Every now and then a great leader is born who takes the whole humanity into a new era of possibilities.
Where do these leaders come from?
What is the unique quality they have that makes them utter fearless while taking the biggest of leaps?
How do they make the whole world believe in their vision and passion?
There are a lot of such questions that bothers me every passing minute. I always look at Steve Jobs and ask myself – Why Steve Jobs? These questions open up lots of possibilities for new things to learn. To get the answers to these questions, I have read a few biographies, books, novels in the past and today I’m about to share the Top 5 Books that has given me some of the most useful insights about the great leaders of the world.
Table of Contents
#1. Think & Grow Rich by Napolean Hill
Think & Grow Rich was first written in 1937 by Author Napoleon Hill. Hill died in the year 1970 and by then this book has already sold more than 70 million copies. It has already sold more than 100 million copies in the year 2010 and who knows how much more since.
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Can you imagine? 100 million copies already sold and still, it is one of the best selling books in the market. There ought to be some secret behind the success, right?
From the moment I started reading this book, I experienced a change in myself… In my thoughts and ultimately my actions. This book has given me some of the most practical insights about the world that we live in. This is the most practical book out in the market that teaches you how to become successful with the help of pure science. A set of trusted method that always works if followed in the right way.
Think & Grow Rich talks about the rules of nature that if followed correctly, you shall be rewarded. Hill has divided the whole knowledge of book into principles and took examples of real life heroes such as Henry Ford and King Martin Luther.
I was so much in love with the book that I wrote an entire elaborated summarized version of the book which you can find here. I strongly recommend you to read this book and become the part of Think and Grow Rich club.
I would also recommend you to buy Think & Grow Rich Workbook. This workbook will be very useful for you once you start reading the book. It will help you to work your way towards the success as you complete each chapter of the book.
#2. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
When this book was first launched into the US market, it embarked a high sale of more than 379,000 copies. It became the first ever book to produce such high sales in the very first week. Although, it was pretty obvious that this book will sell and make a mark as it has the face of the great Steve Jobs on it. But nobody thought that this biography would break the US market with a strolling sale of more than 379,000 copies in the very first week. It broke all the previous records and became the bestseller of the week.
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This book was handed to me from my friend when I was in college. A massive 657-page book was not a joke to read for me at that time. As I started reading the book, time flew by me. I never knew how much deep I have gone while reading it. It was so amazing to know Steve Jobs closely. Walter Isaacson has done a great job in pinning down the smallest of details about Steve Jobs which no one knew except the people in his close circle.
Another thing that makes this book stand out from many other books which were written about Steve Jobs was that Steve Jobs personally took his time out for this book. He gave his time to Isaacson as if he wanted to express his feelings to the world which were hidden for so long. After reading this book, I’m sure you will become a true fan of Steve Jobs and not because he started Apple but because the kind of person he was at the core. True Love 🙂
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This book (Steve Jobs) holds the power to change you as a person and you must give it a try.
#3. Rich Dad Poor Dad
I think this is one book which is known to all and read by a few. This book holds a record for getting listed in the list of US best seller for almost 7 years. More than 27 million copies sold in more than 110 languages around the globe. Robert Kiyosaki has done a great job by giving his precious financial knowledge to everyone first hand.
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The storyline of this book is kind of interesting. It starts with a story of two families. One whose father was at an officer grade and second whose father has less education and was a mere businessman. He states the later one as a rich dad and that is how the book goes on explaining each and every aspect of becoming wealthy.
Rich Dad Poor Dad feels so natural and close to your own life that you cannot just stop reading it till the end. The book is written in plain English and has used easy vocab that could be understood by a 10-year-old. I wrote an article explaining the main points of the book as a summary. Read it here,
I strongly recommend you to read Rich Dad Poor Dad if you have not read it yet. This will surely create new neural pathways in your brain for managing your finances well.
#4. The Alchemist
The Alchemist has one heck of a success story. The first time when this book was published in the year 1988, it failed. It failed pretty bad that the publisher had to take it down. One year into the future, the Alchemist became the most selling book in New York and stayed there for 315 weeks. It sold more than 65 million copies.
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When it was asked to Paulo in one of Oprah Interview about the success of the book and what made it a success after facing such a failure. Paulo Coelho said – There was a sentence that he wrote in the book which he believes to be the success mantra for the book.
The sentence reads –
“‘When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you,'”
~ Paulo Coelho
He said he wrote these words and he had live by it. He did that and became the most successful author of Brazil.
Isn’t is amazing? How people became successful just because they believe. Amazing 🙂
The Alchemist a short book and I recommend you read it today or tomorrow. Yes, it is two or three sitter book and could easily be finished in a day or two and it will last its impression for years to come.
#5. Life is What You Make It
This one’s Indian. Life is What You Make It was published by Hindustan Time in the year 2011. It became the national best seller of the year as announced by Hindustan Time. This book is quite close to my heart as it wonderfully depicts the love, compassion, hope and at the end it leaves you with a strong message and optimism for life.
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I would recommend this book to everyone especially to the people who are going through the hard times in their life. After reading Life is What You Make It, you will definitely develop the courage to withstand any obstacle that comes in your life.
Preeti Shenoy has crafted a masterpiece that would remain there for a long long time.
The books I have listed in this post are one of the best that has helped me to understand myself better. All the books are available on Kindle as well. If you are not the book-ey kind of a guy then Kindle is the best choice for you, plus, the e-books cost less as compared to original paper books. These books really play an important part in my life and I want you to read it too. Go through it and then tell me what impact did it make on your life.
Please do share your thoughts and views. Share the list with your close friends, family and relatives and ask them to read it.
Only I Can Change My Life. No One Can Do It For Me.