Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers." - Charles W Eliot.
Charlie 'Tremendous' Jones, the founder and CEO of Executive Books once remarked, "You are the same today as you're going to be in five years except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read." May I also add the tapes/CD you listened to and the magazine/journals you read are also very important.
To me, reading is a way of life and one of the things I can spend any money on is buying books. I started the hobby in 1982 by buying three books of the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo namely ‘Voice of Reason’, ‘Voice of Courage’, and ‘Voice of Wisdom’. I remembered the book I read on my 21st birthday was ‘Think & Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill, and since then I have not looked back.
On September 5, 2004 after delivering an icebreaker speech at the Speakers of Croydon Toastmasters, Joe De Souza, one of my mentors, asked me a question "what books do you recommend to read?" As if that was not enough, another man came to me and said he has been reading my articles for the past 5 years that he wants me to write about the books that have made the most impact on my life.
To me, there are 60 books that have made the most impact in my life, they are:
1. The Holy Bible
2. The John Maxwell Leadership Bible
3. The Richest Man in Babylon - George S Clason
4. The Strangest Secret: How to Live the Life You Desire – Earl Nightingale
5. Your Life or Your Money - Alvin Hall
6. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter
7. The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
8. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey
9. 7 Habit of Highly Effective Families - Stephen R. Covey
10. 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness - Jim Rohn
11. Psychology of Achievements - Brian Tracy
12. Million Dollar Habit - Brian Tracy
13. In search of Excellence - Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr
14. Jack: Straight From The Gut - Jack Welch with John A Bryne
15. Chief Adeola Odutola's biography – The Rare Breed
16. Awaken The Giant Within - Anthony Robbins
17. As a Man Thinketh - James Allen
18. Think & Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
19. The Power of Positive Thinking - Norman Vincent Peale
20. Voice of Courage - Chief Obafemi Awolowo
21. The Seven Spiritual Law of Success - Deepak Chopra
22. Men Are from Mar, Women Are from Venus - John Gray
23. The 80/20 Principle; The Secret of Achieving More with Less - Richard Koch
24. Motivation and Personality - Abraham Maslow
25. Leading an Inspired Life - Jim Rohn
26. The Challenge to Succeed - Jim Rohn
27. The Seeds of Greatness – Denis Waitley
28. One Minute Manager - Kenneth Blanchard
29. Power of Focus – Jack Canfield
30. Magic of Thinking Big – David Schwartz
31. How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
32. See You at the Top – Zig Ziglar
33. Megatraits: 12 Traits of Successful People - Doris Lee McCoy
34. Psychology of Achievements - by Brian Tracy
35. Losing My Virginity: The Autobiography - Sir Richard Branson
36. To mother with Love (An experiment in Auto-biography) - Dr Tai Solarin
37. Voice of Reason – Chief Obafemi Awolowo
38. Voice of Wisdom – Chief Obafemi Awolowo
39. Psycho-Cybernetics - Maxwell Maltz
40. Who Moved my Cheese – Spencer Johnson
41. Feel the Fear and do it Anyway – Susan Jeffers
42. Chicken Soup of the Soul – Jack Canfield & Victor Hansen
43. 4 Indispensable Strategies for Success – Dayo Olomu
44. Eat That Frog – Brian Tracy
45. Twelve Pillars – Jim Rohn and Chris Widener
46. The Success Principle – Jack Canfield
47. Seasons of Life - Jim Rohn
48. Acres of Diamonds - Russell Conwell
49. Greatest Salesman That Ever Lived – Og Mandino
50. You Were Born Rich – Bob Proctor
51. The Science of Getting Rich – Wallace D. Wattles
52. Multiple Streams of Income – Robert G. Allen
53. 42 Days to Wealth, Health and Happiness – Robin Sieger
54. Get a Life by Arvind Devalia
55. Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude: How to Fly Out of the Cube 7 gain Your Freedom – Fabrizio Poli
56. you Can Make Money From Your Hobby – Martha Campbell Pullen, PhD with Lilly Walters
57. The Beermet Entrepreneur: Turn Your Good ideas into a Great Business – Mike Southon & Chris West
58. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John C. Maxwell
59. Praying the Psalms – Clift & Kathleen Richards
60. It’s Not Over Until You Win – Les Brown
Dayo Olomu is a UK-based motivational Speaker, Human Potential Developer, Business/Life Coach, Writer, Trainer, Infopreneur, a Competent Leader and an Advance Toastmaster. His core belief is that we are all endowed with seeds of greatness, and his mission is to inspire and empower individuals and organisations to higher levels of achievement and peak performance. He is the author of best selling “4 Indispensable Strategies for Success” and the charter President of Croydon Communicators Toastmasters. Visit his website at [http://www.dayoolomu.com]www.dayoolomu.com or send an e-mail to [mailto:info@dayoolomu.com]info@dayoolomu.com
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