Who you become as you reach for your goals is crucial to helping you achieve them. These books could inspire you to grow and create something great in your business!
One of the biggest and most profound shifts in my business was prompted by a book. My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor described the shift in her world view after a stroke.
While I gratefully did not have a stroke, her book affirmed a similar shift I underwent when I sold my house and most of my belongings and became an intentional nomad. That was the catalyst for my business coaching adventure. A wild and wonderful ride that I’m still on!
That’s why reading broadly is a great thing. You never know what great new idea will come to you when you read that Asterix comic book or that biography of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Here are 5 books that you’ll likely never read on a business book list. They are books that significantly changed my business for the better. They could do the same for you!
1. Transformational Speaking: If You Want to Change the World, Tell a Better Story by Gail Larsen
Not your usual book about speaking, Gail’s book is not in any way a conventional how-to for better PowerPoint slides or overcoming stage fright. It takes you on a journey that will help you clarify your core message and the impact that you want to have. You can be a passionate visionary. When you articulate your message authentically, you’ll have far more impact after this deep exploration within.
2. Time Warrior: How To Defeat Procrastination, People-pleasing, Self-doubt, Over-commitment, Broken Promises and Chaos by Steve Chandler
Whew! That title is a tall order for a short book. This isn’t the usual time management book. Its fresh approach takes you from fear of the future. That thing you haven’t gotten done. That issue that you’re really not sure how much to be scared about because you don’t even want to go there. Instead, Steve encourages you to go non-linear, to take action, right now, in short chapters that provoke quick response. That switch from thinking to action will change your relationship to your time.
3. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
OK, true – Elon Musk is a business person and the book does talk about his businesses. Also true - reading biographies of successful business people is valuable.
For this list of out-of-the-box books, though, and what makes this book unique is hearing about how this guy thinks. Calling him innovative does not even begin to cover it. Elon makes connections you wouldn’t expect, something I hope that reading these books will do for you!
Even more important, he is willing to take action on them. No brilliant idea of yours or mine will matter if we don’t take action.
Finally, Elon thinks big. He treats putting people on Mars with the same matter-of-fact problem solving as he does solar roof tiles. He isn’t held back by fears that his vision is ‘too big’.
Check out the book – you’ll never think of your business the same way again.
4. The Surrender Experiment: My Journey Into Life’s Perfection by Michael Singer
Oprah’s Emmy award-winning SuperSoul Sunday guest and also author of The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer describes his experience of deep surrender to life. He decided to accept whatever came his way and stop letting his life be dictated by fears or even desires.
Through this practical spirituality, he created the environment for spiritual freedom and outer success, creating a billion dollar company in the process. Reading this book, you may look at your own life in a very different way.
5. The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony
I feel a deep connection to elephants. Tears spontaneously run down my face when I see them in the wild. Elephants have an amazing ability to communicate and form connections.
In this book, the late animal conservationist Lawrence Anthony takes you into a heartwarming, funny, and poignant experience of his own with elephants. When Lawrence died, the elephants in this book freely traveled to his house and stood vigil for him. They knew. They wanted to pay homage. Their connection to Lawrence was deep.
Elephants made me rethink the way I connect with my community. Your business is built on connections. You can’t do without them. What you do with them is always open to innovation. This book will help you look at connections and how to nurture them with new eyes.
Who you become as you reach for your goals is crucial to helping you achieve them. I encourage you to check out these books. They’ll provoke your thinking and may just inspire you to grow in new ways and create something great in your business!
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