KellerINK’s Summer Reading List
Ten Recommended Reads
At KellerINK we love a good book (we write them, too!). Summer is coming, and there’s no better time to catch up on some reading that will help you build a better business, manage your finances, create a healthy lifestyle, and inspire you to achieve your dreams. We’ve put together a list of some timeless classics and exciting new releases, perfect reading material for the beach or your next business trip.
Recommended by Gary Keller at this year’s Mega Leadership event, The Road Less Traveled continues to affect peoples’ lives after almost twenty years on the market. Gary offered this perspective from the book: “The way you grow is not by succeeding — it’s by failing… Anything bad that ever happens to me is an opportunity for me to grow spiritually.” With a goal of serenity in mind, The Road Less Traveled focuses on gaining a full life through connections and relationships with others and ourselves. This doesn’t come without challenges and life’s persistent curveballs, and Peck guides the reader through these obstacles.
Another recommendation from a top agent, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind shows readers their “money and success blueprint.” What people are taught about money and success in childhood has a large impact on how they view finances and wealth-building as adults. Eker helps readers recognize, revise, and create a path that works best for them on the way to financial freedom, or what he calls “financial destiny.” Changing this blueprint makes it possible to achieve greatness and not only “think like a rich person,” but become one. Eker has a follow-up audio book called True Wealth for those wanting to continue their wealth-building and mindfulness journey.
Author of the 2007 bestseller The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, Taleb takes a different approach with Skin In the Game and covers wide-ranging topics from politics to religion to social justice. While discussing many of the world’s most notable figures — including Hammurabi and Antaeus the Giant — he challenges long-standing beliefs and encourages readers to detect BS and accept risks as part of the ultimate reward.
Not everyone in business or leadership is an extrovert. In fact, as Cain notes, one-third of the world’s population identify as introverts. Thoughtful and well-researched, Quiet discusses how impactful introverts can be in a society in which extroverts have long taken the driver’s seat. You may have even heard of some (Rosa Parks, Steve Wozniak, and Chopin to name a few). This book helps legitimize those with quieter dispositions and educates others on the power of listening.
As Gary Keller says, your money should be working even when you’re not. For those interested in investing and gaining financial freedom, The Lifestyle Investor discusses Donald’s “10 Commandments of Lifestyle Investing,” which help garner cash flow, reduce investment risk and complexity, and generate true wealth. A personal expert, in less than two years Donald’s investments gave him enough passive income for both he and his wife to quit their jobs. And the ultimate end goal? A higher quality of life.
There are so many things that go into creating a successful business: education, experience, product, marketing, reputation, management… the list goes on. But all these aspects root from and grow out of the same thing: you. As the title suggests, at the end of the day people buy you. Blount offers an actionable formula to create the best relationships, retain clients, increase your income, and advance to the top of your industry by becoming the best businessperson you can be. Aiming to break out of the complexity that many business books offer, People Buy You is practical and straightforward and gets to the heart of what matters most when building a business, which is how you interact with the world and the people around you.
If you’ve heard of shoes, you’ve heard of Nike. Like Gary Keller discusses in The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, people have come before you. One of the best ways to jumpstart personal success is by looking to those who have already achieved it. A perfect example of this is Phil Knight. In Shoe Dog, Knight tells the reader his own journey to success through mistakes, struggles, and sacrifice. From a startup to a world-recognized brand, Nike faced challenges that many businesses just starting out do. Learn from the best as you embark on your own business journey.
As we discussed in a previous newsletter and blog post, mental health and well-being are just as important as physical health. The Feel Good Effect rejects the idea of perfection and attaining impossible standards. Instead, Downs focuses on redefining what wellness means to the individual. What works for some may not work for others on the path to happiness in mind, body, and spirit. She offers science-based tips on forming healthy habits and creating small shifts that will produce enormous change and lead to calm, clarity, and joy. On top of it all, learn how to counteract stress and prevent burnout.
There is more power in transparency today than ever before. People strive for true connections and straightforward information. And so many times that begins with leadership. Owalabi coaches readers on becoming authentic leaders that can ultimately feel secure and influence their sphere in the most effective and genuine way possible. Authentic leaders inspire the most people and feel the most confident. There are four stages on this path of growth: understand yourself, lead yourself, understand others, and lead others, and Owolabi takes readers through each.
It might not seem like business and personal creativity have a strong link, but they do. Innovation within business is bred from personal creativity, argue authors Jeff and Staney DeGraff. If you aren’t tapping into this potential, you aren’t making use of one of your best resources. The Creative Mindset presents tools and techniques through six creative thinking skills that, when mastered, can be applied in the real world to improve your business. Anyone can make an impact when they learn how to draw on their own creativity.
What books have you read that inspired you along your path to both personal and career success? Share with us on our KellerINK Facebook page. And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for more articles and research.