Can you recommend any books?

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Here are the books that have greatly influenced me.

Books to Base Your Life On

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi When I graduated college, I had $18,000 in credit card debt and I was struggling to manage it. 18 months after I read ‘I Will Teach You To Be Rich‘, I had paid it all off. This book is perfect for the 18-30 year old who wants a realistic understanding of personal finance. The book is full of specific examples, tactics, and scripts to use to cancel overdraft fees, automate savings, negotiate raises, and spend consciously. The first time I had an overdraft fee refunded, the book paid for itself.

What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles This book is the best coaching I’ve ever received on finding a job. What Color Is Your Parachute? focused on breaking down assumptions that I held about the job search — I can only find a job online, I don’t have the right experience, I don’t know what I want to do — and helped me replace these assumptions with goals. This is the best book on the market for the modern job seeker. Even if you aren’t searching for a job right now, buy a copy of the book and read it to prepare for when you do start searching.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion explores the psychology of why people say “yes”. I’m fascinated by the inner-workings of behavior. Cialdini explores the shortcuts people make when making decisions and how subtle manipulation of signals can cause a change in behavior.

Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking by Michael Ruhlman A must-have for any amateur chef. This book explores the essential ratios that are at the heart of basic cookery. The book is divided into five sections — doughs, stocks, sausuages, sauces, and custards — and each sections explores what makes the ratios work and the subtle variations that differentiate one recipe from another. Ratio helped me understand the basic components of cooking and helped me escape from cookbooks.

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg Nonviolent Communication gave me insight into changing my communication for the better and how clarity in communication can be used to strengthen relationships, build trust, and heal pain. It’s a simple concept, but Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life offers effective tools and examples to get started.

SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham SPIN Selling gave me the specific tools I needed to negotiated myself a $16,000 raise, a promotion to department manager, and a month of paid vacation. This is the best book on the sales process I have ever read. I reread it every 6 months and it’s constantly giving me insight into how to have success in communication, negotiation, and sales.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink Drive asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction — in love, at work, at home — is the need to direct our own lives and to learn and create new things. I just finished reading Drive and paired with Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life, it’s given me a new outlook on how to communicate my passion and build a community of people who share that passion.

Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy David Ogilvy is the father of modern advertising. He invented direct mail and revolutionized the advertising industry. This book is his candid look at all aspects of advertising.

Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff Pitch Anything transformed the way I positioned my ideas. Pitch Anything shows how to apply neuroecomomics to influence how the brian makes decisions and responds to communication. Selling ideas, pitching clients, negotiating a higher salary, or asking for a favor, Pitch Anything offers tactics to stay in control of the situation.

The Jam-Packed Success Profile Summary Of John D. Rockefeller’s Life by Dane Maxwell — (Free PDF) This is a bite sized version of the massive 832 page biograph of John D. Rockefeller put together by Dane Maxwell. Rockefeller was the worlds richest man ($633.4 Billion according to Wikipedia) and Dane’s summary of Titan, the Rockefeller biography, is very accessible, breaking down the mindset of a Billionaire; Rockefeller’s specific personality traits, habits, and driving inner beliefs; and mistakes that Rockefeller made. Rockefeller had the skills of a Billionaire. If you take these skills and apply just 1% to your life, you’ll see success.