What is the MOST USEFUL BOOK you've ever read?

For me, Think and Grow Rich, 4 hour work week, Rich Dad and Poor Dad

Useful is relative to the purpose, and even to a particular time in your life. For example, when I was in my teens the allegorical Siddhartha was the first book I read that showed me spirituality was more than I'd be taught by my parents religion. Some of the concepts in that book have influenced my life for forty years now.

More recently though, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind showed me how millionaires think differently than I did, and how those thought patterns are largely programmed into us when we're children, and how we can change our "money blueprint" so we can rise above our previous mental conditioning about money. Changing our conditioning and thinking about money allows us to make more and keep more.

How do you choose which of those two books are more important? Although there is a little overlap, for the most part they are about completely different matters. Now toss in a dozen or more other books that have been very influential in different areas of life and the answer to your question grows even murkier.

In other words, for me at least, there is no single book that is the MOST useful. Each has had their influence and brought different benefits at different moments in time and in different areas of life.

Rich Dad's Guide to Investing because it changed the way I look at business...

Cheers,

Brad

(PS...b/c I love skating on the line of the rules...4 hour work week and Influence are 2 other big ones in my life) But you didn't hear that from me.

7 Steps to Freedom

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

It almost tells you what quality is...

Useful as far as marketing.... "How I made $4000 a day in my underwear sitting at my kitchen table" by Jeff Paul

The first one I remember reading that got me started as an entreprenur was Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

I like the book ....The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles - great enlightenment on the philosophy of money!

I've read very many that were very useful. But there's one that seemed
to bring many things together.

Deep Survival - Who Lives, Who Dies, And Why by Lawrence Gonzales

I cannot say enough about this book, and I read it in a time of my life
that was dicey, to say the least. It helped me put all my sheeet in one
sock, so to speak.

This is from the website:

"Deep Survival was the first scientific book on survival. It set the bar and started the
trend that spawned a spate of imitations. Since its publication, this best-seller has been
embraced by everyone from the head of training for the Navy SEALs to the Sloan School
of Management at MIT. Its appeal has been so broad and deep because the principles in
Deep Survival apply to any challenge that life poses, from coping with a financial crisis
to battling a life threatening illness or dealing with addiction and recovery. And
psychologists, oncologists, business executives, and clergy have brought the principles
of Deep Survival to their clients to help them face adversity, to manage risk, and to
enhance decision making in every form. Read the original. You won't be disappointed."

I have often thought it's the best 'self help' book I've ever read.

I would encourage anyone to read it, even if you feel you don't 'need' a
self help book.

deepsurvival.com - information on deepsurvival.com

I can't pick just one. But I will pick one author and that is Dan Kennedy. I have all his books and many of his courses, tapes, and subscribe to his newsletter.

To try to narrow it down to one book is impossible for me. There are some great books, but you have to be ready for the message. I like to read Deepak Chopra to keep my mind in tune, but I also like the Art of War and the Art of Seduction. Probably Steinbeck is my favorite fiction author, but I love sci-fi like Heinlein and Tolkien. The mind is a wonderful thing that must be continuously nourished, and reading is one great way to do it. Once you learn how to learn, the messages in the books become all that much more helpful.

In EVERY way: The Bible.

"Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill Just download it from my blog here for free. Although written in 1938 very applicable to today. Just go the last paragraph.

Interesting Question. A lot of books that should have been useful were not. My favorite book is not about marketing. I think the most useful book is Think and Grow Rich by Napolian Hill. It tells you how to conduct yourself to make your fortune and it tells you the personal things that are roadblocks to your success in detail I have not seen anywhere else.

The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

Changed the way I work and rest. Now I work less and get more things done. I also feel emotionally and physically great.

Eben Pagan is a great fan of this book and he says its one of the best books he has ever read.

I know mine is knida different by I like Mike Filsaime's Butterfly Marketing Manuscript the most.

Butterfly marketing manuscript was the ebook that actually got me started with Internet Marketing and gave me this view of product launches and OTOs and all kinds of great stuff that I use in my business every day.

Man's Search For Meaning (Viktor E.Frankl). Nothing I've found even comes close.

"Light on Yoga" probably, but that has a lot to do with where
I was at that point in my life.

I've read a lot of the books about making money, persuasion,
selling, advertising, and thinking yourself rich. It's all good,
especially when it's new to you, but repetitive.

If you have your health you have everything - if you don't,
you have to look for fulfillment in other ways.

Affiliate Project X

How to Win Friends and Influence People.
This book goes into the psychology of the human mind. It influenced my greatly, and I look at everyone differently now. And when I'm in the mood to sale, it's not very hard anymore. It's a great book. I'm going to be reading it several times a year to keep it fresh on my mind.

I have to go with Influence on this, but it would be a tough call between that and Psycho Cybernetics.

Strategic Management by John Pearce

The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles

Think and grow rich by Napoleon Hill

Rich dad poor dad

The Bible

I haven't read a lot of spiritual/motivational/personal-development books, really.

In any case - and perhaps rather surprisingly - one of the books I remember having the most profound effect on me, and giving me the drive to succeed, was the one written by Michael J. Fox (Marty McFly - Back To The Future ), titled A Lucky Man.

Although it's not the deepest book on the subject, nor the the top book I'd recommend to others I'd say "Way Of The Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Millman influenced me the most because it led me to so many other books and authors in the self help world.

Speaking of books, if anyone is interested, I'm restarting my book club on Dec 1st, and this time it's FREE for anyone to join...

Jason Moffatt's Book Club | Bare Naked Brain Fodder

Please don't sign up though if you don't have any intention of participating with the club.

The Four Hour Work Week. I was already doing internet marketing before I read it and then as I was reading it was confirming everything that I had thought about my choice to pursue it. I'm sure many other readers felt the same but it felt as though it was written for me on some level. I haven't looked back since.

Every answer needed is in the Bible.
-WD

I have read a lot of spiritual/motivational/personal-development books and without hesitation...Think and Grow Rich - It's an old one but in my opinion many if not most subsequent self help books are based in similar concepts.

Then you might want to read Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton for a dose of hard hitting cutting-edge science that helps explain why our thoughts/beliefs have the power to change us and the world around us.

Business: "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word", Sugarman. "The Culture Code", Rapaille. "48 Laws of Power" and "Art of Seduction", Greene.

Personal Development: "Illuminatus! Trilogy", Shea and Wilson. "Immediatism", Hakim Bey. "In Defense of Lost Causes", Zizek.

Tao Te Ching

It holds the simple secrets to happy living

The War of Art, The Way of The Superior Man, Rich Dad Poor Dad, 4 Hour Work Week.

"Influence" and "Pyro Marketing", those two books you can use to pretty much replicate any big product launch you see in IM without having to shell out the the $2,000 for Mass Controll or Product Launch Formula.

Wheres the cheese - Changed my way of thinking alot.

4 hour work week - Wow, total brilliance

Butterfly marketing - mike filsaimes total genius.

"Getting Things Done" - David Allen - definitely the most useful.

Most inspiring - "The Transition Handbook" - Rob Hopkins. Nothing to do with IM, but everything to do with having a future.

Going off the board here with Sun Tzu's- The Art of War

Doesnt directly relate to IM. But an intresting and insightful read nontheless. And alot of the principles apply

When it comes to Internet Marketing after reading so many so called Gurus in the Internet Marketing world only 1 man has done me any good when I read his book 'create your first website by 3:45 this afternoon'. Chris Farrels videos are so simple and easy to understand, something that I never learned from all the other gurus. I must say though that these so called gurus taught me what I needed to understand.

Personal Improvement:
7 habits of highly effective people - Stephen R. Covey

Selling a product:
The Irresistible Offer - How to sell your product in 3 seconds or less - Mark Joyner

How to win friends and influence people, by Dale Carnegie

I read it back when i was 15, Im 17 now.... I know how much this has helped me with so many different things.

A must read for sure!!!

Someone posted this above, I'm seconding it....The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

In junior high school.

The bible!

Dr Bruce Lipton is also changing the entire paradigm of potential by demonstrating that what we thought was a limit is actually merely a personal belief construction on a molecular level. Lipton is awesome.

its an e book about how to choose a niche and some seo methods. name of the book I don't remember, maybe it hadn't a name.

Very hard question.. ugh!..and most of them I like. Apart from the design books, it would be Web Copy That Sells by Maria Veloso and Rich Dad and Poor Dad.

When it comes to marketing and entrepreneurship, the one book that really opened my eyes to the almost limitless possibilities in business was 'Multiple Streams Of Income' by Robert G. Allen.

The Great Formula and Mind Control Marketing by Mark Joyner

4 Hour Workweek. It really changed my mindset for the better!

Mine are...Think & Grow Rich... Rich Dad Poor Dad....7 Habits of highly effective people.

Hi,

I actually like "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle.

Thanks

Rich

Atlas Shrugged. Actually, The Fountainhead, then Atlas Shrugged.

Totally changed my entire mindset back when I was still an impressionable youth. I might well have ended up where I am now, but I suspect my path would have been much more circuitous had I not been exposed to the brilliance and mindset realignment those books evoked.

John

"Someone posted this above, I'm seconding it....The War of Art by Steven Pressfield."

I third this. Maybe not the best business book, but one of the best ever for writers and artists. I also enjoyed "Bird by Bird" and "Writing Down the Bones"

The Bible

Poor dad Rich Dad put the picture of the puzzle together for me

Totally agree with that, old books with evergreen wisdom.

And the most useful book I ever read was:
"desk assembly handbook"

For me, it has to be "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.

dianetics..
l ron hubard

arnold55

Spirituality: In The Light of Truth -The Grail Message By Adrushin (I've been reading it for two decades, nothing comes close) A whole new world is unveiled.

Business: Think and Grow Rich By Napoleon Hill

Self-help: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People By S.Covey