These 5 books will change your life (and you don't even have to read them).

I'm somewhat of an avid reader. To clarify, I love learning and gathering new information, but at times, I can't be bothered to actually sit down and finish a book.  Then I ventured into the world of audiobooks, and never looked back.  I've consumed countless personal growth books. Some have provided lots of knowledge. Others, have actually transformed me. Today, I've compiled a short list of books that can change your life (just by their title alone).  Sure, you can read them, if you'd like, but if you just do what the book title says, your life will never be the same again.

Write it down, make it happen (Anne Klauser)- I read this book nearly a decade ago. It was early on in my personal growth journey and the title immediately grabbed my attention.  If I recall correctly, this isn't a long book, but after reading multiple stories of how the art of writing what you want could bring new results into your life, I was sold.  I put the book down, and wrote out my intentions.   It was a short list of 5 things I wanted.  Although I can't remember all five,  2 items on the list were most important.  One of them was to overcome a fear I've held since childhood and the second was to double my income within a short period of time.  I couldn't believe it, but both manifested.  It was mind blowing.  Although I didn't finish the book, the process definitely worked. Since then, I've taken on the habit of always writing down my desires and have never looked back.

Do one thing different (Bill O'Hanlon)-One of my favorites. I think I picked up a PDF copy of the book and got halfway through before I decided to implement the concept into my own life.  Everyday, I'd look at my routines and ask myself, "what can I do differently?"  Without fail, whenever I implement the "do one thing different" philosophy, things change for the better.  By tweaking one simple action, we ignite the butterfly effect.  We can alter the course of our days by making a conscious decision to do X instead of Y.  There's an old Seinfeld episode where George Costanza decided to make the opposite decision of what he would normally do.  His old decisions created his current life and he was ready to experience something new (new actions = new results).  His new choices pretty much created a new life. What's interesting is how fast things changed for him.  That was my exact experience when I applied "Do one thing different" into my every day life.  Unfortunately, it's easy to slide back into old habits so I constantly have to remind myself to do one thing differently.

The Magic of Thinking Big (David Schwartz)- I have this book on audio and never got around to finishing it.  I originally purchased it because it was one of the personal development greats.  I got (respectfully) called out once, by my former CEO for not thinking big enough.  I didn't know it at the time, but it was the best thing that could have happened to me.  Small thinking leads to small action. Small actions generate little results.  I love playing it safe and it's held me back from experiencing my fullest potential.  Knowing this, I constantly have to ask myself, "are my goals big enough?.... Am I slowing myself down by taking these small steps? .....Am I ignoring the big action that I know I need to take?

Because my thinking can be limited, I have to counteract this by constantly seeking out examples of others who took on big goals and won.  This really opens up my thinking and builds my belief. Sorta like watching your opponent break a record and knowing that you can also do it too. In middle school my dad challenged me to earn straight A's after I barely made the honor roll.  I was proud of my accomplishment and never once thought to try for a 4.0 G.PA. Dad, invited me to think bigger and reach for the greatest possibility.  Thanks to him, I did.  Now, I constantly challenge myself to play harder, push further, and dream bigger.

Screw it, let's do it (Richard Branson)- This book is small enough to read in a weekend. I've tried to read it a couple times but still haven't finished it yet. But I don't need to because  I already learned from the title.  Sir Richard wants us to experience the power of saying yes.  You don't get to Richard Branson's level without being someone that takes on new challenges and risks.  This mentality to saying yes to new adventures has a tremendous creative power.  Think of it this way....when an opportunity comes your way, you can either decide to do it, or to say no.  When you say no, you kill all possibility. But if you chose to take on something new, you open the door for a multitude of possibilities to exist.   Saying yes doesn't mean that you know how, it means you're willing to take on the challenge!  Yes is a creation word and Sir Richard knows this.  He's a real life example of someone who understands the power of thinking big, and saying yes, which is why he achieves at such a high level.

Do The Work- (Steven Pressfield)- I have 3 of Steven's books, The War of Art which is about overcoming resistance (I highly recommend that you do read), Turning Pro and Do the Work.  Of the three, Do the Work is the one that I didn't finish.  But I really don't need to. Because when I apply the concept, great things start to happen.  There are times when I'm in idea mode. I'm filled with inspiration and start compiling ideas about what I want to accomplish.  But, then comes the time when ideas need to move into action.  If I don't shift into work mode, no action occurs and the idea dies a slow, painful death.  Later, someone asks me about the idea and I spew out all the reasons why my idea didn't pan out.  Truthfully, it's because I didn't do the work.  Whenever I move forward, past resistance, and proceed to get things done, my ideas always come to life.  Everything I enjoy today is the result of the work I've done in the past.  Hard work always pays off.

 Do the work despite your excuses. Do the work despite your fears. Just do the work.  You know what needs to be done. Just do it!

-Honorable mention goes to:
 You'll See it when you believe it (Dr. Wayne Dyer)
 The One Thing (Gary Keller)
 Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)

Let's keep the list going. What books come to mind that'll change your life if you only applied the book title alone?

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