Books to Grow Your Mind
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”
Let me be fully honest with you, for most of my life I hated reading. I was always that kid who would watch the movie instead of reading the assigned class book or finding the Coles notes for it. It was always a slow and annoying process for me until one day by chance I found a super interesting book you may know called The Lord of The Rings.
I bought it because it looked cool, and I had heard great things about it from my friends. So, I sat down one day long ago and started reading it because I chose to do so and from that first chapter, I was hooked.
I started reading more books when I could, mostly fantasy books but then as I got older (much older unfortunately) I started reading educational books, self-help books and anything I could find on how to be healthier, stronger, smarter, richer, more successful, and happier.
I found so many books I just had to have. Indigo/Chapters bookstore soon became my favourite store of all time. As my library started to grow, so did my understanding of the world and my success in life.
“Despite the enormous quantity of books, how few people read! And if one reads profitably, one would realize how much stupid stuff the vulgar herd is content to swallow every day.”
Voltaire
There are so many books out there to choose from that cover every topic known to man and the options can be very overwhelming. Just like all things in this new information overload age we live in, sorting out the things that are useful from the total time wasters takes time and a lot of research. To help you out, I have compiled some of the books I’ve read that have been for me, excellent sources of knowledge and entertainment.
TIP: Before buying a book try to read excerpts from it so you know how it’s written and what its tone and style are to see if it’s a book you would enjoy reading. Check out a few reviews as well.
When I buy a book it’s an investment for me, I don’t plan on selling it later, so I get to do with it as I please. I like to underline key sentences with a ruler and pencil to highlight important info. I dog-ear key pages; I make small notes in the columns to summarize or call out points.
This is great for quick references and refreshers later and fun to concur with what I thought was valuable when I re-read the book later. I know this may freak out a lot of book collectors like Elinor from Ink Spell, but I too love books and they mean a lot to me, I just like to truly make them my own, my way.
People say "knowledge without action/power is useless" because knowledge alone does not lead to meaningful change or impact.
Having knowledge without applying it or having the power to use it effectively renders it inert.
Here are the first books on growing your mind that I highly recommend
THINK AND GROW RICH by Napoleon Hill
This book has been around for a very long time, selling over 15 million copies and for good reason. What it teaches on mindset, and how to think will transform your life. It shares the secret of success in anything you do, over 100 times throughout the book but in a way that is a little coded so that you can only reveal the secret to success when you are ready for it.
HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE by Dale Carnegie
This is also an old book but 100% relevant today and has been in print for over 80 years helping people change their lives for the better the whole time. I love the way Dale gives you invaluable ways to communicate with people tied in with relevant stories that make the key lessons relatable and easy to understand.
PITCH ANYTHING by Oren Klaff
This book is ideal for anyone who is looking to sell something in the most effective, efficient, and successful ways possible. And this applies to not just salespeople but EVERYONE. We are all selling something (trying to convince someone) all the time be it selling a car or selling the idea of why you want to buy this car to your wife. It is so well-written and fun to read.
THE ONE THING by Jay Papasan
I love this book and have read it 4 times now. It is a really great read and a book that will help transform how you think and work in very profound ways. Jay does an excellent job at illustrating his points and messaging in fantastic ways that you can fully appreciate and comprehend all to simplify your life and to get the most out of your precious time.
COMPANY OF ONE by Paul Jarvis
This book has opened my mind to vast new possibilities on how to live a more successful life with a whole new and somewhat radical approach to earning money and working. Paul mixes great stories with powerful insights that will motivate you and get you excited to completely change the way you work and live.
REMEMBER by Lisa Genova
This book does an amazing job of explaining how the brain works, how our memories work and why they don’t. Lisa is a wonderful author who really knows how to walk you through the best ways to improve your memory and maximize how to have the strongest, healthiest brain ever.