July 2020 update: 6 and a half years after sharing my success reading list, it’s still relevant! I found myself thinking about it and wanting to update it with more gems. See the update below.
New journeys require new tools
When I embarked on journey of self-employment, almost 5 years ago, I went on a mission to educate myself about success. I got caught up in all the fantastic things I was learning about business, finance, personal effectiveness and ultimately, about myself. So much so that, I can probably count on my 2 hands, the number of fiction books that I’ve read during this period.
Over the past few months, as I establish my second business, I find myself ramping things up and making this reading part of my daily routine – at least 30-45 mins every day. The difference I’m experiencing in my mindset, my behaviour and my results is not a coincidence. When wiser, more seasoned and more successful people talk about swapping some TV time for reading – they’re not trying to rob you of joy! They know how they got where they are. So I’m going to retrace their steps (these days I catch up on TV on Sundays when I’m doing my hair … but, that’s a whole other post).
Below is a working success reading list – books that I’ve found very useful, as a creative entrepreneur.
We can have both (creative satisfaction and prosperity). Here’s to no more starving artists!
A success reading list
Mindset
- 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness: Power Ideas from America’s Foremost Business Philosopher by Jim Rohn
- Money, a Love Story: Untangle Your Financial Woes And Create The Life You Really Want by Kate Northrup
- The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
- The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
- The Magic by Rhonda Byrne
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth by T. Harv Eker
- Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes
Creativity
- A Way of Being Free by Ben Okri
- The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
- Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon
Personal effectiveness
- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
- Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle by Jim Rohn
- Goals!: How to Get Everything You Want – Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible by Brian Tracy
- How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoffrey Colvin
- The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life by Robin Sharma
- The Life Plan by Shannah Kennedy
- The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness by Jeff Olson and John David Mann
- The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield
Business
- Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
- The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
Money
- Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach their Kids about Money that the Poor and Middle Class do Not by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Multiple categories/other
- Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy Ferriss
What books do you recommend? What are you reading right now? Share in the comments section below.
Related posts:
- 5 things I wish I knew when I started my creative business
- 31 income streams for creatives
- 7 common excuses that prevent our success (demolished with the help of Jim Rohn)
- Great Girls in African Literature that your Daughter Should Know
