As some of you know, I am an avid reader. I read everything; blogs, magazines, novels, biographies, self help, ebooks, and short stories. I’ve found that you can learn much about life through all of these mediums.
I first began reading self improvement books back in college. I can honestly say my life has improved ten fold since taking up the habit of continually reading on how to better different areas of my life. I was lucky enough to have an uncle who pushed me towards these types of books, and friends who were equaully interested in these subjects.
TSB is not just about improving your love life, sleeping with more women, or making your more attractive to the opposite sex. TSB is about helping you create a lifestyle that fosters these things and more. Having the ability to attract a beautiful woman is meaningless if you are not living a complete and happy life.
I thought that I would share some of the books that I’ve read over the years that helped me grow into the person I am today. These books vary in themes from personal finance, to spirituality, to handling people.
5 Must Have Self Improvement Books
How to Win Friends and Influence People: I read this book for the first time back in college when I was living in a party house with 1o friends. As fun as living with 10 like minded guys can be, it also presented me with some pretty tough situations and circumstances. I read Carnegie’s book my sophomore year, and can honestly say no book has made such an immediate impact on my life. The book perfectly breaks down what drives human behavior. And once you understand how people are motivated it is much easier to deal with them.
The book also taught me valuable lessons like: You can never win an argument. This realization alone will make your life a whole lot simpler. Although you can’t win an argument this book gives you all the tools you need to convert someone to your way of thinking. The results are genius and immediate. If you apply the principles in this book on a daily basis you will have more friends, get further in life, and be a respected and well liked person.
Your Erroneous Zones: I read this book my junior year of college. This book is no such much about handling people as it is about handling your self. Your erroneous zones, as Dr. Wayne Dyer puts it, over the erroneous ideas that have been instilled in your mind since the day you were born. These ideas were fostered by everyone in society who has not realized the error of their ways.
This book will show you the uselessness of guilt and worry, it will condemn the need to seek approval and validation, it will show that the only true happiness occurs in the moment. Some people suffer more than others from these erroneous beliefs… my biggest problem in life always stemmed from my constant worrying and living inside my head too often. This was the first book that really enlightened me to the realization that I was wasting precious moments.
Rich Dad Poor Dad: This book is the Double your Dating of personal finance. The book will not give you concrete examples of how to improve your financial situation, but it will awaken you to the fact that everything you’ve been taught about money is probably wrong. Just as DeAngelo’s book will spark a confident awareness in your love life, Rich Dad will spark that same awareness in your financial life.
I read this book a year or two after graduating college. At the time I was waiting tables debating what I wanted to do with my life. After reading this book I realized that I had many more choices than I first assumed. I can not say that this book has made me rich yet… but I can say that it set me on a path to getting there.
Real Magic: If there is a such thing as magic this book got me closer to experiencing it than any other time in my life. Most people are aware of the principles taught in the book “the secret.” The principles revolve around creating a picture of what you want in your mind, and revisiting it over and over until you get it. Although I always trusted this idea I never dedicated myself to fulfilling it until reading Real Magic.
At the time I was hopelessly in love with a girl who viewed me as a friend and let me know over and over again that she did not see me as anything more than a friend. At the instruction of Dr. Dyer I created a vision of myself with her romantically and held it in my mind. What I didn’t do was plan how it was going to happen, as that is what I always got hung up on in the past. Dr. Dyer instructed me to see it, feel it, and know that I already possess it. I kept this in my mind for a month leading up to a trip I was taking with “my friend.” The first night together we wound up kissing. It happened magically without the planning and self guessing that usually went along with my attempts. If you knew the situation as I had, you would believe in magic too.
48 Laws of Power: This book is dangerous if put in the wrong hands. Much of this book is based on manipulation and control. While I can’t say that I have never used the principles to my advantage, I try not to use them for self serving purposes.
Why I recommend reading this book is to learn how other people are manipulating and controlling you. I had a girl in my life who wreaked complete havoc on my mind. I was wrapped up with winning the “war” I was battling with her. After reading this book I realized what it was that she was doing that had such control over me. By realizing what she was doing I was able to protect myself against it… and she was no longer able to hurt me.
These are just 5 books that have helped shape my life. I will continue to list more books that have has a positive impact on my life in the future… I hope that some of these books can have the same effect on your lives.
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February 18, 2008
[...] Miss Joy wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptRich Dad Poor Dad: This book is the Double your Dating of personal finance…. [...]
February 18, 2008
I have read both How to Win Friends and Influence People and the 48 Laws of Power. I valued both books so much that I have memorized all the rules in both books.
February 18, 2008
I gotta read 48 Laws… I keep putting it off
Seduction Chronicles’s last blog post..Cajun (Seduction Master?s Interview)
February 18, 2008
Thanks for this input Bobby. Very insightful.
I too also have read some self-help books, thats the main section i normally go in bookstores.
About “The Secret”. It is good, and the principles do seem to make sense, ultimately becoming an optimistic person is very healthy, and could get you what you want.
Although, You really have to BELIEVE in it.
I’m interested with real magic, could you please tell me more info on what else this book discusses about?
Currently, i have been reading the “concise” version of the 48 laws of power. Although its the mini version, it still manages to deliver the significant points clearly, even though the use of language is very dense. This is a very powerful book. So far, by applying some of these rules, it helped me shape fragments of areas in my life.
I plan to get my hands on the how to win friends and influence people..Seems like a good read.
Wow, Thats heck of alot of rules. I still try my best to remember them as much as i can. But applying the rules is the most significant part.
Pzz
February 18, 2008
Dude, turn off that horrible yellow color that shows up every time you move over the text!
February 18, 2008
The 48 Laws of Power is one of my most favorite books of all time. There’s a whole lot to be learned from the greatest manipulators in history, haha.
February 18, 2008
Nice list. I don’t read self-help books, because I don’t know in which areas to be helped. Now if there was a book to help me know that, I’d probably read it.
James’s last blog post..EntreCard changed my avatar because of scantily clad females
February 18, 2008
thanks!!
im looking forward to someday reading them all,
but as of right now..
im re-reading David D’s DYD book
February 18, 2008
“Dude, turn off that horrible yellow color that shows up every time you move over the text!”
that horrible yellow color is used to quote other people simply by clicking on the part you would like to quote.
February 19, 2008
Odd man, my mom actually gave me a copy of Rich dad poor dad to read my senior year of highschool and i then got a copy for my economics teacher, and my boss sugested i read how to make friends and influence people back in the summer.. now i really will have to check it out.
James: if you wantto know what areas to improve i suggest two things
1) go to your best friends and ask them all to tell you your negative areas and to not hold back
2) ask every ex girlfriend what your biggest flaw was and work on that
3) spend 2 weeks with me and ill pick you apart haha
February 19, 2008
Another book I would recomend is Leil Lowndes, How to Talk to Anyone, 92 little tips and tricks for big success in relationships
This is an amazing book written by a women that actually works, and can be applied for everyday conversation, work/career, as well as pick up.
Johnny Wolf’s last blog post..Apocalypse Opener - Lay Report
February 19, 2008
Influence and Think and Grow Rich are also very good.
Roosh’s last blog post..South America By The Numbers
February 19, 2008
Bobby Rio’s last blog post..Giants Win Super Bowl
February 20, 2008
So should we increase it to a 10 book list? Sorry I dont have any suggestions all i can say is that no one should ever read the book salt… it wont teach you a thing about life.
February 21, 2008
I’ve tried and loved everything but the Wayne Dyer books. I listened to one of his audiobooks and found it too airy-fairy, new-agey for my tastes. I’d recommend a book that has a cheesy cover but is great: The Mack Within by Tariq Nasheed.
T.’s last blog post..The Difference Between Style And Fashion
February 21, 2008
Best business book I ever read and/or listened to:
The E-Myth Revisited CD : Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to do about it
February 21, 2008
a good business book or just plain book is “the world is flat” by thomas freidman.
February 22, 2008
Lol I went out today and bought how to make friends….
plus eroniouse zones… luckely i found an old copy of ernosoise so i dont have to see the authors face he looks like such a religiouse fag, So now my reading list for the next months are as follows
Finish Mystery Method
Finsih Rules of the Game
Start How to make…
Start Eroniouse zones
find 48 laws and start
plus i also have school reading to do so add in
finish the lovely bones
start the color purple
start the unvanquished
start something else
biology chapter a week
math chapter a week
economics chapter a week
photography chapter a week
and just for shits and giggles i got a lovely add in the mail today i thought you guys would get a kick out of
Reads as Follows
“Thumbs”
you’ve been selected to receive a special discount on PLAYBOY for under $1 an issue, plus a free DVD!
… A student discount… so even playboy knows that most gollege guys lack game. Im partially intrigued because 1) its a student price
2) its playboy, the things my dream were mad of untill the age of 16
and 3) “uncensored advice on sex”
but at the same time… my grandmother checks the mail and leaves it on a small table for me… hmmmm “Hey Granny did my playboy come in I need to know how to eat twat better!”
February 23, 2008
How to Win Friends and Influence People
was my first book to improve my self and actually got me into the pick up lol
I recomend the first book lol
i’m going to barnes and novel in like 20 minutes to get a few books listed here
thanks for this helpful articlee
February 25, 2008
Wow, bookworms of the same cuticles, flock together huh?
I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and was able to pass the same info to my sister, who I delegated to run my parent’s business in my stead while I lived la vida loca in the big city.
I now concoct stuff with her on how to run the other stuff (real estate) that our parents want to sell because they dont know how to make money off them. great read.
The 48 laws of power is a great read and I sleep with this book under my pillow. Some people don’t have the patience to read this book because the more succinct examples and illustrations are written in small small script on the margins, bottom etc. The same author wrote the Art of Seduction, and I bought that too. But I like the 48 laws more.
I definitely must buy the other books you recommended. Thanks!
evilwoobie’s last blog post..Musings of a Retired Playgirl
February 27, 2008
“The 48 laws of power is a great read and I sleep with this book under my pillow. Some people don’t have the patience to read this book because the more succinct examples and illustrations are written in small small script on the margins, bottom etc. The same author wrote the Art of Seduction, and I bought that too. But I like the 48 laws more.”
LOL! thats scary, cuz i sleep with this book under my pillow too! I’m half way done with the concise version.
The examples is suppose to be the BEST part, because you could see the rule being applied. Sometimes the language is too dense however, so i end up not having hte patience to read it anywayz lol.
Pzz