Five Books That Will Change Your Life

By Roland Andrei T. Carada, Senior Digital Media Associate

A confession: I read a lot of books but not a lot of books that can change your life. I live mostly in the realm of science fiction and fantasy. 

Don’t get me wrong though. Books have always been a great way to expand your mind and show you a new way of thinking. Some books have these incredible ideas that can have profound effects on the way you do things.

I think I’ve seen some of these books in my 36 years and as one of the “elder” statesmen here at TeamAsia, and I thought I would share them with you.

Here are my five books that may change your life:

The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

No other book has changed the way I think more than this one. It’s a manual on how to be a great salesman wrapped in a familiar story. It showcases the power of attitude and habit, and why certain attitudes and habits dictate your success in life. 

It’s important because, at the end of the day, all of us are salespeople. Writers need to sell their ideas. Artists need to sell their craft. Marketers are selling their brand. When we’re applying for jobs, or presenting for our next internal meeting, we are selling ourselves and our ideas. We are all selling something no matter what our profession is. 

Pro-tip: Pick up this book, do what it says for over a year. It has very specific and practical instructions on what to do every month on your journey. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/356896.The_Greatest_Salesman_in_the_World

The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth Godin

As the saying goes, winners never quit and quitters never win. But that’s not true, is it? Winners do walk away and some quitters have moved on to become great successes in their lives.

The difference is knowing when to quit and when to push on the through. This book teaches you  when to hold on and when to let go. 

Strengthsfinder 2.0 by Tom Rath

The book has a simple premise. You have a particular set of strengths and weaknesses. Most learning and development programs tell you to eliminate your weaknesses. This book however tells you that you must emphasize your strengths. You can’t grade a fish by telling it to fly. 

Strengthsfinder 2.0 will show you your strengths and how to apply them at work and in your daily life.

Pro-tip: Never buy a used one. These have access codes for Gallup’s Clifton Strengths Test, which will help show you what your strengths are. 

https://store.gallup.com/p/en-us/10385/strengthsfinder-2.0-(hardcover)

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

This book will make you fall in love with data and research. In it, you would find out why some people are successful and some aren’t. It exposes interesting truths and little nuggets of information that make all the difference in succeeding in life. 

For example, did you know the greatest basketball players are born around January to March? Michael Jordan, the consensus greatest player in the world was born in February. The reason is that, you get accepted into programs faster than most other kids your age by just being born before the summer sports leagues. 

But it’s not when you were born that makes you different or successful. It’s the underlying reason that’s important. It allows you to practice more and reach that golden number that Malcolm would say over and over in the book. 10,000 hours. According to Gladwell, that’s the amount of hours you should put in your line of work, before you can be truly great at it.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3228917-outliers

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

This book shows you why some teams do everything for each other and why some are stuck in infighting and misery. The secret sauce is in the leaders. 

There are good leaders and there are bad leaders. I’ve met some of them in my long and winding career path. There are some people I will cherish forever and some that I relegate to the bargain bin dumpster of “forgotten” and “hope to never see again.” 

This book made me realize why I’m where I am right now and why I’m sticking to it. Find yourself a great leader and see where they will lead you.

https://books.google.com.ph/books/about/Leaders_Eat_Last.html?id=3SliAgAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y

And that’s it. These are the five books that I hope will change your life for the better. I can’t guarantee that these will make you change the way you think or confirm what you already know, but I do think that they will have at least a positive impact.

The truth is – it all starts with you. The courage to make a change and live your best life lies in the only person that should be the master of your fate and the captain of your soul. You.