Here is my list of the top four books that can help make the coming year your most successful year yet. The tips, insights and new perspectives in
the books below will help you work smarter, plus give you more confidence and energy.
This book by Dilbert cartoonist and bestselling
author Scott Adams is about what works and what doesn’t in the game of life.
This book is packed with fresh insight about the simple things anyone can do to
become successful, and I really enjoyed reading it. “Goals are for losers,
systems are for winners,” Adams likes to say. It sounds jarring and
counter-intuitive, but what he means is, setting up a regular system to follow
is always more effective than setting goals. Goal-oriented people mostly fail
and feel unsatisfied. (Example―if your goal is to lose 20 pounds, you will
constantly think that you are not at your goal until you reach it.) A more
effective and satisfying approach is to set up a system and follow it. This is
a humorous, easy-to-read book with lots of insight and real world perspectives. This
would be an ideal book for someone who has just graduated from college and is
beginning their career — but even someone two decades or more into the working
world will find plenty of ideas to put to use. Click here to buy from Amazon.
Duckworth argues that the key to success isn’t
talent or IQ but a combination of passion and persistence known as “grit.”
Chapter 7 alone — “Practice” — is worth the price of the book. I happened to
read “Grit” while I was training for a strenuous cycling event, and after
reading about the way “gritty” athletes approach practice I changed how I was
training. Duckworth says elite performers practice differently than other
people—they engage in deliberate practice to work on their weaknesses or to
reach specific objectives. So after reading “Grit” I started training with more
intensity, doing focused drills and exercises to build leg strength, cardio,
and mental toughness. The new, “gritty” approach paid off for me, and I
successfully completed the cycling event. Click here to buy from Amazon.
Sometimes it's tempting to skip over classic
books because they seem too old-timey. Whatever you do, do not skip How to Win
Friends & Influence People. For decades, the time-tested advice in this book
has carried countless people up the ladder of success. Among the vital success
tips in this book: the six ways to make people like you; the twelve ways to win
people to your way of thinking; and, the nine ways to change people without
arousing resentment. Adopting only a few of the easy tips to help you get along
with and influence the people in your life can be transformative. Click here to buy from Amazon.
Tribe of Mentors by four-time #1 best-selling
author Tim Ferriss is a vital book for anybody who wants to get to the next
level. Ferriss reached out to more than 100 top performers in the world
(including writers, athletes, business owners, spiritual leaders, actors,
entrepreneurs, investors, and more) to identify the key tips and techniques
they use to be productive and successful. Tribe of Mentors is a handy, invaluable compilation of their secrets for success. Click here to buy from Amazon.
