Clinton Skakun

“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all.” – Henry David Thoreau

Since the beginning of 2009, I’ve read about 50 books on different subjects in the realm of self-help, business, time management, leadership, teamwork, relationships, blogging & social media and of course, finance.

Most people in my age group, (18-25) wouldn’t touch a book with a ten-foot poll. I find any kind of material on these subjects fascinating! How many more books will I read before next year? Most likely another 50-100. All the extremely wealthy people I look up to say they read at least 10-20 books a year. Most of the wildly successful people I know, read upwards from 40-50 per year. This is 500 by the end of the decade.

After being subjected to thousands of hours of material like this, and keeping such a commitment, you can’t possibly go on living without being effected in some major way.

From personal experience, I would say that reading has not only made me more knowledgeable but also it’s given clarity, a boat load of tools for personal change, and an understanding for “mysteries” in life most people repeatedly get wrong. Reading has given me an advantage over people who are in the dark about certain critical key areas. It’s a fact that you can’t out earn your personal development.

The following are 12 books that have changed who I am!

Believe me, this is a hard list. There are so many books out there that deserve to be on my top 12. And I’m sure within 3 years from now, I’ll have a whole new load of books to add to this list. Everyone who reads a lot has a top X list of books they feel have made a significant change in their life. Take Sid Savara’s list, The Best Personal Development Reading List. Sid has Og Mandino’s, Greatest Salesman in the World,  as one of his top reads. Or how about Vlad’s 6 Personal Development Books That Have Changed My Life. Many of the books on Vlad’s list are on mine as well. Henrik Edberg, a well respected blogger, has read 100’s of books and posted what he believes are the best of the best in the niche, 10 of My Favorite Personal Development Books. He has books by Wayne Dyer, Tim Ferris(author of 4-Hour Work Week) and Ekhart Tolle. We can cut down the time we waste on reading by finding the best of the best.

In time, we all create our own top 10, top 6, top 12 lists and eventually who we are and what we become rests upon what we constantly put into our minds.

1. The Magic of Thinking Big by David Shwartz

One of the first personal development books I ever read and continue to read to this day. Magic of Thinking Big teaches you how to change your attitude, think like a leader, build confidence and destroy fear. Magic of Thinking Big goes into everything from using a big vocabulary to dressing for success. A quick read that is simple enough to be understood by anyone at any age.

2. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

A thorough book of timeless principles covering priorities, empathetic listening skills, seeking first to understand before being understood, sharpening the saw. Covey talks about the importance of the inside-out approach and how centering your life around principles is a smart choice. One of the earlier of my personal development reads as well. A book that has helped me create a base for my philosophy for personal effectiveness and proactivity. Stephen R. Covey is probably one of the best authors in his feild. This book will change your view on life and prompt you take your priorities into careful consideration.

3. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

If there’s one book you MUST read on wealth and finance, it’s Think and Grow Rich. Even though this book was first published over 70 years ago, the timeless laws will continue to live on for centuries. Think and Grow Rich was based on the Law of Success, a 16 lesson course that goes into much more detail then the actual Think and Grow Rich book. The only reason why I don’t put Law of Success above this book is because I haven’t fully read it yet. If you plan on accumulating wealth sometime in your life, Think and Grow Rich needs to become a permanent cornerstone in your personal library.

Once you start reading the first few chapters, it will be difficult to put down. Napoleon Hill brings up some of the most intriguing topics I’ve ever read. For instance, the concept of the Master Mind group, something which I had heard about before but not understood. I have to admit, one of the highlights of the book was reading the chapter on Sexual Transmutation. This was an eye opener and got me researching how to channel sexual energy into getting more accomplished in one day than I usually could.

Napoleon Hill explains multiple other techniques such as visualization to direct your subconscious mind in guiding you to create wealth in your life. One of the most amazing books, especially for being over 70 years old.

4. The Power of Focus by Canfield and coauthors Mark Hansen and Les Hewitt

Jack Canfield is a well known author of the Best-Selling and largely famous Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Canfield and coauthors Mark Hansen and Les Hewitt became instant heros of mine after I finished reading this. Why did I put this book on my top 12? Well, because it just about one of the best books I can honestly say I ever read. One of the most thorough peaces of material on goal setting, strength finding and staying focused. I have never read such an eye opening book on focus and discipline. Power of Focus is a book you may want to read and re-read, at least every year. This could very well be a complete success manual, even if you never read another book in your life.

5. Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray

You might wonder why I list a relationship book as one of the best personal development books I’ve read. Well, because everyone who lives and breathes should read this over and over, own a copy and review it on a yearly basis. John Gray published Men Are From Mars almost 20 years ago and since then has been recognized as the “relationship guru.” Gray reveals some major differences between men and women in their communication and how major disputes and confusion can arise when we’re not aware of these differences. This is not a book on being a “pick-up-artist.” To be honest, relationships are ten times more important than one-night-stands. Pretty much all of us generally have an idea of how to get what we want as far as sex goes. Most of us are poor when it comes to relationships, of any kind.

Half way reading through Men Are From Mars, it dawned on me. If only they’d teach this to kids in High School. If only we were educated to handle relationships (add finance on top of that), education would be worth something.

Men Are From Mars is not only for couples. It can also be a helpful guide to understanding the differences between men and women and what each want and how they go about getting it. This is a great guide for every day life, and the work place, even for solving disputes or for better communication. If you don’t read another book on relationships, this is a good one to start with.

6. Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley

Who are the rich, what do they look like? The Millionaire Next Door is a revelation of who rich people really are! For the most part, the book focuses on Self-Made Millionaires. Millionaire Next Door left me both, shocked and inspired. Stanley presents some surprising data revealing the real lives of the every day millionaire.

7. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker

Another must read for wealth accumulation. T. Harv Eker’s 17 lessons of the difference between the rich and poor. “Rich people are committed to being rich. Poor people
want to be rich.” Eker explains that the definition of Poor and Rich people in the context his book are people who Think Rich and Poor.

8. Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Like, Think and Grow Rich, Win Friends and Influence People is another work of art published over 70 years ago that survived the test of time. Carnegie is known as the grandfather of all people skills, a well deserved reputation held long after his death. “Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated.”

I’m not going to tell you what Win Friends and Influence People covers or give you a run down. There are more online reviews on this book than most people have braincells. Carnegie has had a life long lasting effect on millions of people in the world for the past 70 years. This should be one of the first books you read as far as people skills are concerned.

9. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

My brother-in-law lent me Rich Dad Poor Dad when I was 17 and it inspired me to start building businesses. Though this book is simple, to the very depth of the word, it’s a book that should be a requirement for every child to read before they reach High School.

10. Built To Last by Jim Collins

If you’re serious about business at any level, whether you’re an MBA student, or just a regular Joe getting into entrepreneurship, this is a sound read. Jim Collins has authored other Best Sellers like From Good To Great and How the Mighty Fall. I suggest this as a good start to learning and researching the key factors in business longevity and what keeps successful giants successful over many centuries.

11. 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class by Steve Siebold

Mental toughness is the base of all great achievement and performance. Steve Siebold packs 177 lessons of high performing world-class individuals at all areas of life, whether sports or business, into this one invaluable masterpiece. 117 Mental Toughness Secrets is a road map for correct and clear thinking in your path to high performance and achievement in all areas of life. In short, Steve Siebold has created a profound and inspiring manual to mental toughness and higher thinking.There are few books out there that have the privilege of being an equal.

12. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell

Seriously, John C. Maxwell has published so many winning books on leadership, decision-making, ethics and everything else a leader should know that it’s hard not to put more of his books up here. The 21 Irrefutable Laws, The Law of the Lid, The Law of Navigation, etc, are the stepping stones to every great leader. Once you read 21 Laws, start on more of Maxwell’s books. Everything he writes has never failed to inspire me. His passion and love for teaching and leadership, and for helping other people change their lives shines through his work. Leaders at all levels and in all positions can benefit from his invaluable and unforgettable lessons on solid leadership. What did I learn from 21 Laws? Strong leadership is not an overnight process, it’s not a decade long process, it may even take you 30 or 40 years to develop yourself as a strong leader.

Concluding Words

Once I started getting into reading really good books I noticed something. My outlook on life, my thoughts, my attitude and the compass of my future, very slowly, started shifting in a new direction. Until a little while ago I never realized the profound impact this has had, not until I listened to something John C. Maxwell said about how books have changed his life, the way he thinks, talks etc etc. Zig Ziglar said, “if you don’t like your output, change your input.”

It’s impossible to dive into the minds of authors like Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, John C. Maxwell and not become effected in some way, shape or form. This list proves, there is no one book you should read. Hell, read ‘em all! Maybe you read an entire book, and only learn a few new things…but you learn one thing that changes your life forever.

“Show me the books he loves and I shall know the man far better than through mortal friends.” – Dawn Adams

“We live in the age where text is one of the most common methods of communication. The people who know how to communicate the best are the ones who put into practice each technique in proportion to their effectiveness.” – Clinton Skakun

As a Gen-Y, I can text and use computer chats pretty fluently…and almost always get my point across. And as a Gen-Y I wish I could say the same about my verbal communication skills. Why is it that I can write fairly good blog posts but I find myself stumbling over words when trying to explain the same topic? One word…practice. What we don’t practice we loose.

I’ve been writing this blog for about 2 1/2 years and within that time period my writing communication skills improved by 40-70%. This is good considering I used to leave much to be desired in the writing department. And even if my writing isn’t still that great, I could give two flipping bricks what a English teacher would say about my writing now days. I can be the judge of that. These days I can spit out 3-4 posts without barely any effort, just pure inspiration. Once I get going I just keep going. But let’s take a closer look at other mediums, for example PodCasts and Vlogging, two methods of blogging that I’ve never delved deeply into.

Not only can using other forms of blogging, such as podcasting and video blogging, allow you to reach larger audiences but it can also develop some of your personal and professional skills if you’re still a relatively new blogger like me.

How can this help you out personally. Let’s take a closer look at some of these observations:

• Videos create curiosity and allow you to get a clearer point across by using tone and body language.
• People will fall in love with your videos before your text. Video, being a medium that reveals a lot of personal traits that people are curious about.
• A lot more people are using YouTube to find subjects of interests instead of blog articles. Videos are quick and to the point.
• People like to know you’re human, and even if you’re not a great speaker, many people prefer seeing you in a video instead of text.
• Most of our human relations skills depend on us expressing ourselves verbally and physically. We spend too much time already texting, e-mailing, chatting, blogging etc.

I’m seriously considering adopting a video blogging project onto my plate and posting less on this blog. Why don’t you consider doing the same thing? If the idea of 1000’s of people seeing you in video strikes fear into you, just view it as a way to expand your comfort zone. Also, it will improve your verbal skills therefor making you a better speaker giving you the basics to deliver powerful speeches.

Some bloggers are dead set against monetization. They think it taints their content and ruins trust with their readers. I’m no expert but beg to differ:

1. Put more valuable time in blogging, create better content. If you could replace your income blogging, or even just replace a few days a month with the cash you make from your blog, it would be fair to say you could spend more time writing valuable content(and less time working.) Lets say you spend 10 hours writing and drafting a blog post. How many people have that much time unless they don’t have to work?
2. Get you more serious about blogging. If you’ve been blogging long enough, you’ve probably had times when you wrote up a blog post and published it off, later regretting the sloppy errors you made. Monetization demands a little more attention. Would you read a blog, that asked for money, and had sloppy content?
3. It takes little effort, if you already have the traffic and the dedication. It’s really simple, just copy the strategy of someone else who has a successful blog(successful in terms of helpful content and makes money) and if it doesn’t work, try a new approach.

I’d love to hear your opinion!

I’m not the first person to come to when it comes to find your blog niche. Though I wanted to put in a word on the topic.

In my experience finding what you want to write about and who you want to write for is more of a process than an event.

It takes time and experience writing on certain topics until you find what you really love to write about. You don’t have to be a writer, but more of a communicator and a publisher.

I personally write really well when I know when I’m writing about. That statement might seem way too obvious to put in print, though it’s very true. Ever try starting a blog post about a topic you didn’t know a lot about and on top of that, didn’t really care about it? You didn’t feel inspired and didn’t feel that you could articulate well.

Unless you’re a professional writer who has years of experience writing about everything and anything you’ll probably have to start blogging about things that actually interest you and get you excited. There’s nothing worse than a blog post that makes you spit dust. Even a controversial post or one with opposing views can be rich and insightful and you even a thing or two about them. Why? Because the blogger had some great ideas and inspiration, and on top of all that s/he really cared about who was reading it. So many only advice for finding you niche in blogging is:

1. Start with what excites you.
2. Expand as you go and see if you can include other interests.
3. Blogging is about publishing content and communicating, you don’t need to know how to write. You need to know how to communicate.

Like I said, I’m not a professional consultant or an expert, and this is my experience.