Reading

[Yotsuya-san]

I reccomend anything by Yukio Mishima

 

[Phoenix_of_the_ashes]

The Hagakure kicks all you guys self-help books asses.

 

[Krassus]

Originally posted by Phoenix_of_the_ashes
The Hagakure kicks all you guys self-help books asses.

Well i do have a book by Musashi up there

 

[wiggadude]

Robert Kiyosaki books are trash

Guys, I was a little alarmed by the posts here that claimed that Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad" is a great read.

This book is absolute trash. I got it as a gift, read about one fifth of it, and then promptly threw it in the trash. It's extremely repetitive and doesn't tell you anything substantive.

BTW I'm a real self-made millionaire, so I'm not just blowing smoke out of my ass.

If you want a really good introductory book to investing, it's "The only Investment Guide you'll ever need", which gives you a great overview. highly recommended.

 

[MackJr]

Those of you who are recommending Think and Grow Rich and The Greatest Salesman in the World , Have these books actually made a difference, or did they just make you feel good?

What kind of actual results did you get after doing their programs that you hadn't got before doing their programs?

 

[Krassus]

Originally posted by MackJr
Those of you who are recommending Think and Grow Rich and The Greatest Salesman in the World , Have these books actually made a difference, or did they just make you feel good?

What kind of actual results did you get after doing their programs that you hadn't got before doing their programs?

That depends ENTIRELY upon the person reading them. Do THEY have the power to change your life? Yes. But do YOU? There are people who'll get bored half-way and leave them on the shelf to collect dust. Then there are people who will read the whole thing, get inspired and do nothing. And finally, people who will use their newfound knowledge to change their life.

Sadly, such people are few and far between. According to Hill (the author of Think and Grow Rich), only 2% of us will succeed in life, and i can GUARANTEE you that anyone who doesn't use his book to at the very least half it's potential, will NOT succeed in life. I wholeheartedly agree with that statistic, as i've known plenty of failures who remained failures even after reading his book. Simply because they read it and DID NOTHING. Luckily, i'm not one of them.

These two books have made a GIGANTIC impact on my life. I can see it all around me, i can feel it every day. There is no question about it. I feel PITY for someone who goes through life without reading them. They're just that powerful. I can pinpoint EXACT moments where the principles i learned from them made ALL the difference!

Here's a single principle (there are dozens) from Greatest Salesman. It reads something like "never end any day with a failure." Which means that you have to keep on going until you succeed, even if it means working longer than expected. But you can't quit until you succeed.

1) One day i was cold-calling prospects, and spent several hours without landing any contracts. It was 5:02PM and i was about to quit, as the offices were now closed and there was no longer a point to calling. But then i remembered about the principle and forced myself to make one more call. Someone picked up. And i landed an $75,000 contract. I later found out that this was one of the largest clients of my biggest competitor. They're now MY clients. And they've faxed in a purchase order for another contract as i was typing this. And there'll be another one a week from now. Over the next decade, i'll make over $1,000,000 from that one phone call alone.

2) I was picking up chicks at the mall with a buddy of mine. After 2 hours, we still had no numbers and my buddy gave up and went home. Remembering the principle, i smiled and kept on going. I came across a cute girl who completely blew me off. It didn't matter because after reading the chapter in question over 100 times, i was PROGRAMMED to continue until i succeeded. Surely enough, as i looked up from the girl who just blew me off, i spotted another. She was just meters away and i walked right up to her, completely forgetting about getting shot down moments earlier. She just LIT UP and i walked off with her number and a hug 10 minutes later. Laid her on the first date a few weeks down the road.

I could go on all day, but hopefully that's enough

 

[Krassus]

I also wanted to add that at one point during the book, Hill says that "a whole new universe of power will unfold" for those who study and implement his works. After reading his book 3 times and implementing his teachings over a period of more than a year, i have to say that i'm finally beginning to understand the true meaning of those words. It's as if there is a reserve of COLOSSAL power out there and you can learn to tap into it by using his methods. I can't really explain it with words, but it's nothing short of incredible. It gives you the power to set goals that are so high that they make you look overly optimistic at best and downright insane at worst in the eyes of others. It also gives you the power to achieve those goals. To illustrate my point, consider this: two years ago, i couldn't even afford a car. Three months from now, i'll be driving a sporty two-seater worth $40,000. At 21 years old. I'll be able to buy a Ferrarri by 25 if i really want to. This is why i go around telling people to read and implement this knowledge - i simply feel bad for those who have to live without it because that's not really living, it's merely existing.

 

[Virtú]

I kept reading because I feel like I'm supposed to want wealth and power.

Is your money and power making you happy?
I ask because I can honestly say that I would rather be happy than be rich; I would rather have a satisfying job than a high paying one.
And power just leads to more responsibility, which results in more stress.

I'm serious; I can't imagine how more stress and more stuff can improve someone's life.

And those persuasion/salesmanship books ... what they discuss sounds morally questionable to me. I don't feel that I could, in good conscience, control people like that, regardless of what I would gain as a result.

Why do I feel like I'm wrong for thinking this way?

 

[skeeloo]

wonder if trump or who-ever needed to read a book on how to be successful. some guys just have it naturally i guess.

 

[Virtú]

Originally posted by skeeloo
wonder if trump or who-ever needed to read a book on how to be successful. some guys just have it naturally i guess.

Instead of a book, he had ambition, intelligence, and years of effort.

 

[JSH]

Originally posted by SheepSter
Some great history books/writings:

Ilias by Homerus

Odyssee by Homerus

Commentarii Bello Gallico by Julius Ceasar

Bello Civili by Julius Ceasar

De Oratore by Cicero

The Art of Rhetoric in the Roman World by G.A. Kennedy

Letters to Lucilius #7: Avoid the mass by Seneca

Letters to Lucilius #31: The highest asset by Seneca

The art of war by Sun Tzu

btw: look for Iliad and Odyssey ,its how they are marketed, by Homer or Virgil's Aeneid.

I read some of the others and i definately will try and read most of the ones you reccommended Krassus

 

[Krassus]

Originally posted by Virtú
I kept reading because I feel like I'm supposed to want wealth and power.

Is your money and power making you happy?
I ask because I can honestly say that I would rather be happy than be rich; I would rather have a satisfying job than a high paying one.
And power just leads to more responsibility, which results in more stress.

I'm serious; I can't imagine how more stress and more stuff can improve someone's life.

And those persuasion/salesmanship books ... what they discuss sounds morally questionable to me. I don't feel that I could, in good conscience, control people like that, regardless of what I would gain as a result.

Why do I feel like I'm wrong for thinking this way?

Is money alone making me happy? No, that's impossible. But it helps. I wouldn't say that i'm truly happy yet, as i haven't yet built the kind of life i dream of. But one day, i will be. You have to understand that money is just one thing, one element, one piece of the jigzaw puzzle. Think of it as a by-product of having a great life and a strong mind. It's the effect, not the cause. There is no such choice as "happy or rich." Life isn't black and white like that. Yes, there are rich people who are unhappy, but percentage wise, far more poor/middle class people are an unhappy. If you don't have enough money to provide great things for you and your loved ones, that's a constant... thing on your mind. It's like being fat. It gets you down. You can act like you don't care all you want, but deep down you know you wish the problem would go away. And that's a huge source of stress and unhappiness. Power does lead to more responsibility, which CAN lead to more stress if you DON'T KNOW how to deal with it. But power also means being able to shape your life to your liking, meaning that if a life free of responsibility is what you're after, you'll be able to achieve that. You can always build up a big company, sell it and have enough money to last you the rest of your life, know what i mean? To each his own! I agree that stress is a bad thing, but one of the skills you gradually acquire as your wealth increases is stress management. In the end, you'll be less stressed with a lot of responsibility than you were before with very little. The human mind is very flexible like that, you can bend it to your will. Finally, i'm not really sure what you mean by saying that books on salesmanship teach you how to control people. My guess is that you haven't really read the ones i mentioned. They do teach you how to control the mind, but that mind is your own. You will never achieve anything in life unless you master your mind, but once you do, success at all things will naturally follow. That last sentence contains the most important lesson of my life.

Originally posted by Virtú
Instead of a book, he had ambition, intelligence, and years of effort.

I wouldn't really say INSTEAD. A book alone is worthless UNLESS you either already posess the qualities you mentioned (ambition, etc) or start to develop them after reading it. Books are tools, but you still have to both know how to use them and put them to use. Also, i'm sure Trump has read thousands of books.

 

[MackJr]

It's as if there is a reserve of COLOSSAL power out there and you can learn to tap into it by using his methods. I can't really explain it with words, but it's nothing short of incredible. It gives you the power to set goals that are so high that they make you look overly optimistic at best and downright insane at worst in the eyes of others. It also gives you the power to achieve those goals.

Please try to explain with words, since that's all we have to go by here.

I'll get real specific: I'm making about a third of what I did 2 years ago, because I had a plan, took a risk pursued it for a year and a half, and the risk didn't work out. At this point that industry has changed enough that I'll have to start with a new idea. Fine, I can accept failure. I've learned some things that will make me do better in the next run.

However, anyone can set super high goals. I could set the goal of being a billionaire in a year. I can set it, but I know that's not realistic at all. It seems to me that a goal isn't enough. I wish I knew what that behavior was beyond simple goal-setting. You seem to believe you've found it.

 

[theSpeculator]

I HIGHLY recommend reading:

"The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem" by Nathaniel Branden to attain insights into what is and causes healthy self-esteem.

and it seems that some of you are interested in finances. I know most of you will eventually try your hands into the stock market so I HIGHLY recommend you read

"How to Make Money in Stocks" and "The Successful Investors" by William O'Neil.

 

[Krassus]

Originally posted by theSpeculator
I HIGHLY recommend reading:

"The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem" by Nathaniel Branden to attain insights into what is and causes healthy self-esteem

Wow, this looks like an amazing book. Thanks for introducing it to me! Your post alone made writing that article worthwhile for me

 

[Yotsuya-san]

Originally posted by Virtú
Instead of a book, he had ambition, intelligence, and years of effort.

As well as the ability to use, manipulate, swindle, hustle, hoodwink....

 

[JSH]

Originally posted by Yotsuya-san
As well as the ability to use, manipulate, swindle, hustle, hoodwink....

and a complete lack of moral intergrity

 

[TheMainMan]

Re: Robert Kiyosaki books are trash

Originally posted by wiggadude
Guys, I was a little alarmed by the posts here that claimed that Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad" is a great read.

This book is absolute trash. I got it as a gift, read about one fifth of it, and then promptly threw it in the trash. It's extremely repetitive and doesn't tell you anything substantive.

BTW I'm a real self-made millionaire, so I'm not just blowing smoke out of my ass.

If you want a really good introductory book to investing, it's "The only Investment Guide you'll ever need", which gives you a great overview. highly recommended.

Bollocks! How can you say its trash when you only read 1/5 of it.

So what did you make your millions from?

 

[WhitePimp]

I suggest a book also called Wild At Heart by John Eldredge. It's written from a Christian perspective but the message is very true no less. That a woman needs a man. It's really an interesting look at perhaps why men fail to act like men and revert to pussies.

 

[Krassus]

I updated the list:

* Allen, James - As A Man Thinketh
Blanton, Brad - Radical Honesty
Branden, Nathaniel - Six Pillars of Self-Esteem new addition
Carnegie, Dale - How To Stop Worrying And Start Living
* Carnegie, Dale - How to Win Friends and Influence People
* Clason, George - The Richest Man in Babylon
Coue, Emile - Self Mastery Through Conscious Autosuggestion
Covey, Stephen - Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Dyer, Wayne - 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace
Dyer, Wayne - Manifest Your Destiny
Dyer, Wayne - There is a Spiritual Solution for Every Problem Dyer, Wayne - The Power of Intention
Dyer, Wayne - Your Sacred Self
Givens, Charles - Super Self
Gracian, Baltasar - The Art of Worldly Wisdom
* Greene, Robert - 48 Laws of Power
Gurdjieff, Georges - An Objectively Impartial Criticism of the Life of Man
Helmstetter, Shad - What to Say When You Talk to Yourself
* Hill, Napoleon - Think and Grow Rich
Jeffers, Susan - Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
Kehoe, John - Mind Power into the 21st Century
* Kiyosaki, Robert - Cashflow Quadrant
* Kiyosaki, Robert - Rich Dad Poor Dad
* Machiavelli, Niccolo - The Prince
Maltz, Maxwell - Psycho Cybernetics
* Mandino, Og - Greatest Salesman in the World
Murphy, Joseph - The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
Musashi, Miyamoto - Book of Five Rings
* Nance, Jef - Conquering Deception
Robbins, Tony - Awaken the Giant Within
Robbins, Tony - Unlimited Power
Schwartz, David - The Magic of Thinking Big
Silva, Jose - The Silva Mind Control Method
Stone, W. Clement - Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude
Tracy, Brian - Eat That Frog!
Tracy, Brian - Focal Point
Tracy, Brian - Goals
Tracy, Brian - Million Dollar Habits
Tracy, Brian - Time Power
* Tzu, Sun - The Art of War
Various - Crucial Confrontations
Various - In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching

* - personally read