Best Self Improvement Books of All Time- Lessons From Over 100 Books in 3 Years

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You don’t realise it yet, but in the next couple of minutes, you’re going to learn the secrets to how it’s possible to read more. 

“You can’t seriously think we will believe that you have read over 100 books in 3 years? That’s about 3 books a month!”

Well, I guess technically I didn’t read them all… 

I listen to some of them. 

The fact is, I’ve learnt a lot and by the time you finish reading this post, you will have learned some of the biggest secrets known to the world’s most productive people EVER. 

First of All… How Do You Read so Much?

Rare thinking people like you already know that it’s possible to use your time more efficiently.

The following are the actual ways I used to read more books:

1. Use NETime (No Extra Time)

Imagine what it would be like if you could learn from some of the world’s most successful people without having to give up any extra time…

When you are doing daily tasks that don’t take up too much brainpower it’s possible to listen to something productive at the same time. You are basically doubling the use of your time e.g. at the gym, cooking, driving, on a walk, house chores etc.

So make the most of audible and podcasts.

You can read more about NETime here. 

2. Spend Time Learning How to Speed Read

Just think about it… 

Is it worth spending a few hours today that will save you hundreds of hours over your lifetime?

Here are the steps I used to TRIPLE my reading speed… without losing comprehension

Simply put in your email address below to get the steps right to your inbox!

The beauty of these tips is that your comprehension shouldn’t be affected at all. 

It’s just understanding the mechanics of the eye and optimal perception. 

FACT!

If you follow these steps you will double or triple your reading speed!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

3. Make Reading Self Improvement Books a HABIT 

So many super successful people started with a ton of self-doubt. But reading is a great way to overcome this.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t really like reading and when I do I just want to read something that I enjoy…”

Well cast your mind back to 2014 and let me tell you a little story:

I was chilling on a beach in Greece with sand between my toes, waves CRASHING in the background and the Da Vinci Code in my hand.

“Rich Dad Poor Dad” had been recommended to me about squidrillion times but the title was more off-putting than fish on a chocolate brownie. 

I stared at my kindle with my dodgy FREE copy of the book.

Finally, I gave in. 

I threw my ego aside. 

But when I started reading, something weird happened… 

I enjoyed it!!

Like “don’t want to put it down” enjoyed it. 

Don’t think for one second that suddenly I became a self-development book junkie. But it opened up this whole new world to me.

The more I read, the more I realised there was to read. 

The more I read, the more I LEARNT and the more things I would TRY. 

And as I IMPROVED, the more I wanted to read. 

Reading 10 pages a day adds up to over 10 books a year

Are you beginning to see how I had created this habit? 

It was easy to read a few pages a day. If you’re like me you may actually find it relaxing and productive, which helps keep the “procrastination monster” away. 

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you actually WANTED to spend time LEARNING more and more? 

And you can easily do this by reading the best self-improvement books of all time.

But Will You Remember Everything?

Yes and No… Mainly No

So according to Edgar Dale’s cone of learning, we only remember 10% of what we read and 20% of what we hear after JUST 2 weeks! 

Imagine what it would feel like if you could retain more of the information. 

Well here are some ways to do just that:

• Taking notes or highlighting text (boring!)
• Find a Youtube Video around the subject of the book
• Talking to someone about it (thanks again Sarah!)
• Teaching it to others (thanks blogging!)
• Taking ACTION– find ways to implement it into your life

Not reading because you know you won’t remember it all is like trying not to earn more money because you’ll pay more taxes…

I’d rather have 10% of something than 100% of nothing. 

And do you begin to notice… 

Taking ACTION always wins. 

The beauty of having a website is that you will take more action than ever before.

Reading is easy to do and easy not to do.

Come on Then… What Have You Learnt Mate?

Ok amigo, keep your knickers on. 

Without further ado, here is the best of the best advice from some of the most successful people that have ever walked the planet.

#1 Habits RULE

This is the ONE THING, guys. 

Do you want to know what the key to success ALWAYS comes down to?… without fail:

Making GOOD habits. 

The only difference between a homeless dude in Birmingham and Richard Branson are the habits and decisions they make each day. 

Enter RANT…

If you live in a developed country nobody cares what your background is. Nobody cares how bad you had it as a kid. You have the same opportunities and access to information as EVERYONE else.

If you’re thinking but life’s not FAIR…

You are damn right! 

Remember that, pumpkin, and use it to your advantage.

There are TOO many success stories of people who went from rags to riches to not believe this:

• Oprah Winfrey– born into a poor family in Mississippi.
• Tony Robbins– abused as a child.
• George Soros– survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary before moving to London.
• Roman Abramovich– born into poverty and orphanage at 2 years old.
• J-Lo– homeless at 18.
• Steve Jobs– Dropped out of college and collected coke bottles for money for food when he was homeless.
• Sylvester Stallone– Homeless before Rocky & sold his dog for $50… He bought his dog back for $3,000 after the film.

None of these people became a success story overnight. 

They ALL had setbacks. 

They all worked hard and changed their daily routine i.e. their HABITS!

Are you beginning to see how habits shape our life?… and you can CHANGE your habits.

Rant OVER…

#2 Systems Beat Goals

This one was a game changer for me.

I’d heard numerous times the importance of goal setting. We sat down every 3 months to reflect on our previous goals and set new ones.

As you absorb this information, you’ll realise that goal setting is not as effective as you may think because you spend most of your time NOT achieving them. With each breath you take you begin to feel more and more annoyed because you haven’t reached your goal.

Imagine what it would be like to achieve success every day.

Just pitcure this for a moment…

• Your goal is to read 10 books in 2019. 

You’re busy at work. 

The kids need running around to their activities.

You want to find time to do FUN things.

Life gets in the way. 

Before you have chance to breathe, it’s October and you’ve fumbled through 1 book.

You feel overwhelmed and frustrated at how far behind you are… so you give up.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could succeed 20 minutes after waking up EVERY day?

What if you create a system instead?

• Read 10 pages of a book each day

You set your alarm 15 minutes earlier. 

You wake up and FORCE yourself to pick up the book.

After 2 pages you start to get into it and before long you’ve read 12 pages. 

After doing this for a week, you try reading before going to sleep. You get the best nights sleep you’ve had for months. 

Your feeling of frustration is slowly disappearing as you continue to use your system EVERY day.

You find 10 minutes during your lunch break to read. 

You’ll find time to listen to audiobooks on your commute to work. 

You find pockets of time everywhere that helps you easily achieve your SYSTEM.

This builds momentum, which often means you end up beating your original goal…

I GUARANTEE if you read 10 pages of a book EVERY day you WILL read MORE than 10 books a year.

Note this works for setting ANY goal.

If you have a goal to buy another property this year, try setting a system to speak to someone that invests in property every day. It could be a FB message, a phone call, a call on skype or meeting them in person. 

Don’t believe me, believe yourself!

Are you beginning to notice the power of HABITS?

#3 Win the Morning, Win the Day

Ah my “Miracle Morning’s” (me smiling and looking fondly at my screen)

This is possibly THE best way to get more good habits into your life QUICKLY.

You probably already know a productive morning is more important than wiping after doing a #2. 

You know it makes sense because you should have the most energy as you’ve just been asleep!

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could do 6 highly successful habits first thing in the morning?

1. Scribing (Writing)
   
2. Affirmation
   
3. Visualisation
   
4. Exercise
   
5. Reading
   
6. Silence (Meditation)

Just remember SAVERS…

“The Miracle Morning” will show you how this is possible, even if you ONLY have 6 minutes!

In fact, I am currently writing this before going to work at 5 am after already doing yoga, meditation and reading.

Now, I can almost hear your mind saying “that’s CRAZY!” 

Let me a ask you a personal question, “what would you do to LIVE the LIFE you want?”

#4 Do the ONE Most Important Thing First… ALWAYS

Rare thinking people like you know the importance of doing the hardest task first because everything else is easier after that.

This point is made in the books “The One Thing” and “Eat That Frog”. 

By just having ONE THING to do each day means you immediately focus on just getting the most important thing done. 

Ask yourself “what is the one thing I can do today that will help me the most?”

Little by little you begin to realise that systems become habits and it’s very easy to do habits. Did you find it hard work to brush your teeth this morning?

The beauty of this is that it AGAIN builds momentum. 

#5 Think BIG

Enter Mr 10X himself… 

I remember seeing Grant Cardone on YouTube for the first time thinking, “Who does this ass-hole think he is?”

The thing is… he’s right. 

He’s talking sense. Just like Gary V does and just like David J Schwartz does in “The Magic of Thinking Big”.

Here’s a fact for you:

If your biggest vision is to get a “decent job” you will NEVER live your dream lifestyle. 

If you think you can or you think you can’t you’re right. 

Henry Ford

To avoid stepping on my rant’s toes. You are in control of your life. 

Own it. 

Shape it however you want…

But if you can’t even think BIG, you will never get to where you want to be. 

To read more about how to shape your life click here.

#6 You Can be Successful AND be a Good Person- In fact, it’s a MUST. 

This is something that my good friend Mr Stephen Covey taught me. 

You’re probably wondering how Stephen Covey was my good friend? 

He wasn’t! But this is the BEAUTY of READING…

You can learn from the best of the best without ever leaving your home and even if they are dead! 

Always look for a “win-win”. 

Just think about it. If you are doing something purely to put money in your pocket you will never do well. If you sell someone a dog poo in a bag for $100 you are not going to win in life. 

Be a person known for adding VALUE… Not a person know for being successful

Proven FACT:

The more you help others, the more rewards will come to you.

#7 Don’t Hate the Way Things Are- Use it to Your Advantage

The more you learn the more you will realise there are things in the world that are more UNFAIR than a political election between a man and a woman. 

You have a choice here. Either you:

1. Spend time wallowing about how many people are starving when the earth is capable of feeding the current population 3 times over. 
2. Use the information you learn to your ADVANTAGE. 

Get this fact DRILLED into your pretty little head:

Life is not fair

It’s not a negative statement, it’s a necessary FACT that you must understand. “The Chimp Paradox” explains how this is important to understand in much more detail (hint- it can help to not let your chimp out). 

For example, the financial system is currently designed to make the rich RICHER and the poor/ middle class POORER. 

The thing is when you learn about inflation, money printing and how the banking system works you can actually use this information to HELP yourself and others. 

Rather than being a consumer, you can become a producer.  

Now let me ask you this, which option would you choose?

1. SAVE money in the bank where your spending power decreases due to inflation. 
2. Get into more DEBT and buy rental properties which other people pay for. Plus the amount you owe the bank erodes over time due to inflation. 

Learn and use the knowledge for good. 

#8 Happiness Leads to Success- Not the Other Way Around

This was a BIG lesson for me that I learnt the hard way (and still need to remind myself about!) 

“The Happiness Advantage” has scientifically proven that happiness increases life expectancy, relationships, creativity and your business success. 

So rather than search for SUCCESS, it makes sense to search for HAPPINESS. 

Here are the top ways I’ve learnt that can impact happiness levels (therefore success levels!):

• A FLEXIBLE schedule– Find ways to make a passive income or an income without trading time for money.
• Have something to look forward to- PLAN a trip or adventure 
• Spend money on EXPERIENCES, not on stuff
• EXERCISE regularly– it doesn’t have to be vigorous or too long (a 20-minute brisk walk will help!)
• SLEEP- good night routines (avoid or at least reduce screen time before bed) and getting 7-8 hours
• Feel GRATEFUL for what you have- Write 3 things every morning
• Do RANDOM acts of kindness– thank or compliment someone every day
• Watch a short FUNNY video before doing some work

Here’s another short story:

One day, about three years ago, I was sitting on the sofa, sipping a cup of coffee. I vividly remember thinking… “once I am financially independent then I will be happy and really be able to make a difference“

Next thing I know I’m bedridden for a few days because my back had spasmed. 

I wasn’t looking after myself properly. My exercise, eating habits and socialising with people wasn’t right. I was spending lots of time trying to work out different trading systems. 

I was SEEKING success.

It wasn’t until I starting doing more yoga, meditation and exercise that I realised I was more productive and it helped me to achieve more.

Success followed HAPPINESS. 

#9 Keep Learning

Face it, we are changing all the time. Our actions are being compounded all the time. 

“The Slight Edge” is one of the best books I’ve read. 

If you are not improving you are declining, it is impossible to stay the same. 

People say motivation doesn’t last long… well neither does bathing which is why we recommend it every day.

I wonder, even as you continue to read this post if you really want to win BIG or live the dream lifestyle you’ve always wanted.

If you do then keep learning… EVERY Day

Best Self Improvement Books of all Time

Picture yourself 5 years from now.

Maybe you’re travelling the world, or you’re financially independent so you can spend your time with loved ones. 

Whatever your dream lifestyle is, you will only get there with help from others. Why not get help from some of the world’s most successful people?

So here are the best self-improvement books of all time:

Rich Dad Poor Dad (review)

The Slight Edge

The Chimp Paradox

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Millionaire Fastlane (review)

How to Win Friends and Influence People

The Four Hour Work Week

E-Myth Re-visited

The Happiness Advantage

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

The Miracle Morning

The One Thing

The Magic of Thinking Big

Losing My Virginity- Richard Branson

Open- Andre Agassi

Elon Musk

Click on the title to buy the book now or click “review” to read my review.

You can also find another list of great books at Project Palm Tree.

Best Self Improvement Books of all Time Summary

Wouldn’t it be AMAZING if you could get advice from the likes of Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Dale Carnegie and Tim Ferris?

After reading this article on the best self-improvement books of all time, you will have learned the importance of creating GOOD HABITS.

Reading these books is a good habit in itself. Can you imagine adding this habit into your life? You will create momentum to add more good SYSTEMS into your life.

Keep changing for the better,

Mike

p.s. If you are interested in making money online to free up your time, have a look at my #1 recommended program here.

p.p.s. If you have any questions or thoughts please feel free to drop a comment below… or send me a message on WA here