Books that changed my life at 22
There are thousands of books for improving your life. But what books can really shape a millennials life.
To sit down and comprehend what books have really impacted your life is an enormous challenge. Books like Rich Dad Poor Dad and Think and Grow Rich, are books that any business person will tell you to read. But do they really change your life. And at 22 what books actually help.
I have compiled a list of my top 3 books that I believe have impacted my life more then any. I have also included some books which will help and nurture millennials.
Some of these books are consumable by audible, however I would recommend reading them first and getting the reinforcement from audible.
Top 3:
- How to Win Friends and Influence People — Dale Carnegie
One of my most recommended books for anyone would be this. I understand it is common knowledge that this book is great and everyone in business should read it. However, the application of this book spans beyond business. It spans to being a good person.
The principles in this book still resonate today. Although some people say the Carnegie method is “be the person they want you to be” I tend to disagree. Realistically people only care about themselves and they only like talking about themselves. So why not appease them and let them. Also, talking about other peoples interest isn’t a problem nor “blending in” it is showing genuine interest. The days of genuine people are numbered, which is an opportunity for the few who believe in being genuine.
I believe this concept is especially important for my generation. We spend so much time seeing how people are on social media, that we believe thats how they are in real life. We say things like how was this place, how was that night out. Why don’t we ask genuine, thought inspiring questions. For example, I now try to make a point of asking at least one person a day, how their family is, how they are doing with everything, and what they want to do with their life. It is not only thought provoking for them it helps me. This book has some incredibly basic concepts that are to often forgotten. A must read for anyone and a double must read for millennials.
2. I Will Teach You to be Rich — Ramit Sethi
This may seem like a vain and self indulgent choice of title (and choice of book). However, this is one of the best, if not the best practical personal finance books. This book won’t make you rich, it won’t give you a billion dollar idea. It will however teach you how to automate your finances, get out of debt, build wealth and free up your time to build a business. I highly recommend this book to all Millennials, it is perfect for people in this generation. It gives the most benefit as there is more time to build financial independence through these methods.
Everything is laid out in a consumable simple fashion. As it says on the title there is no B.S at all. Ramit does a great job cutting through all the crap other financial gurus offer. This is a book that will get your finances in order to achieve the wealth you dream of. It is a simple formula to follow its just a matter of doing it.
The reason this book changed my life, is it freed up money and time I didn’t know I had. I automated all of my finances, I started building credit, even on $7.25 an hour I built an investment portfolio without checking it every second. A book that will help you with all your financial needs!
3. Outliers — Malcom Gladwell
Do you even write a blog about books if you don’t mention this?
This book is so versatile I would recommend it to anyone in any field. The reason I think it has change my life, is the real examples of success and the reasons behind them. I at first misinterpreted this book. I believed that I couldn’t be successful because I wasn’t born on a certain date or had access to one of the first computers for 10 hours a day (read the book). However, upon later reflection I realized that this book is about perfecting your craft. The principle of 10,000 hours as the minimum to be great at something is the real message. This book is not only a great example of what it takes to be successful, it tells some great stories. Malcom Gladwell has some serious writing talent and I would recommend all of his books, however this is my favorite.
Honorable mentions:
- Rich Dad Poor Dad — Robert Kiyosaki: The reason this book didn’t make the cut is that there is a lot of talk that Kiyosaki is full of crap. At times I believe it, however the book really does shift your thinking and is probably the reason so many people have transformed their lives.
- Be Obsessed or Be Average — Grant Cardone: Read the title and figure it out. This book is incredibly motivating, it really is quite simple put everything into something and you will be successful.
- Buffetology — David Clark and Mary Buffet: An interesting choice, because I am not really in finance. When I wanted to be Jordan Belfort I read this and discovered what it really takes to be an incredible investor like Buffet.
- Leading- Alex Ferguson: I admire Alex Ferguson more than any other footballing legend, for the simple fact his consistency was above all else. The man just won, and this book is an incredible insight into his views of the sport and life.
Others:
The Millionaire Real Estate Agent — Garry Keller, Crush it — Garry Vaynerchuk, Think and Grow Rich — Napoleon Hill, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — Stephen Covey, The ONE Thing — Gary Kelly and Jay Papasan, Awaken the Giant Within — Tony Robbins, The 4 Hour Work Week — Timothy Ferris, The Big Short — Michael Lewis, The Tipping Point — Malcom Gladwell
I have more but I think these are the best I have to offer. I think it is not only the content of the book that you need to look at. You should also look at how do you relate to the Author. Some books I have read have offered absolutely useless and impractical advice, however the person delivering has something about them that inspires something within me. It is a strange feeling, so don’t let poor recommendations ever turn you off, any book read is worth it. You can always learn more.
