We all want to be a bit wiser. In my experience, wisdom comes from experience. And experience comes from doing things. In order to gain as much experience and wisdom as possible, you have to get to doing the things in life that will get you where you want to be faster. With that in mind, here are three books that were most inspirational to me and are the foundation for my keystone habits that changed my life.
Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy
In this book, author Brian Tracy shares years of experience and research around the principles and skills necessary to be successful in all areas of your life. He shares with us the various laws of nature out there that we need to be aware of so that we can operate in the best way possible to reach maximum success. He provides step-by-step tips on ways to improve your life and raise your self-esteem. This book will put you in a positive mood and empower you to go out into life and kick its butt. You are in control of your future and Mr. Tracy gives you the skills to build the best one possible by reaching maximum achivement.
Personally, I read this book once a year. It helps center me, makes sure I am doing the right things, and just puts me in a very positive mindset. I feel like it puts me back on track and gives me that reminder I need to stay focused on how to do my best at everything I do.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
This is one of my favorite books on wisdom because it helps people to identify essential things in life that have the biggest impact. It helps people to understand that “less is better” and that we have to find the few essential things in life that have the biggest impact, and then do our best at those few things. It will help you identify the vital few things that are important; eliminate the things that are less important; and then optimize the execution of doing the vital few. This is how you become successful and get the most out of the things that you see as important in life.
I really enjoyed this book because it helped me to see that I don’t have to “have it all.” There are only a few things in life that I truly need and this book helped me understand that. By understanding what I truly need, I can focus on those things for success.
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
This book was one of the books that I read very early on in my days when I picked up reading as a habit. I would also have to say that it was one of the most impactful on my life. This book shows you how to generate powerful results through simple daily practices. The core concept here is that we are capable of doing some simple things everyday that will add up to great outcomes if we are just persistent in doing them. This book can help you discover the activities you need to be successful and then it is on you to do them daily.
This book helped me tremendously. It convinced me that if I can do a few simple actions daily, I can get the bigger outcomes later. Since I have always prided myself on being a hard worker, this approach fit right into my philosophy of hard work. Combining these two philosophies has changed my life. This book was key in helping me write my book. I just agreed to write a little bit each day. Then over time, before I knew it, my book came to life!!!
Bonus Book: Because I Forget
Okay…I know the post said three books, but I am throwing this bonus book in. Because I Forget is the book I wrote, inspired by all the books I have read including The Slight Edge. My book talks about reminding yourself on a daily basis, using mantras, to ensure you are doing the right things every day. The thought behind it is that you can program your mind, using daily mantras, to do the right things when certain situations come up. There is a small gap between an event happening and our response. That small gap is where Because I Forget is most helpful. We want to be able to use that gap to respond more positively to the things that happen around us.
By using the daily mantras from the 5and2Guy and identifying the mantras that will help you with your biggest challenges in life, you can improve your life in amazing ways.
Conclusion
Some of these books could be challenged on how much wisdom is gleaned from them. I put these down as my top recommended books because they are the books that helped me see what I was missing. They gave me the wisdom and knowledge to make the biggest choices in my life and establish keystone habits for the biggest impact on my life. These books can give you what they have given me. You just need to know what you are looking for, be open to receive it, and then work your butt off to do it. I did and so can you!!!