The Top 10 Most Influential Books I have Read in My Life!
Updated: Feb 21, 2022
I have always been a bookworm.
I love the feeling of getting lost in a new world, trying to know something exciting, or learning a new skill that can fix my problems.
I used to read a lot of novels in my childhood days. But from college days, I started a particular liking towards non-fiction and self-help books.
There is nothing I love more than a cup of hot coffee and a new book in my hand. Trust me; it’s a beautiful feeling in the world!
Now, let’s jump into the books – I hope you find some interesting books to add to your reading list!
Personal Development
It was written in 1937 by Napoleon Hill; after 25-year research on some of the most economically successful individuals, "Think and grow to get rich" is recognized as one of the masterpieces in the personal development field.
It is also referred to as “Bible for Success,” According to a recent estimate, more than 150 million copies are sold worldwide.
Now, imagine spending 25-years on a book project, traveling all over the world, and interviewing hundreds of successful people. That sounds a bit overwhelming, right?
Mr. Napoleon Hill did it for all of us. This book inspired me so much that I had named my first book on Trading on this (Trade and Grow Rich).
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If you are looking to make lasting changes in your life, this book can help you achieve your goal.
The book covers all aspects of life and can help us achieve a long and happy life. It is based on ancient and well-practiced Japanese technology-IKIGAI.
It gives an introduction to various topics like longevity, yoga, tai chi, blue zones, logotherapy, resilience, and many more.
If you google the word ‘IKIGAI,’ it shows many meanings. But my favorite ones are:
A reason for being, encompassing joy, a sense of purpose and meaning, and a feeling of well-being
A reason to jump out of bed each morning!
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Our IKIGAI is different for every one of us, but one thing we have in common is that we are all searching for happiness in our life.
When we spend our days feeling connected to what is meaningful to us in life, we live with more joy.
It demands time from the readers. But every minute spent on this book is worth it.
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
This book has a special place in my heart. It appeared as an angel in my life when I was going through a tough phase in my personal and professional life. I completed this book in one sitting, but it raised millions of doubts about the techniques mentioned in the book.
I started carrying this book wherever I go. I started with a simple concept like affirmations in the morning. Every idea started giving beautiful results, and I was a different person altogether in one year.
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Your subconscious mind is the cache of your memory, life experiences, life traumas, and belief systems.
It explains how only a mere belief in your subconscious mind possesses the power to change your life drastically.
A must-read book to know the importance of your Subconscious Mind!
Business and Money
I had a naughty thought in my mind when I heard this title. Many years back, one of my friends gifted this book to me. Many months, I didn’t pick this book to read, assuming it’s an entertainment-related book. But my perspective on the book completely changed when I read this book.
This book is all about Robert Kiyosaki and his two dads—his birth father (Poor Dad) and the father of his best friend (Rich Dad). It explains the thought process about money and investing in both the men and the results in their lives.
This book inspires you to run out and start implementing some of the ideas in the book. It gives more clarity on how to manage your personal finance.
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Below are the 5 big lessons from the book:
1. Middle-class people work for money. But rich people are smart, and they know how money works for them.
2. It’s not how much money you make that matters. It only matters how much you save and how much deploy in assets.
3. The poor and middle class go for liabilities (like 15-30 years loan for a house) that they think are assets. Rich people acquire assets without credits.
4. Financial literacy is what you do with the money once you get it, and how you make money work hard for you.
5. The single most powerful asset in the world is our mind.
Highly recommended book if you fall in the poor or middle-class category!
This is the most underrated book in the history of the business. A lot of business books get famous, and they occupy a permanent place in people’s hearts. Sometimes a few books fail because of some small mistakes like a lousy cover page, or an average title, etc.
This book has a killing title, attractive cover page. Yet it has not received enough recognition as it deserves. I can’t think of any reasons for it. If the author creates little awareness, this book will create many milestones in the history of business books!
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It is a wonderful book that deals with a startup business, gives a system to manage starts-ups (P.A.C.E). Besides, it also contains interviews of many successful CEOs - Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (Company - Biocon), Samit Ghosh (Company - Ujjivan Bank), Kumaravel CK (Company - Naturals), and S Valmeekanathan (Company - AXISCADES), and many more.
Check out this book if you are an entrepreneur or if you own a small startup.
The Richest Man in the Babylon
Babylon was the wealthiest city in the world (during its peak) because its people appreciated the value of MONEY.
This book really turns the “self-help” mantras in our heads. It reveals the secrets of ancient men’s success, including simple ways to obtain wealth, get rid of debts, embark on the path to prosperity for themselves and their families, and prepare a safety net for the elderly.
It also highlights the importance of saving 10% of your earnings, and to improve your skills, as massive wealth is the result of a highly skilled person.
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I am still trying to employ some of the principles in the book. But I already see how applying the principles from this book has bought many changes in my life.
Have I mentioned that I love this book?
Spiritual
This book is a fascinating read and full of many useful tools to awaken our own intelligence. It doesn’t belong to any religion and a valuable edition for every human on this planet.
I am too small to describe Sadhuguru, but his absolute clarity of perception on anything and everything places him in a unique space.
The second half of the book provides many sadhanas (or simple tools) that will blow your mind. Undoubtedly it is one of the best books in the spiritual world with an occult climax.
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Improving our lives depends on how we manage our body, mind, emotions, and life energies. Check out this book to know a refreshing approach to get spiritual growth.
For a long time, I had neglected this book. But it is a mind-blowing book that explains the essence of the Heartfulness approach of meditation by Daaji.
The Heartfulness approach proposes a balanced, integrated existence, where life's spiritual and material aspects can harmoniously coexist.
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Every word in this book is like a pearl. A Best read for the spiritual seekers. I highly recommend this book if you are for joy in life.
"Death is a taboo in most societies in the world. But what if we have got this completely wrong? What if death was not the catastrophe it is made out to be but an essential aspect of life, rife with spiritual possibilities for transcendence? For the first time, someone is saying just that."
This is the description you can found for this book. One can prepare for a competition, but how can you prepare for Death? Till today there was no one teach you about Death. But this book does that job efficiently.
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This book is definitely not for ordinary people. It demands more time to digest the facts. After reading this book, I got answers to so many questions that I had in my mind for a very long time.
It’s a beautiful book that I would love to read again and again.
Special Category
Many times people wonder how I can manage my trading activities, along with book writing and answering 100s of questions on Quora. The majority of the credit goes to this book.
The mantra of the book is very simple – Whatever you are aiming for now, change it, and aim 10 times bigger. Whatever you are doing now, make 10 times the extra effort. It’s the only way to achieve massive success in life. It says, “Success is your duty, obligation, and responsibility!”
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Below are some of the interesting quotes from the book:
You must set targets that are 10 times what you think you want and then do 10 times what you think it will take to accomplish those targets. Massive thoughts must be followed by massive actions.
The 10X Rule assumes the target is never the problem. Any target attacked with the right actions in the right amounts with persistence is attainable.
I suggest that you become obsessed about the things you want; otherwise, you are going to spend a lifetime being obsessed with making up excuses as to why you didn’t get the life you wanted.
Over that year and a half, I published three books, introduced four new sales programs, produced more than 700 segments of training material for a virtual training site, did 600 radio interviews, wrote more than 150 articles or blog entries, and made thousands of personal phone calls. While the rest of the world withdrew, we expanded on every front possible.
It gives a tight slap on your face by showing your lack of effort to become successful in life. A must-read book if you are ready to take the slap!
I hope you found something interesting from this list.
I’d love some ideas to add to mine- do you have any recommendations?
If yes, mention in the comment box.
Also, let me know what you thought of these books in the comments box below.
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