10 Best Books For Motivation And Focus
When it gets to be this time of year, I really need a motivational push! These are the 10 best books for happy New Year’s resolutions that I usually read around this time. This year, I’m starting early and ending 2021 strong so that 2022 starts off justttt right!
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A lot of people have lost their jobs. A lot of people have lost their futures. They are starting again from ground zero!
I want to be a little light for everyone and remind everyone that this is not the first time hardships have come in life nor will it be the last time. It may seem like the end of the world right now for a lot of people, but we are strong and we shall survive this just like we have survived the past.
The past is the reason why reading is so important. Through mentors, we are reminded of times that have come before the present. Some mentors have even been ambitious enough to write a book and share their experiences. Many of the following authors started with nothing and made something for themselves, some were abused, some were injured, and still they made it through their hardships to find success.
The following 10 books are from mentors who wanted to share their knowledge with the world. So, this week, instead of binge-ing another series on Netflix, turn off the TV and read a book. Work on your own knowledge, plan for the future, and set some new goals!
“Your own success or failure is based largely on your self-belief, and a mind-set of positive expectancy is the foundation of which your success can be achieved.”
Think and Grow Rich is one of the best selling books of all time! It’s unique outlook on life and intimate looks into the major players of the time, makes it relevant even in today’s market.
Napoleon Hill is credited for inventing the Self-Help genre back in 1937. It is only natural that we should read his work that inspired so many other books to follow. He was one of the first people to actually reveal what the successful did to become rich.
His major focus was to go into situations with the right mindset. If you had your mind set correctly, then when opportunity struck you would have already done the preparation to be able to take advantage of the opportunity presented to you. He goes through different emotions and actions to use to your advantage. Things like Faith, Desire, Auto-Suggestion, Imagination, etc are all strong weapons of success when you use them to your advantage.
I really like this book because when you really think about it, you’re basically learning from a professional conman. You can use these weapons to influence your own mind or you can use them to influence someone else’s mind. Super smart stuff in this book, it will really open your eyes to what businesses do to manipulate you through marketing to buy their products.
End Of The Year Tip – Do you really need the new phone or that new computer when you’re not getting a steady paycheck or are you just feeding into that marketing hook?
Napoleon Hill’s Hardship – He was born into poverty and involved himself in a number of shady business deals to survive. His past is riddled with schemes and lies. He did not so much write the book after he became rich, but thought to use his insider connections to write the book in order to become rich.
“Certainly any job is better than sitting at home eating Twinkies and watching TV. Any job is better than depending on the government for a handout. Any job is better than sitting on your stoop smoking a blunt and talking about what you're going to do.”
There are 12 laws in this book that Russell “the CEO of Hip-hop” Simmons says you need to follow in order to be successful. The book is written from that raw hustler perspective. There is no glitz and glamour in this book, just straight facts.
He really hones in on the fact you have to put in hard work. You need to WORK. One of my favorite parts of the book is when he says even if you don’t have any job offers, go and start sweeping the streets. Just go and start doing the work with a smile on your face. Someone like the shop owner (of the store you are sweeping in front of) may take notice of your work ethic and offer you a job stocking shelves. Next thing you know that hard work with a smile gets you a position as a weekend manager, then manager. With the experience you’ve gotten, you now have the resume to be able to go after an even better job.
His whole point of the book is if you don’t put in work, you won’t get anywhere. Having any job is better than no job.
End Of The Year Tip – Take advantage of the time and learn a new skill. There’s so many free classes online right now, there’s nothing but opportunity out there if you look for it! Now’s a great time to try a new kind of job or side hustle that you’ve always wanted to try!
Russell Simmons Hardship – Simmons grew up on the streets, involved in the Seven Immortals and drugs. While at a club he heard the “world famous” MC Eddie Cheeba rapping in a club and that’s when Hip-hop changed the trajectory of his life.
“So many people say, 'Oh, I'm not interested in money.' Yet they'll work at a job for 8 hours a day.”
Society teaches us how to use a credit card and play with play money that we don’t have, but we never learn what to do with the money we actually have. Robert T. Kiyosaki comes in with direction for those of us that didn’t even realize we needed it! He shares fictional stories from childhood from the perspectives of a rich dad and a poor dad. His goal is to get people thinking about what they do with their money from two different mindsets.
The major key take away from this book was that the rich don’t work just to attain money and in addition, they make their money work for them. He wants to encourage others that they can do the same thing the rich do with just small sums of money. You just have to overcome the fear of not having a lot of money and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
End Of The Year Tip – What can you do to invest? Maybe use something like Robinhood where you can invest a money amount instead of having to buy a whole stock. (Send me an email and ask me for a free stock referral link and we both get a free stock.)
Robert T. Kiyosaki Hardship – After going through bankruptcy with a number of failed business ventures he built, he did not truly find success until he became a motivational speaker.
“No sale is too small. Give each person your undivided attention as if they were a million-dollar client.” - Comfort Zone Correction: Unfiltered True Stories In Successful Selling
This book is filled with lessons from my mentor’s real-life experiences in business. Mr. Brown was always able to think outside of the box and find solutions to hurdles as they arrived. That’s how he was able to survive the great recession of 2007 with a smile on his face.
Comfort Zone Correction: Unfiltered True Stories In Successful Selling is proof that with the right mindset and positive attitude, you too can be successful. You just have to take that first bold step out of the comfort zone. It’s not as hard as you may think when you have a mentor’s experiences to learn from.
My favorite lesson from the book would have to be Fifteen Minutes to $5,000 where just the simple act of taking an extra fifteen minutes to make the day count lead Mr. Brown to $5,000 extra in sales for the day.
End Of The Year Tip – Do something that motivates you to take a BIG step out of your comfort zone and try something new!
Mr. Brown’s Hardship – My mentor moved to America to pursue the American Dream with nothing. While working at a JCPenny and a Burger King in Connecticut, he would take the train into New York City to make phone calls from a payphone. It was with dimes in his pocket, no office, and no phone that he started his business from scratch.
“If you have an impulse to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill the idea.”
This is one of the most motivating books I have ever read. Mel Robbins says you have to literally move within 5 seconds or else you won’t get anything done. It’s so true! There’s been so many times where I have an impulse to do something but the idea is squashed as fast as it arose.
The idea that struck me the most is that we always put off our work until the ideal moment. In a way, we are all perfectionists. But, the perfect moment will never exist. Instead, we just need to act upon our impulse when it arrives or else we will never get anything done.
End Of The Year Tip – Think about how many times you have procrastinated about doing something. Let’s get stuff done this year! Make a list of things you want to accomplish! Try to finish what you can during these last couple months of this year!
Mel Robbins Hardship – At age 41, she was unemployed, facing bankruptcy, marriage spiraling, confidence shot and hitting the bottle hard. She was able to turn her life around by being more proactive and taking constant small steps to change her life.
“Visible mess helps distract us from the true source of the disorder.”
This book is pure magic. Kondo takes us through the journey of cleaning our mind, body, and soul with the disguise of simple house keeping. As you discard things that you no longer have value for, you realize that some things may have had an emotional attachment to them as well.
You will learn that once you receive a message it’s OK to then let it go. There’s so many things to learn in the simple act of decluttering, I found myself with a fresh load of energy after going through the steps.
End Of The Year Tip – I think we all have a lot we’d like to leave in last year. Let’s look at this year from a fresh, open and accepting perspective and clean up those leftover negative vibes!
Marie Kondo Hardship – Her hardship came after she started her business. She became known all over the world for her tidy ways, but she was a perfectionist and found it hard to manage the balance of her professional image and her home-life reality, especially after having children. She let go of her impossible standard of perfection and was able to find joy.
“Do not build a fortress to protect yourself, isolation is dangerous.”
There is a reason The 48 Laws Of Power is banned from US prisons! This book really breaks down the mentality of power and what it takes to be a leader. It also gives you a glimpse into the idiology of what leaders do to hold on to power once they have it.
One of my favorite laws was to “Never outshine the master.” This is so true and really hit hard. I have worked in restaurants for years and learned this law early on. You never want to try to outshine the manager or you will never see the end to the tasks given to you.
This book will really make you think. Don’t be surprised when you have people start following you afterwards.
End Of The Year Tip – Use these laws to give yourself more confidence. With more confidence, comes more power to accomplish your goals this year!
Robert Greene Hardship – Robert’s struggle has come after he published his book. He suffered a stroke in 2018 and strives to continues to work, write, and hike like he used to. He reminds us that right now we are alive, but we could just as easily be dead.
“We mistakenly assume that if our partners love us they will react and behave in certain ways—the ways we react and behave when we love someone.”
What I really enjoy about this book, is that we finally get a glimpse into the inner workings of the opposite sex’s minds. Things make so much more sense when you realize that we think totally different. Lessons from this book come in handy in both our professional and private lives.
A key takeaway from the book was the simple fact that men process problems mentally while women process problems verbally. This has changed the way I handle any conversation ever! Generally my gal friends just want to be listened to without a solution given, while my guy friends want to talk through a solution if they bring something problematic up in conversation.
Imagine how much easier life could be if we had a glimpse into the mind of the people we are talking to? Well this book does just that! It can help make not only your personal relationships better but also your public relations!
End Of The Year Tip – Be a better partner in both work relationships and personal ones. When you understand where someone else is coming from, from a psychological perspective, it helps you to rationalize someone’s actions.
John Gray Hardship – Even though Gray was one of the most successful self help/relationship councelor/ author’s of the 1990’s, he was unable to keep his own first marriage together.
“Sacrifice, in some form, will be a necessary part of the process, and whoever is more willing to sacrifice for the hustle will always succeed in the long run.”
This book is a collection of lessons learned from Lewis’s years of podcasts with leaders and inspirational public figures like Shawn Johnson and Adam Braun. I like the message because it comes from a champion mindset. Everyone wants to win at life and this is a school for readers to graduate into greatness.
One of the best examples he uses is the hustle of Tom Brady. He was drafted as the 199th overall selection in the sixth round. Brady worked to prove to all those that didn’t choose him that he was greatness. If he hadn’t had that chip on his shoulder would he have gotten into the hall of fame or received that many super bowl rings?
He talks about people’s hardships and how it lead to their greatness which is something we don’t get to hear much of from successful people.
End Of The Year Tip – Think about what has happened to you in the past year and imagine the greatness that is coming to you this year after the lessons learned ove the past 365 days! Your hardships have the potential to lead you to your greatness.
Lewis Howes Hardship – He was en route to a career in football until he injured his wrist and found himself sleeping on his sister’s couch. It was there he started a LinkinIn group and the rest is history.
“The superior human being will always see the light in someone and choose to encourage that light instead of dimming it.”
Derek is one of my favorite public figures! His positive vibes can be felt through the screen. He also is always giving his mentorship from an honest passionate perspective that promotes growth.
In his book, he talks about his personal journey and struggles he worked through to get where he is today. It’s a mix of talent, connections, and luck that lead him to take the lead of every opportunity that was presented to him. He points out that things don’t happen to you… they happen for you. Always take lead, stay in motion, and keep moving forward.
A lot of time heartbreak causes you to grow and change to move onto your next level. This was a refreshing look at someone’s real life hurdles and what he did to get over them and grow into who he is today.
End Of The Year Tip – This is an open book that reveals how someone successful has struggled and let those struggles make him a better performer, better person, and better partner. In times like these, it’s reassuring to hear that someone else has been through pain and overcome it, and so can we!
Derek Hough Hardship – He sacrificed his childhood for grueling hours of dance rehearsals, in another country, away from his family, which lead him to become the amazing artist he is today.
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