Over the years, I’ve read several books that have not only guided me through personal and professional struggles but have completely shifted the way I view success and happiness. For the longest time, I thought success was tied to hitting six figures, being a “boss chick,” flaunting red bottoms, or draping yourself in luxury logos. But honestly, I’m tired of hearing that “magic number” or seeing success defined by what you wear or how flashy your life looks.
I’m sure many of you can relate. We’ve all been fed this idea of success by society, social media, and mainstream media. It’s easy to fall into the trap of measuring yourself against someone else’s standards, chasing material markers of achievement that don’t bring lasting fulfillment.
If you’re ready to challenge these ideas and start thinking differently, it’s time to explore new perspectives. In this post, I’m sharing seven books that will open your mind to different ways of running a business, developing essential skills, living with purpose, and seeing beyond the noise of superficial success. These books won’t promise you overnight riches, six-figure incomes, a “boss chick” lifestyle, passive income streams, or any of the other overhyped trends floating around. But they will teach you what truly matters and how to build a life that brings genuine happiness and fulfillment.
Ready to break away from the BS and start living with intention? Let’s dive into the list!
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Twelve and a Half by Gary Vaynerchuk
Synopsis:
In his sixth business book, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and investor Gary Vaynerchuk explores the twelve essential emotional skills that are integral to his life—and business—success and provides today’s (and tomorrow’s) leaders with critical tools to acquire and develop these traits.
For decades, leaders have relied on “hard” skills to make smart decisions, while dismissing the importance of emotional intelligence. Soft skills like self-awareness and curiosity aren’t quantifiable; they can’t be measured on a spreadsheet and aren’t taught in B-schools or emphasized in institutions. We’ve been taught that emotional intelligence is a “nice to have” in business, not a requirement. But soft skills can actually accelerate business success, Gary Vaynerchuk argues. For analytical minds, it’s challenging to understand how to get “better” at being self-aware, curious, or empathetic—or even why it’s important to try.
In this wise and practical book, Gary explores the 12 human ingredients that have led to his success and happiness and provides exercises to help you develop these traits yourself. He also shares what the “half” is—that emotional ingredient of leadership he’s weakest at and makes the most effort to improve. Working through the ideas and exercises in the book, he teaches you how to discover your own “halves” and offers insight on how to strengthen them.
Gary’s secret to success is using these twelve traits in varying mixtures, depending on the situation. But how do we know when to balance patience with ambition? Humility with conviction? Gary provides real-life examples involving common business scenarios to show you how to use them together for optimum results.
This iconoclastic book will help you refine your ingredients and improve your leadership capabilities. When implemented in the proper situation, these ingredients can help leaders land promotions, retain core employees, move faster than competitors, win the loyalty of customers, and build successful organizations that last.
Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber
Synopsis:
Does your job make a meaningful contribution to the world? In the spring of 2013, David Graeber asked this question in a playful, provocative essay titled “On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs.” It went viral. After one million online views in seventeen different languages, people all over the world are still debating the answer.
There are hordes of people—HR consultants, communication coordinators, telemarketing researchers, corporate lawyers—whose jobs are useless, and, tragically, they know it. These people are caught in bullshit jobs.
Graeber explores one of society’s most vexing and deeply felt concerns, indicting among other villains a particular strain of finance capitalism that betrays ideals shared by thinkers ranging from Keynes to Lincoln. “Clever and charismatic” (The New Yorker), Bullshit Jobs gives individuals, corporations, and societies permission to undergo a shift in values, placing creative and caring work at the center of our culture. This book is for everyone who wants to turn their vocation back into an avocation and “a thought-provoking examination of our working lives” (Financial Times).
Upside: Profiting from the Profound Demographic Shifts Ahead by Kenneth Gronbach
Synopsis:
What will happen when retiring Boomers free up jobs? How will Generation Y alter housing and transportation? Which states will have the most dynamic workforces when the Millennials settle into their careers? The next generational wave is shaking up the rank and file. How will it all affect you? Demographics not only define who we are, where we live, and how our numbers change, but–for those who can read beyond the raw figures–they open up hidden business opportunities that lie ahead. In Upside, demographer Kenneth Gronbach has put this powerful yet little-understood science to work finding the answers to all these questions and more. After synthesizing reams of data to show how the different generations have impacted and will continue to impact markets and economies, Gronbach has provided for readers the lively and certainly surprising answers. Find out:· What each age cohort is likely to buy both now and in the future· What sectors are likely to grow or lag· How profits dovetail with consumer numbers· How to make sense of the numbers to chart your own path· And more! Whether you are an investor, marketer executive, or entrepreneur, the comprehensive data and findings in Upside will help you target promising trends, spot the potential for profits, and discover hidden business opportunities you would not have found previously.
Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Synopsis:
Rework shows you a better, faster, easier way to succeed in business.
Most business books give you the same old advice: Write a business plan, study the competition, seek investors, yadda yadda. If you’re looking for a book like that, put this one back on the shelf.
Read it and you’ll know why plans are actually harmful, why you don’t need outside investors, and why you’re better off ignoring the competition. The truth is, you need less than you think. You don’t need to be a workaholic. You don’t need to staff up. You don’t need to waste time on paperwork or meetings. You don’t even need an office. Those are all just excuses.
What you really need to do is stop talking and start working. This book shows you the way. You’ll learn how to be more productive, how to get exposure without breaking the bank, and tons more counterintuitive ideas that will inspire and provoke you.
With its straightforward language and easy-is-better approach, Rework is the perfect playbook for anyone who’s ever dreamed of doing it on their own. Hardcore entrepreneurs, small-business owners, people stuck in day jobs they hate, victims of “downsizing,” and artists who don’t want to starve anymore will all find valuable guidance in these pages.
How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff
Synopsis:
From distorted graphs and biased samples to misleading averages, there are countless statistical dodges that lend cover to anyone with an ax to grind or a product to sell. With abundant examples and illustrations, Darrell Huff’s lively and engaging primer clarifies the basic principles of statistics and explains how they’re used to present information in honest and not-so-honest ways. Now even more indispensable in our data-driven world than it was when first published, How to Lie with Statistics is the book that generations of readers have relied on to keep from being fooled.
Social Media Is Bullshit by B.J. Mendelson
Synopsis:
If you listen to the pundits, Internet gurus, marketing consultants, and even the mainstream media, you could think social media was the second coming. When it comes to business, they declare that it’s revolutionizing advertising, PR, customer relations―everything. And they all agree: it is here to stay.
In this lively, insightful guide, journalist and social critic B.J. Mendelson skillfully debunks the myths of social media. He illustrates how the notion of “social media” first came to prominence, why it has become such a powerful presence in the marketing field, and who stands to benefit each time it’s touted in the press. He shows you why all the Facebook friends and Twitter followers in the world mean nothing to you and your business without old-fashioned, real-world connections. He examines popular tales of social media “success,” and reveals some unsettling truths behind the surface. And he tells you how to best harness the potential of the Internet―without spending a fortune in the process.
Social media is bullshit. This book gives the knowledge and tools you really need to connect with customers and grow your brand.
Stop Acting Rich: …And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire by Thomas J. Stanley
Synopsis:
With well over two million of his books sold, and huge praise from many media outlets, Dr. Thomas J. Stanley is a recognized and highly respected authority on how the wealthy act and think. Now, in Stop Acting Rich ? and Start Living Like a Millionaire, he details how the less affluent have fallen into the elite luxury brand trap that keeps them from acquiring wealth and details how to get out of it by emulating the working rich as opposed to the super elite.
- Puts wealth in perspective and shows you how to live rich without spending more
- Details why we spend lavishly and how to stop this destructive cycle
- Discusses how being “rich” means more than just big houses and luxury cars
A defensive strategy for tough times, Stop Acting Rich shows readers how to live a rich, happy life by accumulating more wealth and using it to achieve the type of financial freedom that will create true happiness and fulfillment.
Each of these books has played a key role in shaping my mindset about what it means to live a fulfilling life and run a successful business. If you are tired of chasing superficial definitions of success and ready to build something meaningful, these are must-reads.
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Real Business Advice from Chloe Clark 