If you haven’t taken the leap into the self-help world, then allow me to introduce you to the world that reaps more benefits than a 4-year college degree….
Okay, that is not to say a Bachelor’s degree or any other degree isn’t helpful, I think school teaches us things conceptually, but none of that matters without putting your knowledge into action. Also, learning about the nitty-gritty details of facts and concepts aren’t always what you need to excel and succeed in your career or life goals. Doesn’t mean education isn’t important, I am so grateful for my Bachelor’s degree – it’s something no one can take away from me.
What I’m trying to say is some of the most successful people didn’t even receive a college degree. To name a few: Steve Jobs (Founder of Apple), Richard Branson (Founder of Virgin brands), Dave Thomas (Wendy’s CEO), Bill Gates (Founder of Microsoft), and Henry Ford (Ford Motors). The reason they are/were successful is because they were persistent, made quick decisions, knew what they wanted, and failed their way into success. Don’t worry if you don’t have these qualities yet, this is where the self-help comes into place!
Top 5 Books to Help You Grow And Achieve Your Best Self:
This one I kept seeing mentioned in places and kept reading about it, but I didn’t want to make the leap because I thought it would be all about money. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to get rich because sometimes that’s when you can offer the most to others. I mainly thought this book would be superficial and didn’t think it would be helpful. This book is so much more than that. This is the book they were referring to when they said “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. This book is pure gold. It pushes you into a mindset of thinking your way into success and into realization that nothing is impossible. It’s all in your head and your happiness sometimes is on the other side of fear. It gives you so many concepts you can put into action for your life. It teaches you how to go after what you want, to never doubt yourself and to decide. It has the concept of law of attraction embedded in it, which is very interesting and worth learning more about. I read this one last year and plan on reading it again this year and maybe once a year (it’s that good!).
This one is interesting in that it teaches you why we do some of the things we do embedded in our habits. If you are looking to kick away a bad habit, this book is for you. It also teaches you how companies convince consumers of buying their products by utilizing people’s habit patterns. I have found it super interesting and an eye opener for how our brains work. If you were ever wondering why you go into Target with the intention of only buying one thing, but end up with several items, then read this book to understand why. It shows you how Target gets its consumers to spend more by strategically keeping track of habits. I think this book is also great because it will keep you mindful of your habits and make it easier to be in the moment. Habits are a strange part of life, but in a way really cool if you can use them to your advantage. I highly suggest you give this book a chance. I will probably read it again soon.
This book is a miracle, like the title states. Hal Elrod also has a podcast, if you want to get started there: “Achieve Your Goals with Hal Elrod.” This book teaches you 5 important routines you can incorporate every day with a series of steps called S.A.V.E.R.S. It urges and encourages you to wake up one hour before you usually would. It pushes you out of your comfort zone of saying “I’m not a morning person.” Sometimes, your situation might not allow you to wake up early and he says you can also incorporate the routine at night. In my experience and opinion, it has worked the best for me when I do it first thing in the morning. The first S in S.A.V.E.R.S. is silence. Hal says to sit in silence for at least 5 minutes the first thing in the morning. You can either use meditation apps such as headspace, or you can just sit there focusing on your breathing. Trust me, I know it’s not easy at first, but this is the most crucial one out of all 5. The A is for affirmations. To start off, if you are at first uncomfortable with this, you can write it down instead of saying it. But ideally, you would do an affirmation routine for 5 minutes staring at yourself in the morning and saying positive things about yourself (even if you don’t believe it), such as “I am good enough, I am smart enough, I am beautiful, etc.”. I tend to say the things that I need the most at that moment in my life. If this is uncomfortable for you, you can also listen to something from YouTube and repeat after them. V is for visualization. For 5 minutes, Hal wants you to visualize either your goals, your aspirations or whatever you might need in your life at that moment. E is for exercise. He wants you to exercise for 20 minutes first thing in the morning. I think even with a busy schedule, 20 minutes can be do-able. He then has you read for 20 minutes which is the R in S.A.V.E.R.S. Lastly, he wants you to reflect by writing for 5 minutes. It could be about anything. It’s a way to dump all your thoughts into paper – this is the S in S.A.V.E.R.S. He calls it scribe. I think S.A.V.E.R.S. is a good way to get organized with your morning and you will feel so accomplished after you have completed it, all before 8 a.m.!
4. The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz, PH.D.
This one took me a little longer to read because I thought it would be the same concepts as “Think and Grow Rich”, but it was very different in many ways. This one gives you more concepts and exercises that you can do on your own. It also makes you question the things you do from your daily habits. It changes your thinking; whether that is thinking small or thinking negatively, it allows you to change your perspective on a lot of subjects. It allows you to be on a goal-setting mindset and allows you to achieve your small wins, daily. This one was a little “lighter” read than “Think and Grow Rich” as it wasn’t as intense, but I would still highly suggest you read “Think and Grow Rich” first.
5. Hustle by Jesse Warren Trelow
In my experience, I have found it helpful to read books to keep me in a particular mindset. This one is a short and easy read. It teaches you that anything is possible with determination, focus and drive. The author, Jesse, wrote this book in 7 days to prove that point. Don’t let that discourage into thinking this book is nothing but great, it is truly amazing. It gives you, once again, great concepts to embed into your daily routine. It has many useful resources that you can use including a fast 20 minute workout you can do in the mornings. This book is also only $0.99 on 
Some pretty cool hustlers to date: Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Bill Gates, Charles Darwin, Elon Musk, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, John Lee Dumas, Sigmund Freud, Tim Ferris, Tom Brady, Tony Robbins, Tom Hanks….. & maybe you’re next on the list!
Thanks for reading.
xx, Ozzy
“Someone’s opinion of you does not
have to become your reality.” – Les Brown
