1- The Richest Man in Babylon

George Samuel Clason supposedly began writing The Richest Man in Babylon in 1926 as a series of financial advice pamphlets distributed at banks. The most popular of these pamphlets ultimately were compiled into the book, which explains the somewhat lose relationship between each of the chapters which are more or less laid out as a series of short stories, or parables.

This book may not be for everyone. The writing is almost in a biblical “King James” syntax and as such could get quite old very quickly for some people.  However, I do find it refreshing to read a book that dispenses practical information with fictional stories.

Each of the stories that Clason shares try to divulge a handful of key points. Namely, from each of your paycheques, pay your expenses, put some money towards savings and debt and finally pay yourself.  He also urges making wise investments and working hard.

It’s fundamental stuff for sure, but it contains some entertaining stories and some of the footnotes are incredibly interesting. At one point Classon discusses debt and slavery in a historical perspective and how “slavery” was initially a form of debt repayment. The one parable, “The Luckiest Man in Babylon,” is written from the perspective of a character who works himself out of slavery and becomes a very successful man. If nothing else, this one chapter alone is worth a read.

2 - Think and Grow Rich

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill was first published in 1937 but since then has had many new editions – reprinting, abridged and revised editions …  The version I read was the 2004 revised and expanded edition that includes an incredible amount of extra “21st century” commentary from Dr. Arthur R. Pell.  Scouring the reviews over at Amazon, there seems to be a lot of negative feedback regarding Pell’s editorial comments, but I quite enjoyed them.

In this book, Napoleaon Hill discusses the result of hundreds of interviews he conducted with wealthy, successful people, in an attempt to determine the factors (personal attributes and habits) that lead these individuals to the success they ultimately find. The successful individuals whom he interviews include the likes of Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, John D. Rockefeller, George Eastman, William Wrigley Jr. and Charles M. Schwab.  The epic investment of time and effort that Hill undertakes in order to determine the successful characteristics of these people is the result of a task asked of him by Andrew Carnegie.  One thing that I didn’t care too much for was Hill’s constant reference to what he called, “the secret”. Presumably there is no such “secret” but instead is drive, determination and the combination of the key success factors that the book describes.  Hill never really specifies.

Overall, all of Hills comments about various individuals are not only fascinating but are exceptionally motivating and despite having been (mostly) written years ago, are absolutely still applicable to today.  As I mentioned, in the revised edition, the editor takes great care in adding more relevant commentary. I strongly urge that if you read this book, pick up the latest revised edition that has these additional comments.

Note that the original book is in public domain and the full text can be found online.  Here is one resource.

3 - Jonathan Livingston Seagull

I have read this book many times. Many, many times… In fact, it’s practically a yearly occurrence. The first time I read Jonathan Livingston Seagull was in grade 12. I remember a teacher handing me the hundred-odd page book and suggesting that I might enjoy it. It was the end of first period at that point. I decided to read the first couple of pages and I was instantly hooked. I simply couldn’t put it down. I actually brought the book to my next class that day and to my teachers’ dismay, read throughout the lecture.  Being such a short book, I was done by the end of that class, but my mind certainly hadn’t finished processing the whole thing.

To this day it remains my favourite story. Jonathan Seagull (who is a seagull) gets tired of the day in day out life that seagulls live and is constantly exploring the boundaries of his capabilities, incessantly wondering why the other seagulls in his group are so content with their simple lives. The story unravels through Jonathan’s attempts to overcome criticism, rejection, defeat and pushing himself past impossibilities, constantly attempting to push and reach his goals.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is one of several Richard Bach books that are absolutely fantastic (Illusions is another) and if you haven’t read his work yet, trust me when I say that Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a must read.

4 – Unlimited Power

I picked this book up on a recommendation from a friend. I honestly didn’t know much about Anthony Robbins before getting this book, but it didn’t take long before my wife began criticizing me for quoting him and his methods far too often.  The thing that separates this book from any other self-help book that I’ve read is Robbins’ uncanny ability to put basic psychological principles to use and make them seem incredibly applicable.

Ultimately he discusses techniques to “reprogram” the brain in order to be successful. This involves things such as visualization and modeling after others. Robbins also discusses principles of influence and how to successfully work with others. In fact, Unlimited Power provides a wealth of information to give the reader just that – unlimited power to overcome obstacles, attain goals and gain the upper hand in relationships with others. The book is loaded with great stuff. Definitely a recommended read.

5 - Influence – the Psychology of Persuasion

This is likely the most fascinating book that I’ve read in a long time. “Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert Cialdini is an amazingly well written book about influence. Cialdini, a porfessory of psychology, delves into the key principles of what causes people to be influenced into beliefs or action and supplements everything with super interesting anecdotes from the three years he spent “undercover” observing real life situations of persuasion.

Each chapter covers one of six key principles or rules of persuasion – reciprocity, commitment and consistency, social proof, authority, liking and scarcity. I constantly found myself picking up on each of these practically as soon as I read about them. Perhaps it was because I was on vacation down south at the time I read this, but I almost found it absurd how often I could identify someone else attempting to apply some influence techniques on me.

Definitely because of it’s fascinating stories and studies and because Cialdini writes so that his ideas and research are incredibly easy to understand, “Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion” is a must read for anyone interested in the subject and a book that I would highly suggest to anyone who uses influence techniques for work.

I can remember leaving the theater and listening to other people’s reactions. I was amazed how many people thought it to be a “meh” kind of film. They obviously hadn’t seen the same move as I did. I mean, they may have seen the same film as I did, but I must have read into the story a bit more or something. I was absolutely energized afterward.

It was “Yes Man” – a modest movie about a very cynical, socially inept man who, after begrudgingly attending a motivational seminar, is struck with the inability to say “No” to things – requests, invitations, questions of all sorts.

At first, this “curse” causes him no end of grief and frustration, not only because the whole experience of saying “Yes” is utterly foreign to him. But he soon begins to embrace the change as he finds that the impact that this new “Yes Man” personality has is powerfully fulfilling.

Of course, nobody should say “yes” to everything. If someone had asked this character to jump off a bridge, unfortunately he would. Obviously we shouldn’t necessarily be so accommodating. But there are times when we make excuses and try to rationalize why we can’t do something, be it going out for drinks with work colleagues or signing up for the co-ed beach volleyball league or taking that dream adventure zip-lining trip to Costa Rica.

Time and time again many of us find ourselves making these sorts of excuses that have very little foundation to them. In fact it isn’t uncommon for us to try and convince ourselves various obstacles really do exist and that the trouble isn’t worth the effort.

The truth is that there are very few things in life that can be enjoyed without having to overcome obstacle at some level. What Jim Carrey’s character learns is that these obsticles are peanuts compared to the fulfillment that the end result achieves. Although he believes he is physically incapable of saying “Yes”, he actually becomes addicted to the word.

So for me, 2010 is the year of the “Yes Man” and if things keep going the way they have been the last few months, 2010 is going to be one of the greatest years that I’ve lived. All simply because I’ve been saying “Yes” and taking action to accomplish something that perhaps in the past I would have put off (getting my motorcycle license) or thought of as something that would require too much effort to do (zip lining in Costa Rica) and would possibly try to rationalize why not doing it would be a better decision (like taking Karate lessons). Some things I’ve done this year would have possibly never even crossed my mind in the past (like piloting a plane).

The moral of this article (and the movie, in my opinion), is that we should not constrain ourselves by concentrating too much on the obstacles in the way of doing something. We should not stay content with living inside our own little box of day in, day out. Unless there are real constraints, we should not try to make excuses why not to do something. Life is too short and there is far too much out there to do, far too many other people to meet, so much in this World that will bring personal fulfillment and ultimately make us better people.

So my challenge to you is say “Yes” when you would otherwise possibly not. Stretch yourself and experience new things. You do have the time. You probably can afford it. It really won’t be too much effort. In the end, it will be worth it all.

I’ve had this posted on the wall of my office for a couple of years now. I first saw this in an email that was forwarded on to me ages ago. I’ll occasionally look randomly through the list and it never fails that something in the list is meaningful in the context of whatever is going on at the time. Thank you Regina for passing on these valuable life lessons and thank you to whomever originally forwarded the email on to me.

Written By Regina Brett, 50 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio:

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled
over to 50 in August, so here goes:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry
13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently.

They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.

Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.

And while some may see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world,

are the ones who do.

- Apple Ad Copy

I first read this quote as being attributed to Jack Kerouac, from On the Road. And actually all over the Internet he’s attributed to writing it. While he did say something vaguely similar in his book, the quote is actually ad copy from Apple’s Think Different ad campaign.

The full, lengthy version of the quote goes as follows:

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

We make tools for these kinds of people.

While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Personally, I’m a little more fond of the shorter version – it’s a more concise and to the point.

Of course, there’s also the television commercial version too that combines the great quote with video imagery, featuring the likes of a bunch of famous people from the 20th century.