How Reading 100 Books Changed My Life

An Uncle on my Wife’s side of the family called me to ask for a little financial advice. I wont get into the specifics and they aren’t important for today's blog but it was a productive conversation to say the least. I left feeling like I was able to add value and I hope he left the call feeling better about a big life decision ahead.

After about 30 seconds after that call ended, the joy I had just once felt of helping a family member vanished and it vanished quickly. Instead of running from the emotion I let it bubble up to explore it. I am not usually one to sit with my emotions for long and thankfully this time I didn't have to anyways. An answer jumped out at me almost as tangible as this computer on my lap.

I didn't really have anyone to call for advice if I had a life altering question.

                                  How Reading 100 Books Changed My Life

You may start to question the title of this blog and rightfully so but if you are willing, I am going to get personal for just a few moments.

For me, when I was young I almost looked at my parents as Gods. They were these all knowing beings that cared for me, raised me and always seem to have all the right answers.

Something funny happens though as we grow up and start to form our own opinions of the world. For many of us, myself included, this is where we realize that they are just human like the rest of us. They try hard but still make mistakes. They love you unconditionally but love you more when you behave a certain way. They worry for us even though they have their own problems at work, with friends or loved ones.

Imperfect, yes. But I would give anything to have my Father back with me to help guide me through this crazy journey we call life. Having a mentor can be one of life's most beautiful gifts.

I have been fortunate to have three -

My Father, William “Bill” Gates

My Neighbor & First Boss, James Pulsifer

Edward Jones Colleague, David Trainor

Unfortunately, I physically lost my father in 2019 and due to Alzheimers much earlier than that mentally. Jim passed in 2021 but our connection had long faded into only annual pop by visits as early as 2015. Dave was my first mentor as an adult and I am forever grateful for his time and willingness to share his wisdoms with an ambitious 25 year old. That mentorship continued on weekly for two plus years, every Monday at 8:00am for 30 minutes but too, faded in time.

I realized about a decade ago the odds of finding a mentor that is willing to take the time out of their day, week or year to simply lend an ear or give advice are about as good as putting your life savings on 00 in a game of Roulette so I searched for other options.

I started exploring the lives of people I wanted to emulate which led me down a rabbit hole. Once coming back up for air I realize most of the Men I truly wanted to emulate have already passed away… Again, terrible timing and luck on my part so the search continued.

I wanted to begin reading but couldn't find myself focusing no matter how many times I went back to it. I always did well in school and seemed to come to me without reading much of anything. I could retain almost everything I heard in class but never from the written page so I transitioned to my first audio book.

This was the start of 99% of the success I have today in my life.

Yes, this was a very long winded way of saying that reading or listening to audiobooks could change your life for the better. I am not talking about Non-Fiction or Fantasy. I am talking about sharpening your skill, your ability to communicate, to be able to think critically and live a life of eudaimonia.

First start by defining your core principles that you either have now and want to sharpen or simply want to embody in the future. My three areas of focus are Health, Wealth and Family.

When in doubt, just start reading. YouTube is an amazing archive of free books as well as resources like Libby to get you going for no charge. See what you like and don't like. If you don't love it right away, pick a new topic.

Until you've gotten through your first 10+ books, you should only finish books that keep you motivated to keep going. Do not, under any circumstance, read or listen to something that feels like a chore. Many of us haven't read since school which means this is the first time we get to choose what we learn and it may feel weird not having a roadmap and deadline.

Back in 2017, I was struggling with my mental health and began my audible journey with Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. At the time I was just trying to take my mind off of life and work. My girlfriend at the time and I were renting in a City we couldn’t afford, working our asses off at jobs we didn't enjoy only to break even, over and over again.

Today, that girlfriend is my beautiful wife, my mental health is the best it's been in my 34 years of life and financially, I have more than I could ever need.

Is there still room for improvement? Absolutely.

I want my wife to know every single day how much I love her. I want to continue to explore my own mind, think critically and challenge the status quo. And lastly, I want to grow our Real Estate portfolio from 2M to 20M in the next ten years.

Not because I need to but because I want to. I know now that I have an opportunity to learn more in the next ten years than I have in the previous ten. Learning only stops when you say so.

Did this happen all from one book? No. It took almost ten years and 100 books later to be able to write this post. I can say with conviction that reading and reading alone was the sole reason for my health improving, wealth skyrocketing and relationships deeping.

Even if you’re lucky, good Mentors will come and go over the years but books are constant.

You will come to find that many of the most iconic reads of all time were not recently written but hundred of years old, translated time and time again in different ways. If you need some help jumping in, here are a few more modern reads to get you going -

Mental Health - 

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living - Dale Carnegie

Rejection Proof: Jia Jiang

Physical Health - 

Blueprint, Ross Edgley

Wealth - 

The Richest Man in Babylon - George Samuel Clason

Book on Investing in Real Estate With NO (& low) Money Down, B. Turner

Relationships - 

The Four Agreements, Miguel Ruiz

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Daniel H. Pink

How to Win Friends & Influence People - Dale Carnegie

                                                        Full Book List

1. The Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham (2015, 16’) (9.1/10)
2. Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill (2017) (9.0/10)
3. How to Win Friends & Influence People - Dale Carnegie (2015.’16.’17.’19) (9.5/10) *** TOP READ
4. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living - Dale Carnegie (2019, ‘20) (9.6/10) *** TOP READ
5. Rich Dad. Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki (2017) (8.8/10)
6. The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg (2018) (9.0/10)
7. Never Split the Difference - Chris Voss (2019, ‘20,’23) (9.4/10) *** TOP READ
8. Made to Stick: Why some Ideas Survive and Others Die - Dan Heath (2018) (8.3/10)
9. What Can a Dentist Teach You About Business, Life and Success? - Dr. Joe Capista (2017) (8.2/10)
10. Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist - Roger Lowenstein (2015) (8.1/10)
11. Starting Small and Making It Big: An Entrepreneur's Journey - Bill Cummings (2018)
12. Storyselling for Financial Advisors· How Top Producers Sell - H Anthony & S West (2018)
13. The 4-Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss (2017) (9.1/10)
14. The One Minute Manager - Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson (2016)
15. The Richest Man in Babylon - George Samuel Clason (2019) (9.1/10)
16. The Art of War - Sun Tzu (2019) (8.2/10)
17. Nickel and Dimed - Barbara Ehrenreich (2019) (8.2/10)
18. F.U. Money: Make as Much Money As You Want - Dan Lok (April. 2018) (6.2/10)
19. The Closers Survival Guide - Grant Cardone (Aug. 2019) (6.4/10)
20. 57 Marketing Tips for Financial Advisors - James Pollard (2019) (7.2/10)
21. Sell or Be Sold: How to Get Your Way in Business & in Life - Grant Cardone (July. 2019) (7.2/10)
22. The Secrets of Closing the Sale - Zig Ziglar (July, 2019) (7.5/10)
23. Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Conversation (Sept. 2019) (7.2/10)
24. Unlimited Power - Anthony Robbins (Sept. 2019) (7.8/10)
25. Who Moved My Cheese - Spencer Johnson (Oct. 2019) (8.8/10)
26. Smarter. Faster. Better - Charles Duhigg (Oct. 2019)
27. Failing Forward - John Maxwell (Oct. 2019) (8.4/10)
28. How to Talk to Anyone - Leil Lowndes (Nov. 2019)
29. The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion (Dec. 2019) (7.2/10)
30. Good to Great - James C. Collins (Dec. 2019) (8.4/10)
31. No - Jim Camp (Jan. 2020) (8.7/10)
32. Meditations - Marcus Aurelius (Jan/Feb. 2020) (9.1/10)
33. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho (March. 2020, 22’) (9.4/10) *** TOP READ
34. The Lost Art of Closing - Anthony Iannarino (May. 2020)
35. Keeping at It: Quest for Sound Money and Good Government: Paul Volcker (May. 2020) (8.6/10)
36. The Ride of a Lifetime - Bob Iger (June. 2020) (8.9/10)
37. Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Vs Telling: Edgar Schein (July. 2020) (8.4/10)
38. Rejection Proof: Jia Jiang (Aug, 2020) (9.3/10) *** TOP READ
39. Bad Blood: John Carreyrou (Sept. 2020) (8.7/10)
40. Art of Learning: Josh Waitzkin (Nov. 2020) (8.5/10)
41. Zero to One: Blake Masters and Peter Theil (Dec 2020)
42. Golf is NOT a Game of Perfection: Dr. Bob Rotella (Dec. 2020) (8.4/10)
43. Essential Golf Skills: (Jan. 2021)
44. Road to Character - David Brooks (Jan. 2021) (7.2/10)
45. In the Second Mountain - David Brooks (Jan. 2021) (6.2/10)
46. The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell (8.5/10)
47. CFP Book 1, 2, 3, 4
48. 9 Lies About Work - Marcus Buckingham (Feb. 2021) (8.5/10)
49. Principles - Ray Dalio (March, 2021) (7.4/10)
50. Compound Effect - Darren Hardy (April, 2021) (8.4/10)
51. Outwitting the Devil, Neapolitan Hill (May, 2021) (9.2/10) *** TOP READ
52. How to Be an AntiRacest, Ibram Kendi (June, 2021) (6.2/10)
53. Can’t Hurt Me, David Goggins (June, 2021) (7.4/10)
54. The Secret, Rhonda Byrne (July, 2021) (8.5/10)
55. Future Proofing You, Jay Samit (July, 2021) (7.3/10)
56. The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace Wattles (July, 2021)
57. The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, Gary Keller (Nov, 2021) (8.2/10)
58. Book on Investing in R.E. With NO (& low) Money Down, B. Turner (Dec, 2021)(9.6/10) *** TOP READ
59. The Book on Flipping Houses, J. Scott (Dec, 2021) (8.2/10)
60. The Book on Tax Strategies for the Savvy RE Investor, CPA Group (Jan, 2022) (9.0/10)
61. Raising Private Capital: Building RE Empire, Matt Faircloth (March, 2022)
62. How to Be a Capitalist Without Any Capital, Nathan Latka (April, 2022) (7.5/10)
63. The Obstacle is the Way, Ryan Holiday (April, 2022) (8.4/10)
64. The $100 Start Up, Chris Guillebeau (June, 2022)
65. Tax Free Wealth, Tom Wheelwright (July, 2022) (8.4/10)
66. Tribe, Sebastian Junger (July, 2022) (7.4/10)
67. The Millionaire Next Door, Thomas Stanley & William Danko (July, 2022) (8.9/10)
68. Built to Sell, John Warrillow (Aug, 2022) (8.9/10)
69. The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks (Sept, 2022) (7.7/10)
70. CashFlow Quadrant, Robert Kitosaki (Oct, 2022) (9.0/10)
71. How to Get Rich, Felix Dennis (Nov, 2022) (8.2/10)
72. Power of a Positive No, William Ury (Nov, 2022) (8.4/10)
73. The MultiFamily Millionaires, Brandon Turner (Jan, 2023) (8.6/10)
74. The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor (March, 2023) (8.7/10)
75. Master Your Time, Master Your Life, Brian Tracy (May, 2023) (7.5/10)
76. The Upward Spiral, Alex Korb (June, 2023) (8.6/10)
77. Zen Golf Daily Tips, Dr. Joseph Parent (July, 2023) (7.2/10)
78. The Four Agreements, Miguel Ruiz (July, 2023) (9.4/10) *** TOP READ
79. You Will Own Nothing, Carol Roth (Aug, 2023) (8.2/10)
80. The Great Reset, Richard Florida (Sept, 2023) (8.1/10)
81. The Psychological of Money, Morgan Housel (Sept, 2023) (8.4/10)
82. Ego is the Enemy, Ryan Holiday (Sept, 2023) (8.5/10)
83. Profit Like the Pros, Ken Corsini (Sept, 2023) (9.1/10)
84. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, Gary Vaynerchuk (Nov, 2023) (8.1/10)
85. SEO Mastery, Graham Fisher (Nov, 2023) (7.7/10)
86. Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert (Jan, 2024) (7.2/10)
87. Bargaining with the Devil, When to Negotiate & When to Fight, Robert Mnookin (Feb, 2024) (6.2/10)
88. Blueprint, Ross Edgley (March, 2024) (7.9/10)
89. The Expectation Effect, David Robson (April, 2024) (8.4/10)
90. Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits! Greg Crabtree (June, 2024) (6.9/10)
91. The Book on Negotiating Real Estate, J. Scott (July, 2024) (7.6/10)
92. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Daniel H. Pink (August, 2024) (9.1/10)
93. Set for Life, Scott Trench (September, 2024) (8.1/10)
94. Buy Back Your Time, Dan Martell (October, 2024) (7.4/10)
95. Getting Things Done, David Allen (October, 2024)
96. Drive, Daniel H. Pink (November, 2024) (8.2/10)
97. Choose Your Enemies Wisely, Patrick Bet-David (November, 2024) (6.8/10)
98. The Power of Regret, Daniel H. Pink (December, 2024) (8.7/10)
99. Buy Then Build, Walker Deibel (January, 2025)
100. The Good Life, Bob Walkinger & Marc Schulz (March, 2025)