Dear reader. It has been 2 months since my last blog. However, you are still reading this blog, and that is good. READING is good. I think I have read more than a thousand books in my life, and learned a lot. In this short blog I will present the top 5 books that had the biggest impact and literally changed my life. They might change yours too. Here they are from 5 to 1:

 

 

5. The Tough Minded Optimist by Norman Vincent Peale

This book was actually my first book on self development I had ever read. I was 18 and just graduated high school. That year my first girlfriend I had broke up with me just after 4 months of dating and I was heart broken. Growing up I was a very shy and insecure guy (more on that later), so I was very happy that I finally found a girlfriend. I really was a little depressed when she broke up with me, and being enrolled in university far away from my hometown wasn’t really comforting either. Then one day I was in a second hand everything store, browsing the book alley. When I reached for a funny looking book, I knocked over another one, which happened to be Peale’s masterpiece on postive thinking and mental strength.

What I learned:

The Tough Minded Optimist teached me that no matter how hard things get, you can always summon the strength to overcome the adversity and come out on top. You can do this by practicing faith, cultivate a positive outlook and always look for inspiration all around you. I no longer think that it was by accident that I found this book.

 

4. The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I consider it to be a must read for every guy on earth. It practically contains every single emotion and desire a man experiences, and goes on with explaining why we experience it and how we can deal with them. The subtitle is: “A spiritual guide to women, work and sexual desire” and it is, and much more.

Lessons learned: Deida explains why we guys like sports and wars that much (because we are always seeking freedom from restraint, whether it is a hostile country or another sports team). It explains why we are attracted to women (multiple that is) and that this desire is actually very spiritual as opposed to something bad. It explains why women seem to be constant nagging or undermining us (they are not nagging, they are stimulating us to be the best man we can). It is a blueprint for dealing with all things masculine, and it will change your relationship and your (sex) life for the better.

 

3. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max

Tucker Max is a womanizing, drunk, asshole. He is also a law graduate, genius and has sold million of books. This seems pretty contradictory and it is. Friends describe Tucker as the most loyal friend there is, yet he has no problem calling a   ‘larger’ female a war pig. The book is comical, but if you read through the lines you find meaning in his words.

What I learned:

I learned several things from this book, but the most important thing is:

There is no set path in life. Life is what you make of it, you decide. That is the biggest takeaway from his book in my opinion.

Can you go to law school, graduate with honours while getting drunk and having sex with hundreds of women? Yes you can. Can you become a bestseller author even though all publishers turn you down and you barely can make the ends meet? Yes you can.  Can you grab life by the horns and do whatever you want in life?

Tucker Max could. Why not you?

 

2. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

This is an old classic, sold over 20 million copies. The book is a collection of principles gathered by Hill through interviewing more than 500 extremely wealthy people including Dale Carnegie and Henry Ford for example. A blueprint for getting rich so to speak, but for me it contained much more.

What I learned:

The biggest message it contained was: Our thoughts and desires have a complex, but real influence in our life. The title is very well chosen. I learned that by cultivating rich, positive thoughts, that my life was getting better and better. I am not rich by conventional measures, but I am doing pretty well and things are getting better by the day and Hill had a big part in that. What this book also teached me is that real wealth includes all aspects of life: relationships, health, finances, spiritual and so on.

 

1. The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

A bestseller from lifehacker Tim Ferriss, which sold over millions of copies and is still a bestseller, years after it’s release.

What I learned:

This book is really a bible for me. This book is number one for a reason. When you read this book, it seems that your mind is shifting gears. Life is suddenly full of possibilities, career and business opportunities, but most importantly:

Enthusiasm.

Ferriss’ personality makes this book shine. Every page is inspirational and motivating. This might seem like kissing ass, but it is not. I have read this book maybe 10 times, and I still read parts of it almost every day. This book inspired us to write our own book and start this very blog. It teached us that there is more to life than the 9-5 rat race, and that one should work to live and not the other way around. If you are going to read one book from this list, it should be this one.

Your life will never be the same.

 

P.S If you have any recommendations, please share!