Recommended Reading
As the seasons change from fall to winter it’s typical for me to feel a little blue. Can you blame me? Living in Pennsylvania means that the sun is going to disappear for weeks at a time and the lush green grass will soon be covered by layers of snow and ice. I love being outside, but my interest in doing so drops as quickly as the temperature this time of year.
To maintain my optimistic and productive state of mind this winter, I decided to turn my attention to a special section of my bookshelf. This section is reserved for books that I’ve wanted to read all year long, but haven’t had time to actually do so. I’ve read a lot of books from this section recently and I strongly believe that 5 of them deserve a spot on your bookshelf as well.
The 4-Hour Workweek
I wrote a review of the 4-Hour Workweek back in September. At the time it was #1 on the New York Times Best-Seller List, and I just finished listening to the audiobook during my daily commute. Since then, I bought the hardback and reread it because of the impact it had the first time.
Timothy Ferris, a first time author, really hit a home-run here. In the book he discusses a new class of people, “The New Rich”, and how they are those that are not focused on how many commas are in their bank statements or how many exotic cars are in their driveway; instead they enjoy a luxurious lifestyle through effective use time and mobility. Tim continues by teaching effective time management and how to increase your productivity so that you are not working every hour of every day for the rest of your life.
This book played a large part in my decision to try to go out on my own and for that I cannot recommend it enough.
The Dip
I first heard about this impressive little book on Shoemoney and felt that the subject matter was quite appropriate for what I was going through in my life at the time. I was at a point professionally where I wasn’t happy with my day job and felt that I would be better suited if the organization and I parted ways.
The Dip, by Seth Godin, made it all too clear that I should do exactly that; it’s talks at length about knowing when to quit and when to power through situations, “the dip”, to become the best in the world. It’s a real easy read and makes some excellent points that has helped me to trim the fat in my personal and professional life to get the most out of what really matters.
Blink
Blink is about the first two seconds of looking, that first instant of an experience, and how you react to it. Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink discusses how we are equipped with an “adaptive unconscious” that provides us with an instantaneous diagnosis of our surroundings and informs us of how to act accordingly. While this is a great tool to become aware of, he also examines the negative of relying solely on this sense to make decisions. Citing tragic real-life examples, Gladwell, provides exposure into just how dangerous this type of reaction can be.
Every entrepreneur trusts their gut for decision-making, and Blink is all about getting in tune with your unconscious and understanding how it is helping you to make the right decisions on the spot.
Rocky Stories
We’re all familiar with the infamous scene in Rocky. You know the one. It’s early in the morning, just before Rocky’s big fight and he triumphantly scales the steps leading up the the Philadelphia Museum of Art and leaps into the air to celebrate his conquest and reflect on how far he has come in his training. If you haven’t seen the movie (WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN HIDING) then search YouTube for “Rocky Steps” to see what I mean.
Since the debut of Rocky in 1976, people from all over the World have traveled to these famed steps to follow in Rocky’s footsteps and conquer the stairs. Michael Vitez decided to sit atop these steps for a year and capture the victors at the moment that they crest the last step and interview each person to find out why these steps were an important conquest for them. The stories contained within the book are about real people overcoming real problems and brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face at several points. This book is a source of inspiration for all who read it, and have definitely inspired me to make a detour on my next trip through Philadelphia!
How To Win Friends And Influence People
Before my father decided to run his own business he was an insurance salesman, and a damn good one at that. When I was a child we had a cupboard full of his employee of the month plaques. If my memory serves me correctly, he held the title for nearly every month over the three years that he was with the company. When he took the job, one of the required readings was a book by Dale Carnegie entitled How To Win Friends And Influence People. It was a book that my father swore by and kept on his shelf for years to come.
Five years ago my parents moved, and I came across my dad’s 1981 copy of the book while unpacking his office. Intrigued, I borrowed the book, and read through it in a day. Since then, a copy has earned a permanent place on my bookshelf. Simply put, it’s a book that will stand the test of time. This book is all about convincing people to listen to you without becoming hostile or angry. It’s a great book if you’re dealing with frustrated/frustrating people on a daily basis, like when I used to work on a technical support helpdesk.
My customer interactions have decreased slightly since I went off on my own so I thought it was time once again to dust off the book and leaf through the pages. If you haven’t read this book yet, you’re missing out.
Recommend A Book
I love to read, and am always interested in suggestions from like-minded people. If there’s a book that you can’t stop talking about and can read over and over again let me know. Also, if you purchase any of the above books, I would love to hear what you think. Stop back, leave a comment or use the contact form…let’s chat!
Great post. Very informative, thanks.
I am part way through ‘How to make friends and influence people’ and i was suprised at how obvious some of the things were. One part stood out alot.
‘If i focused on trying to like people instead of trying to make people like me i would have more friends in 2 months than i would in a year’
Its so true, we put alot of effort into trying to make people like us when all we need to do is show genuine interest in the other person.. Oh well.
Great list, i’ll have to grab a few of the unfamiliar ones. :)
Think I’ll be making a trip to Barnes & Noble tonight. Thanks for the recommendations.
This is unrelated to the post, but I have a great idea for someone in internet entrepreneureal pursuits.
You know how websites have page “hit” tickers, to let you know how popular the website is?
I was thinking, since you are just really getting into the thick of it, you should put a “money” counter on the website instead of a hit ticker. That way, people can see the amazing things you are doing.
You could even include graphs of the money to show the advantage of going into business yourself.
again, i apologize for this not being pertinent to the title of this posting, but I wanted to get my idea out there for you. For people that see your site, it would be a pretty new concept to show a live ticker of the money you are making.
Perhaps just gross receipts and nothing else so that you aren’t advertising your income after deductions, credits, losses etc.
Thank you
The ‘E-Myth’ is also a good book - not directly related to one man internet businesses - but still a very interesting read, especially if you are currently making money off the internet in your spare time, and intend to give up your job and do it full time!
Hey Rob!
Thanks for the great list! I knew about some of these. I read “The Dip” recently and I have to admit that, while Seth tells you that he will make it perfectly clear when you can tell if you are in a ‘dip’ rather than a cul-de-sac, cliff, etc. I never really got that out of the book.
I will look up some of these that I didn’t know about/haven’t read yet.
I got two gift certificates to Borders for Christmas so I’m going shopping soon!
I wanted to tell you about “Prophecy” by Robert Kiyosaki. I read it twice and I will probably read it again.
I think it is required reading for anyone who expects to live where money is the exchange. Robert talks about some important concepts about what is coming and how to prepare for it.
And there’s so many more. Anything by Robert is a very good foundation for Financial Intelligence - something very few of us ever get training in.
While not directly related to Internet Marketing, I think Robert’s books help you develop mind-set. That is at least as important.
What if you somehow learn a way to earn (or luck into) millions? How do you hang onto it when your normal modus operandi is living paycheck to paycheck?
It’s a disconnect for most people.
That is what developing the Millionaire Mindset is all about.
It won’t hurt, promise!
Pam Hoffman
pamhoffman@cox.net
949-218-4849
http://seminarlist.blogspot.com
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