It’s amazing what can happen in a year. But it’s not about the time, it’s about the effort we put in.
When I started studying personal development about ten years ago, I had no idea where it would take me. 700 books, 100 audio programs, 50 DVD trainings, plus hundreds of articles later, here I am – a bestselling author of the book, The One Thing That Changed Everything with Kyle Wilson, Jim Rohn’s 18-year business partner, Ron White, two-time USA memory champion and many other amazing entrepreneurs.
I have written for Inc.com, Huff Post, CEOWORLD Magazine, Influencive, Thrive Global, Addicted2Success, and of course the Good Men Project, as well as Success Profiles Magazines.
It’s amazing what can happen in a year. But it’s not about the time, it’s about the effort we put in.
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Now I find myself being invited on various podcasts to share my thoughts on productivity, time management and success. This week alone, I was on Brian Kelly’s The Body Mind Business Podcast which was my first ever live broadcast, and Kent Sanders’ podcast. One of the things I love about podcasts is I not only am challenged to put my thoughts into words, but also because I learn something new every time I’m on.
During our live broadcast, Brian Kelly said something that stuck in my mind and I wanted to share it with you. In his 20s, Brian was in his mentor’s office one day, and his mentor said “If people just did one thing, they’d be successful.” He walked over to a cabinet and opened it. What was inside? Books!
Brian ignored that advice for two years. I can relate.
There is magic in reading. But there are three important components that take reading to the next level – good books, notes and action.
So, for those reading this that want to change their lives, here are nine books to get started with. Each one was selected specifically because they are short, easy-to-read books. There are plenty of great books out there, but I’ve found it best to start with the easy ones first and build up.
Part one – Good books
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
- The Third Door by Alex Banayan
- The Tao of Warren Buffet by Mary Buffet and David Clark
- The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
- Today’s the Day by Jim Stovall
- Winning Without Intimidation by Bob Burg
- The Book of Mistakes by Skip Prichard
- Rich Woman by Kim Kiyosaki
- The Millionaire Messenger by Brendon Burchard
These books may be short, but they pack a punch.
Part two – Take good notes
Ideas are just that until you take action. That’s where the real magic happens.
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There’s no excuse today for not having at least a file on your computer of the best ideas you found in the book. You can do it audibly if you like. Personally, I like to highlight the beep out of my book, and write notes along the side then when I’m finished, I type them all up. Why do I go through all the trouble? Because once I’ve got them on my computer, searching is a snap.
Part three – Take action
The authors of these books didn’t just write them to become rich and famous. They wrote them in hopes that people would take what they learned from reading the books and use them. Ideas are just that until you take action. That’s where the real magic happens.
In life, success in any venture or field, whether you’re a business person or athlete requires hard work. It’s not sexy. It’s not cool, but it does work. However, hard work alone rarely gets the job done. Millions of people work hard day in and day out, and still struggle.
Books contain wisdom of millionaires and billionaires, and all we need to do is read them.
Photo by Chris Benson on Unsplash