A few months ago, I asked members of the Better Book Club:
Have you ever read a book that was impressive and powerful that your opinion/perspective on something was drastically changed? I'd love to hear what book changed you and why!
We had some great responses to this question but I realized I didn’t actually give my own answer to this question.
So, here goes…
A few books have had a big impact on me:
- The 4-Hour Work Week – If you’re familiar with my story, you’ll see that this book really motivated me to start my own business built with an emphasis on efficiency and freedom.
- The Obstacle is the Way – Introduced me to the world of Stoic philosophy and now Ryan Holiday is one of my favorite writers.
- I Will Teach You To Be Rich – Is full of practical advice about how to be smarter with money and live a “rich” life (that’s not all about money).
But one book stands out as having the biggest impact on me. Because this is the book that got me started writing about productivity and self-improvement. It’s the book that helped me to get clarity on my purpose.
I’ve mentioned it on the blog a few times before? Do you know it yet?
Of course, I’m talking about Start With Why by Simon Sinek.
Watch Simon’s TED talk to get the gist of the book but definitely take some time to read it as well:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA?rel=0]For me, this book had a huge impact on me. Before reading this book I knew I wanted to work for myself but I wasn’t really sure what I should do. Then I learned that WHAT you do doesn't matter as much as WHY you do it. And that’s when I decided to focus my website on productivity, business and self-improvement.
WHAT you do doesn't matter nearly as much as WHY you do it!Click To TweetSo, what is my WHY?
To develop myself and others so that we can realise our full potential and create a life of freedom, happiness and fulfilment. I want to live the best possible life I can and help others to do the same.
This is the philosophy I use to guide my actions both personally and professionally (hopefully this comes through in the work that I do).
If you’re interested in finding your WHY, you can check out Simon’s course, Learn Your WHY (which is what I did to create the statement above).
Let me know in the comments below, what book (or books) have had the biggest impact on your life?