and then some…
The beliefs and philosophies that govern a person’s life are developed over a lifetime, based on his or her experiences and realizations along the way. Mark Twain — or Hal Holbrook portraying Mark Twain — said, “a man who has the same views at 65 that he had at 25, just wasted 40 years.”
The books listed on this page have impacted me over my lifetime. For many years, there was a core group of 3 that I credited changed my life, and that is true. But for better clarity, I’ll say that during the years when I initially read them (all very close together) those 3 books had a foundational impact on the person I have become. They created the fertile soil in which many more seeds have been planted, and grown. And if I designed a course for life, these books would still compose “Life 101.”
But there are — and will be — more, and I will add them as they occur to me and as time permits. If it’s on this page, it has impacted me, and has been important to me; and I recommend them heartily. Also, each has a clickable link, and if you choose to purchase one from that link, the vendor (almost assuredly Amazon) will likely thank me for referring you in a (really small) monetary way. Thank you in advance, and I hope you are benefited by the works on this list.
The Original 3 Books That Changed My Life
– by Richard Bach
There’s an old saying: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” This book single-handedly altered my philosophy on life, forever. Wonderfully simple and mysteriously complex all at once. It is the only book I’ve ever bought for the express purpose of giving it away.
Unlimited Power — Anthony Robbins
I quote Tony Robbins a lot. Unlimited Power is a book about gaining power over yourself and your life. Self Mastery is it’s goal and it is an awesome, thought -provoking tool that challenges you to control your own life and gives you the tools to do it. If you need an excuse to fail… do not read this book, because he takes your excuses away. But if you’re ready to make a change …get this book.
7 Habits of Highy Effective People is my third anchor, and puts the spit shine on the lessons of this trio. Stephen Covey illustrates his points with crystal clarity. One story in this book — one statement –I credit with holding my last marriage together for the first 7 years. One story.. one statement … that was so profound for me… that it has stuck with me for over 20 years and has been a guiding principal in my life. It’s that kind of book.
For years… I spoke of only 3 books that changed my life, but in retrospect, there were 4. Psycho-Cybernetics was the first book that taught me about the self image. I think I picked it up — so many years ago — because it sounded really cool but once I was in it, I was fascinated and began to understand so much more about myself. This is the original version — the one that hooked me. IMHO it is Self-Image 101, to understanding how people see themselves (including myself).
There you go, friends. My CORE knowledge base. They may be “old school” now but they’re all well worn and occupy prime space on my book shelves, and will… so long as I’m breathing. There are others — more refinements, more clarifications. So come back from time to time and see what’s new (on the list that is.)
Have an awesome day.
