What Book Has Changed Your Professional Life?

A few months ago, just as I was getting ready to take the plunge, someone posted an interesting question on LinkedIN.

Simple, “What Book Has Changed Your Professional Life?”

How do you answer when you have read books that eventually lead you to leave your Professional Life?

Here’s my list:

• Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money–That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!, Robert T. Kiyosaki
• The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness, Dave Ramsey
• The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated: Expanded and Updated, With Over 100 New Pages of Cutting-Edge Content., Timothy Ferriss
• Conversations With God : An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 1), Neale Donald Walsch
• The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
• The Secret, Rhonda Byrne
• Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time, Keith Ferrazzi
• Secrets of Power Negotiating, 15th Anniversary Edition: Inside Secrets from a Master Negotiator, Roger Dawson

Rich Dad, Poor Dad taught me one of the most valuable lessons in my path to an early retirement.  The power of passive income.  It’s a shame that most people only think of their bank interest when they think of passive income.  It is this lesson that would allow for someone to follow their dream vocation and know that they could still make ends meet and be happy.   (Read Kiyosaki’s first and second book – Then STOP.  These books are his passive income stream)  I have never felt his other books taught me any more than I had learned in his first two.

Dave Ramsey, with his book and his radio show, is the perfect complement to anything by Kiyosaki.  Dave advocates that debt is the biggest hindrance to financial freedom.  His plan includes a snowball debt reduction plan which gives you small physiological wins as you progress, he advocates a very strong emergency fund, and ultimately he would like to see you live mortgage free.

The mixture of Ramsey and Kiyosaki that I have grown comfortable following follows that I never invest anything into my passive income stream that I would be financially devastated if I lost.  I also worked hard to get my home in order.  (I’ll show you later how you can make very safe moves towards passive income while still holding true to most of Ramsey’s philosophy)

Tim Ferriss, who has a huge cult following, shows us in the Four Hour Work Week , how to automate much of our life.  This is one of those rare books that is very tactically oriented.  He shares real tips to show you more time in your day so that you can get more done, efficiently!  Freeing up your time for your passions.

Conversations with God, The Alchemist, and The Secret all have a very common goal and outcome with me.  They all remind me that only I am responsible for my happiness.   Only I can create a life that I enjoy.  Thankfully, the universe has conspired to help me, as I have amazing friends, a wonderful family, and the best friend and partner anyone could ever ask for.  All of which, I’ve allowed myself to have!

Remember, you are the only who controls your reaction to the shit that life can throw your way….just as, only you can allow yourself happiness when life feels great!

Never Eat Alone reminds you that you will get further ahead by having an open mind, a friendly demeanor, and the wiliness to help others.

Finally, Roger Dawson’s Secrets of Power Negotiating, was the best thing to come from my MBA program.  Many of these tactics of negotiating have helped me, and others, come to mutual agreement.  Some of his ideas I don’t find myself able to do, but most make sense and are clear win/win proposals.

I plan to update this list as I read more and as I remember more!

Oh, and I hope you feel like buying a book or two.  This link will give me some credit.  I plan to eventually show the entire balance sheet/cash flow of this website.  You’ll help create content!

Feel free to buy: