship

The 4-Hour Workweek – Tim Ferriss – My absolute favorite book about entrepreneurship, philosophy, and life.  How to develop passive income through businesses that you create and then set on autopilot.

 

 

The E Myth Revisited – Michael Gerber – Another excellent book on entrepreneurship and how to avoid the usual pitfalls when starting your own business.  You must focus on running the business from the outside, not get sucked into becoming an integral part of it and letting it take over your life.

 

Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki – His philosophy mainly revolves around generating passive income through investments in things that are already making money (i.e. don’t follow the conventional wisdom that things like houses and cars are investments).  Great insight into how to think about investments.

Self Improvement

How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie – A great and wonderful guide on the positive impact of effective and open communication.  This is especially handy when you are in the (sometimes uncomfortable) position of being somebody’s boss!

 

 

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey – This book is a classic that focuses on being more effective in your personal and professional life, thus improving your happiness and levels of success.  I’m also a fan of “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” but I wanted to add a different author to this list!

 

Who Moved my Cheese? – Spencer Johnson – This book is really cool because instead of being a traditional self improvement book with direct advice, it shows us our human follies through a parable.  A very fun read that demonstrates the importance of being able to deal with change.

Economics

The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell – A fascinating book with case studies about when an idea crosses a threshold making it go from relatively obscure to extremely well known.

 

 

Freakonomics – Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner – These two authors use massive amounts of statistical data to make astonishing discoveries about the world that go against the usual conventional wisdom.

 

 

The World is Flat – Thomas Friedman – Explains several of the economic forces moving the world today, as well as the steady progression toward a more interconnected world, and the ever increasing availability of outsourcing.

Fitness

The 4-Hour Body – Tim Ferriss – “An uncommon guide to rapid fat loss, incredible sex, and becoming superhuman.”  That’s the self-description of the book, but I tend to agree. Simply put, it’s the only fitness book you’ll ever need.

 

 

Born to Run – Chris McDougall –  I know I said the 4-Hour Body was the only fitness book you’ll ever need, but after reading this, I had to add it to the list!  A must read if you are a regular runner (which I am) in terms of fixing your form, but also a great story on top of it.

Classics

I tried writing why I liked these books and what made them great like I did with the books above, but my little descriptions weren’t doing them justice.  Everyone should make an effort to read as many of the literary classics as that they can.  I’ve only made a small dent into that giant list, but of those that I have read, these are my favorites.

Catch-22 – Joseph Heller

 

 

 

Candide – Voltaire

 

 

 

One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

 

 

 

1984 – George Orwell

 

 

 

Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut

 

 

 

Narcissus and Goldmund – Hermann Hesse

 

 

 

A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole

Other Favorites

A Game of Thrones – George R.R. Martin – This is the first book of the most brilliantly written series ever.  I LOVE this series (and I usually HATE fantasy books haha)! I’d also like to PROUDLY announce that I was one of the people who read the book series way before the HBO series came out. 😉

 

 

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams – The premise of this book series is that in a universe that is indefinite in length and endless in time, nothing is ever impossible, just improbable.  These books are hysterical.

 

A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking – By one of the leading scientists of our generation, but written in terms that us regular humans can understand (at least somewhat anyway!), we learn about the wonders and immensity of the universe we live in.  Not only is it fascinating, but it also keeps our egos in check and is a good reminder that we probably shouldn’t take ourselves so seriously!

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes – Bill Watterson – I’ve read and reread these comics since I was a kid and I’m continually amazed by how insightful about life they are. I consider these comics to be the ultimate source of all wisdom.

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