Reading growth mindset books is one of the most valuable investments we can make to progress in life.
Introducing yourself to new information and ideas is an integral component in reshaping the brain.
Once we change our thinking, we can begin to live the life that we dream of.
This is not to say that we should believe or agree with everything we read.
However, when we receive new information, it gives us an opportunity to test our current ideologies.
At the very least we expose ourselves to new information that may be beneficial to us.
Whether we agree or not with new material, we will always end up learning at least one new tidbit of information.
Each new tidbit may give us better understanding.
A better understanding of life, or business, or our career.
Every piece of new information we absorb helps us to define a clearer picture on a topic.
There is no question that reading regularly has a profound influence on how we think, learn and implement new ideas.
With that said I put together a list of growth mindset books that I have read and found to be particularly impactful.
Not only in learning new information, but also helping me create a new mindset.
How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie
“Everybody in the world is seeking happiness—and there is one sure way to find it. That is by controlling your thoughts. Happiness doesn’t depend on outward conditions. It depends on inner conditions.”
This book is a great read and highlights a more selfless approach to interacting with others. It emphasizes making deeper connections with people by sincerely becoming interested in their interests.
It also highlights the ability to be a good listener and respecting and valuing others and encouraging rather than criticizing. Making people feel important and valuing their opinion. Praise and honest appreciation over criticizing. Seeing others persons perspective.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R. Covey
“Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”
The seven habits described in the book presents a model of self-awareness and provides self-empowering techniques for success.
The main 7 points are that one should work with focus and precision and not work themselves to needlessly to death. But instead work in a measured way allowing for adequate rest and productivity.
The next habit is to be less reactionary and more proactive. Take control of your life and take charge.
The following habit is to have a vision in mind for your future and to work towards your future goals.
The fourth habit is to prioritize the things that you work on and work in an order of things that need to be done.
The next one pertains to negotiating, and not being greedy allowing both parties to leave a situation as winners.
The next habit is to take the time and listen and understand peoples problems instead of jumping to give your opinion.
And finally the last habit to collaborate with other in order to accomplish greater things that you can alone.
The Secret – Rhonda Byrne
“When you want to attract something into your life, make sure your actions don’t contradict your desires.. Think about what you have asked for, and make sure that your actions are mirroring what you expect to receive, and that they’re not contradicting what you‘ve asked for. Act as if you are receiving it. Do exactly what you would do if you were receiving it today, and take actions in your life to reflect that powerful expectation. Make room to receive your desires, and as you do, you are sending out that powerful signal of expectation.”
There’s a reason this growth mindset book has sold over 35 million copies worldwide. Sure it can get a bit cheesy at points but the underlying message and the ‘secret’ to success and a happy life is a simple one.
Essentially the secret is the law of attraction.
This means that the energy that we put out in the universe is the same energy we get back. If we focus on the positive we will get positive results and vice versa.
Money Master The Game – Tony Robbins
“Remember: we all get what we tolerate. So stop tolerating excuses within yourself, limiting beliefs of the past, or half-assed or fearful states. Use your body as a tool to snap yourself into a place of sheer will, determination, and commitment. Face your challenges head on with the core belief that problems are just speed bumps on the road to your dreams. And from that place, when you take massive action—with an effective and proven strategy—you will rewrite your history.”
This is a brilliant growth mindset book is by a brilliant man who genuinely wants to help others. In this book Tony Robbins diligently compiles research and data from interviews with over 50 of the most heralded financial experts in the world. During the interviews he presses for real world advice for the common man and introduces us to the income-compounding and tax saving tricks usually reserved for the one percent. This is a must read for anyone looking to achieve financial freedomFinancial freedom is a term that usually means one has enough financial resources to retire early. One can then live the lifestyle they desire, and are not limited by a set salary each year. More.
Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds – David Goggins
“Remember: we all get what we tolerate. So stop tolerating excuses within yourself, limiting beliefs of the past, or half-assed or fearful states. Use your body as a tool to snap yourself into a place of sheer will, determination, and commitment. Face your challenges head on with the core belief that problems are just speed bumps on the road to your dreams. And from that place, when you take massive action—with an effective and proven strategy—you will rewrite your history.”
There’s no one harder than David Goggins. His mantra is to ‘stay hard’ and he his style is all about pushing yourself to your mental and physical extremes, way beyond the point you thought was possible for you. This former US Navy Seal, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Airman has also completed over 60 ultra marathons and is a Guiness Book of World Record holder for pull-ups. And all this is just scratching the surface. David Goggins toughest battles were overcoming a tumultuous upbringing, poor health and an extremely racist culture to climb the ranks in the Armed Forces. This man’s story is truly inspirational.
The 80/20 Principle – Richard Koch
“golden rules for career success 1. Specialize in a very small niche; develop a core skill 2. Choose a niche that you enjoy, where you can excel and stand a chance of becoming an acknowledged leader 3. Realize that knowledge is power 4. Identify your market and your core customers and serve them best 5. Identify where 20 percent of effort gives 80 percent of returns 6. Learn from the best 7. Become self-employed early in your career 8. Employ as many net value creators as possible 9. Use outside contractors for everything but your core skill 10. Exploit capital leverage”
The 80/20 principle is one of the most impactful concepts that I have learned in my entire life. It is a rule that is based on the Pareto principle which is that 80% of all outcomes are results of 20% of causes. This basically means that one should find the tasks that yield the greatest results and focus on those tasks instead of wasting time on things that are not as consequential.
The 4 Hour Work Week – Timothy Ferris
“If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is, too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.”
This was one of the first growth mindset books I read that helped alter my perspective on more passive ways of earning income the digital world. The book offers valuable information on altering your mindset from a traditional 9-5 worker to living and working on your own terms. There are a bunch of strategies and resources provided in the book that will help inspire you to enjoy your life now instead of waiting until retirement.
The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
“Change might not be fast and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.”
This one is a great read and has concepts that often refer to within the site. As the title states – habits are very powerful and might be the influencing factor in dictating the direction of our lives. The book promotes creating good habits and then stacking them to create positive momentumPositive momentum is progression through the use of positive habits. More in life. Obviously the book goes into greater depths the science behind habits and how to ditch old negative ones and create new better habits.
The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle
“Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.”
This is an extremely powerful growth mindset book and a guidebook to spiritual enlightment. He writes in question and answer format and this is actually very helpful to understand his own spiritual journey.
However, you have to be in the right frame of mind to receive it. I tried many years ago and couldn’t get into the monotonous, repetitive, drawling narration of the audiobook but I revisited it recently and found it to be very rewarding.
Tolle talks about his own path to spiritual enlightment and how we can get there to by losing our ‘ego’ and becoming our ‘true self’. He talks about time being an illusion and tells us that everything that has ever happened has happened in the the ‘now’. Stop reminiscing about the past and worrying about the future and live in the now being intensely “present” in each moment freeing us from the pain of the past.
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
This is the story of a young by who follows his dreams (literally) and ends up fulfilling his personal legend.
It’s a fable full of interesting characters and rich imagery and illustrates the power of using the universe to achieve your destiny.
Man’s Search for Meaning- Viktor E. Frankl
“Once man’s search for meaning of life is successful, it not only renders him happy but also gives him the capability to cope with suffering.”
This is an intense and complex read written by the acclaimed and internationally renowned psychiatrist, Viktor E. Frankl. It describes his harrowing experience as a prisoner in a concentration camp during the holocaust. He goes into vivid detail to describe his experiences and creates a theory that mans main objective is to find meaning in life. Especially in his extreme situation where he was able to find meaning in all of the suffering he has endured.
Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
“It is not the brightest who succeed. … Nor is success simply the sum of the decisions and efforts we make on our own behalf. It is, rather, a gift. Outliers are those that have been given an opportunities – and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them.”
In this book Malcom Gladwell evaluates what characteristics entail the blueprint for success. He says that contrary to popular thinking it is not the “self made man’ that becomes successful. Instead it is the perfect recipe of hard work, luck, rare opportunities and other factors that are beyond our control. He emphasizes that one must take advantage of rare opportunities when they present themselves. Gladwell analyzes data from from countless studies to present his well constructed arguments.
Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
“You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be.”
This is the quintessential self-improvement book that will help you alter your mindset and become your blueprint to personal success. Hill created thirteen principles for success based on his study of over 500 self-made millionaires. Originally published in 1937, this book is just as powerful and relevant today as it was back then. A must read especially for entrepreneurs and investors.
Thinking Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman
“The world makes much less sense than you think. The coherence comes mostly from the way your mind works.”
Written by psychologist and Nobel Prize winner in economics, this book is full of evidence-based information that explores our two major modes of thinking. The first which is fast, instinctive, and emotional and the second which is slow, deliberate, and logical. He discusses when to use each mode of thinking for best results. He shows in depth how these two modes of the brain are in constant conflict and lead to errors in judgment, memory and decisions and how we can resolve this.
The Intelligent Investor – Benjamin Graham
“The intelligent investor is a realist who sells to optimists and buys from pessimists.”
This growth mindset book is considered by many to be the bible of value investing. It was written back in 1946 and it’s purpose was to educate the average investor. He emphasized a disciplined approach to investing and using asset diversification for risk management. It is also highly acclaimed by icons such as Warren Buffet who calls it “the best book ever written on investment. And he’s a billionaire…you should probably check it out.
