Best Books For Professional & Personal Growth

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” — Benjamin Franklin.

I recently compiled a list of books for investors trying to learn more about building wealth for my client, Max Options Trading. 

Putting that list together has inspired me to compile one of my own. This list is my list of books that have helped shape my mindset. My mindset has helped me build a six-figure marketing agency, attract dozens of amazing clients, and grow in my personal life. 

My Most Recommended Book In The Last 5 Years: How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie

I’ll admit it, the idea of “winning” friends put me off at first, but I decided not to judge this book by its cover. Now, it has sat on my shelf for years. When I started working for an Inc. 5000 digital marketing agency, I read it to enhance my selling ability. I quickly realized that the lessons taught by Carnegie go further than that. It’s sold over 30 million copies, making it one of the best-selling books of all time. In my opinion, that’s because it helps you learn how to interact with people positively and grow your mindset. 

“It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”

― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

The Book I Gift Most Often: The Third Door by Alex Banayan

Banayan does what I think many entrepreneurs wish they could do in this book. That’s meet with some of the most successful people of all time. He sets out from his dorm room to score meetings with Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, and Steven Spielberg, among others. His journey and success are inspirational. 

“When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.”

― Alex Banayan, The Third Door

The Book That Made A Major Change In My Personal Life: We Are the Weather by Jonathan Safran Foer

Climate change isn’t up for interpretation. It’s just a scientific fact. In this book, Foer explores climate change uniquely that I hadn’t seen before. This book convinced me to convert to a plant-based diet that has become more and more vegetarian as time goes on. At most, I eat meat once a day and often go days without it, thanks to this book. 

“Choosing to eat fewer animal products is probably the most important action an individual can take to reverse global warming—it has a known and significant effect on the environment, and, done collectively, would push the culture and the marketplace with more force than any march.”

― Jonathan Safran Foer, We Are the Weather

Two Books That Inspired My Entrepreneurial Journey: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight & Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

I enjoy honest memoirs by successful people. I find some are written duly, but these two are engaging and insightful. By reading about Knight and Hsieh’s journeys, I was able to take lessons and implement them in my journey. 

“Life is growth. You grow or you die.”

― Phil Knight, Shoe Dog

“Things are never as bad or as good as they seem.”

― Tony Hsieh, Delivering Happiness

My Favorite Fiction Book:  The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson

Sanderson is my favorite fiction writer by a landslide. I have turned multiple friends onto his writing, and they have devoured his writing with as much vigor as I have. This book is one of his most beautiful pieces of writing, and it’s a novella, so it won’t take long to finish. It also dives into the idea of everything having a soul and a view of being something. Those ideas sync with my metta meditation practice nicely since the concept of metta is to remember that every living thing considers itself to be something and deserves kindness.

“No matter how good you were, someone was better. Live by that knowledge, and you would never grow so confident that you became sloppy.”

– Brandon Sanderson, The Emperor’s Soul

The Book That I (Somewhat) Modeled My Life Off Of: The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris

Since reading this book, I have listened to many hours of Tim’s podcast, and it’s on my shortlist of podcasts that I hope to guest appear on someday. So, if anyone knows Tim, tell him I’m coming. While I’m not interested in living the nomad life and only working for 4 hours per week, I agree with some of the concepts in Tim’s methodology. Automating simple tasks, hiring a virtual assistant, and not feeling pressured to create work to feel productive are all concepts that I employ today. I currently work something more akin to an 8-12 hour workweek and find that it’s more than enough time to meet my goals. 

“Being busy is a form of laziness. Doing less is the path of the productive.”

– Tim Ferris, The 4-Hour Work Week

A Book That Was Recommend To Me: The Marketing Agency Blueprint by Paul Roetzer

In the middle of 2021, I met with Tony Atkins to discuss doing business together, and although we didn’t reach any formal agreement, he recommended this book to me. It’s an excellent book for anyone interested in scaling their marketing agency. It goes into marketing agencies’ current and future landscape and can be used as a guiding light. Even though it was published in 2011, many of the teachings in this book are even more relevant today than they may have been back then. 

“The job of a marketing agency is to produce results that impact the bottom line. It’s that simple.”

― Paul Roetzer, The Marketing Agency Blueprint