I read a lot. I always have.

If a book doesn’t pull me in within the first 50 pages or so, I generally stop reading it.

Life is too short to finish things just to say you finished them.

The books I’m sharing with you today, though, are the kind of books that made my mind, heart, soul, and, in some cases, bank account expand. Most of them had me entranced within the first few pages. I refer back to them all the time.

I find myself telling people to read these books constantly. So, I thought I’d tell you, too.

They’re all non-fiction, which I tend to gravitate toward more than fiction. (Though I’ve been on a serious Outlander series bender since March. I’m on book six and still loving it!)

Here are the top 13 books that I find myself recommending all the time:

GENERAL LIFE ENHANCEMENT

1- The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. This book totally shifted the way I think about how my life works, how my psyche works, and how the world works. It helps so much when we feel like we’re stuck or have repetitive patterns that we can’t seem to break.

2- You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. I read this book for the first time when I was 14 years old and I’ve come back to it many times. This book puts us back in the driver’s seat of our lives and reminds us how to solve “problems” when they arrive from the inside out. There’s also a film version of this book with lots of Hay House authors that I highly recommend.

3- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. This is one of my all time favorite books, and it happens to be about writing. Great if you want to become a better writer. Great if you simply want a great read. You’ll laugh so hard you’ll pee your pants, and you’ll get profound wisdom that will help you on your journey, writing or otherwise.

4- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. Somehow the angels orchestrated that this book showed up on my doorstep about 4 months before our wedding. (I hadn’t ordered it, nor had I heard of it.) I read it cover to cover within a week or two. I’ve always had trouble prioritizing, and this book helped me laser in on what really matters at a time when overwhelm felt imminent.

BUSINESS

5-   The Fire Starter Sessions: A Soulful and Practical Guide to Creating Success on Your Own Terms by Danielle LaPorte. I read this book and did the exercises as my morning practice during a month in my life when I needed some extra divine TLC. It was just what the doctor ordered. If you feel like you need some permission to be your brave, badass self, read this book. Practical, hilarious, loving, and generally amazing.

6- The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk. I think this is the best book I’ve read on social media and its ability to transform the world for good. It’s practical and philosophical. If you have a business and you’re using social media to grow it (which you kind of have to be if you have a business), then this is a must-read.

7- The Education of Millionaires: Everything You Won’t Learn in College about How to Be Successful by Michael Ellsberg: I love how this book challenges everything we’ve been taught about the importance of higher education for creating success in life. I found Ellsberg’s findings validating and so practical. Read this one yourself and give it to every young adult you know.

8- To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth about Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink: I’ve long known that learning to sell is critical for success in any endeavor (personal or professional.) That’s one of the reasons why I started a network marketing business in college. The research that Dan Pink brings to the conversation around modern selling elevates the conversation far beyond any sales book I’ve read in the past. If you’ve ever doubted your ability to sell, or questioned why you even need to master sales as a skill, you have to read this.

MONEY

9- Overcoming Underearning: A Five-Step Plan to a Richer Life by Barbara Stanny. This book was essential in my journey of getting it together financially. It’s the first book I recommend if anyone is struggling and ready to stop struggling.

10- Sacred Success: A Course in Financial Miracles by Barbara Stanny. Once you get it together with your money and you’re no longer struggling, read this and take the advice to heart. This book gave me permission to slow down and create the spaciousness in my life that allowed us to prepare for our baby to arrive with ease and sanity.

11- Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money that the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert Kiyosaki. I read this book when I was 16 years old, and it changed the course of my life. If you want financial freedom, read this pronto. It’s an essential.

12- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I read this book in high school and was amazed by how relevant it is, even though it was written in the early 1900s. If you want to understand the energetics of money better and why just working harder isn’t always the best solution for making more money, read this.

13- The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity by Catherine Ponder. This book was part of my early money education and it was crucial for understanding how money works on the spiritual level. Chock full of compelling stories, affirmations, and wisdom for the ages, this would be required reading if I decided to teach Abundance 101.

We’d love to hear from YOU…

Which book(s) do you find yourself referring back to and recommending all the time? What books or other resources have helped you grow your business the most?  Leave your answer in the comments below! 

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books, business books, business owner, entrepreneur, January 2016 Issue, money books, online business, reading, sales books, women in business