Help Yourself and Others by Reading These Books

I’ve listed the most impactful non-fiction books I’ve read recently, arranged by topic and ordered alphabetically, to benefit anyone who wants to improve themselves or others around them. My mission is to help you clarify your vision and execute on it.

Two years ago friends, students, and colleagues were coming to me for similar advice. They would say, “I don’t know what I want in life and even if I did, I don’t know how to get it.” I didn’t know either so I got a shitload of books, an Audible account, a library card, and made it my mission to help them.

I embarked on a journey of self-discovery and self-improvement, and shared lessons I learned. I set goals and surrounded myself with high performers who further inspired me to improve mentally, physically, spiritually, and economically. I reached my goals: I received a promotion at work, earned six figures, got married, and helped build friends’ businesses on the side. For me, success is defined as, “happiness derived from good relationships, and achieving personal goals,” and my motto is, “Help others help others.”

An example of how a book on this list had an impact. A 29 year old man complained that he suffered from “Impostor’s Syndrome” and was frozen by inaction. He was unable to take risks in his career and felt, “completely lost, unmoored, and down.” I shared some insights I gained from Six Pillars of Self Esteem, namely that he had low self esteem, and that he could improve it with consistent effort, as I had done for myself. I recommended he do the written exercises in the book. He told me, “The book is life changing. I’m on week 9 of the exercises and loving every minute, every sentence and every weekend recap.” He has maintained momentum and is finding further success in his ventures. Knowledge is powerful.

There is a quick path to success: focus and friendship. The more focused energy we put into helping others, the better we become. If you agree and want to contribute to others’ success, then read some books, do something meaningful, and give attention to those in need. They’ll do the same for you.

 

Click the Titles to buy it on Amazon. If you want a full summary of a specific book please tell me and I’ll transcribe my notes and publish a post.

Books on Personal Development:

• Extreme Ownership by Leif Babin and Jocko Willink
  • Motivational: Written by some Seal Team dudes. Good war stories and actionable advice. No excuses, be a leader.
• Moving the Needle; Get Clear, Get Free, and Get Going by Joe Sweeney
  • If you want to get clear on your vision and how to get there, this is THE blueprint for getting your life in gear. Step by step guide to goal-setting, planning, and executing.
• Relentless by Tim S. Grover
  • Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant’s trainer describes how to be a top performer. This book gets to the truth of what it takes to be the best. It’s scary-good.
• Social Wealth by Jason Treu
  • How to build a valuable network and why it’s a good idea.
• StrengthsFinder 2.0
  • If you’re stuck and don’t know what you should be doing, this book is a good start. Explains why you should focus on strengths. Comes with a digital survey that tells you what your top strengths are.
• The Six Pillars of Self Esteem by Dr. Nathaniel Brandon
  • If you feel depressed and worthless, learn how to build strong self esteem and emotional security in yourself and others.
• Your Brain at Work by David Rock
  • Need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your mind so you can optimize your day? The most valuable book I’ve ever read. An owner’s manual of the human brain. Boosted my productivity 3x.
• Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
  • My favorite book on how and why to meditate.

Books on Business:

• Customer Centric Selling by John Holland and Michael Bosworth
  • Sales: The gold standard of sales training. A must-read to get the fundamentals.
• Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff
  • Business: Provides a framework for pitching, negotiating, and winning. Highly recommended.
• Rework by Jason Fried
  • Startup: Lean Business lessons distilled into easy-to-digest maxims. I love it. Especially useful for software ventures.
• Slicing Pie by Mike Moyer
  • Startup: A model of how to allocate equity fairly.
• The Challenger Sale by Brent Adamson and Matthew Dixon
  • Sales: A great follow up book to “Customer Centric Selling.” Prescribe a solution for the customer after asking them consultative questions.
• The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank
  • Startup: Blueprint of how to discover and validate customers and build a customer-centric business. This book laid the groundwork for “The Lean Startup” by Eric Reis
• The Lean Startup by Eric Reis
  • Startup: A must read for anyone who wants to start a business. Get the fundamentals here.

Books on Verbal and Written Communication:

• Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson
  • How to stay calm and get the most out of difficult discussions. Powerful tools in this book.
• Steal the Show by Michael Port
  • How to give a great presentation, speech, or interview; step by step. Take notes.
• The Copywriter’s Handbook by Bob Bly
  • How to make money by writing sales material.
• The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
  • The hero’s journey, how to create a story, and learn about ancient cultural traditions. I recommend the audiobook.
• The Well-Fed Writer by Peter Bowerman
  • How to set up a freelance writing business.
• WNW Power Vocabulary by Richard Read
  • How to deconstruct words to understand them, and recall words more easily. Short and easy. I recommend the audiobook.
• Writing with Style by John Trimble
  • A must read for anyone who writes anything. It’s not about you, stupid, it’s about the reader. Take notes.

Books on History and Philosophy:

• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
  • Don’t ask what you want from the world, ask the world what it wants from you. A true story about a concentration camp prisoner and the life lessons he learned. This is a must read.
• Mastery by Robert Greene
  • Get a mentor, be an apprentice, love what you do, and never quit. Uses historical figures as case studies.
• Zealot by Reza Aslan
  • Jesus of Nazareth, the man, was a revolutionary shaped by the times. Another viewpoint of history and Christianity.