We are readers. We’ve read a lot of books that have shaped our understanding of the world.
According to a recent study, 26% of adults said they haven’t read a book (print, electronic or audio) in whole or in part in the past year. (http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/23/who-doesnt-read-books-in-america/) As Dave Ramsey says, you will be the same person next year that you are today except for the books you read and the people you meet.
Rena and I have been going through a lot of personal transformation and growth lately. We’ve been learning that books aren’t the end-all be-all to personal growth. So, when someone is choosing between reading our book and attending one of our events or getting coaching, we tell them to skip the book. Books are good, but they aren’t enough. Here’s how we rank a few things according to how well they bring about personal change and growth:
| (lowest) | doing nothing new |
| reading books | |
| trying something new | |
| (highest) | meeting with a good coach or mentor and/or attending a personal mastery type workshop/seminar/retreat |
Books by themselves aren’t the most transformational vehicle out there. Yet, they are by far several steps above doing nothing new. So, we still highly recommend books. And we also encourage you to not stop at just reading books. Combining books with other growth opportunities can be powerful.
Here are the best books we’ve read so far that we recommend:
- The 5th Discipline
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- The Bible
- Emotional Intelligence 2.0
- Getting to Yes
- Leadership and Self-Deception
- Made to Stick
- Mastery
- The Soul of Money
- Switch
- Start With Why
- Strengths Finder 2.0
- Thou Shall Prosper
- The Total Money Makeover
Here are some additional books we recommend for Christians:
- Chasing Daylight
- If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat
- Just Walk Across the Room
- The Sacred Romance
- Wild at Heart
And, of course, we recommend our book, Splash! Increase Your Life’s Impact.
What are the best books you’ve read? Post them here.
Happy reading.
