Bold and Determined

Get Up Off Your Ass, Enjoy Your Life and Get Out of the 9-5 Jive Forever

5 Must Read Books (and how they will help you live the life you want)

By 19 Comments

#1) Think and Grow Rich

If you only read one book in your entire life make it this book. This book is about the power of motivation and visualization. If you want something bad enough and you visualize it enough you WILL get it. All current motivation works have borrowed or completely plagiarized from this book.

This is the end-all, be-all book for living your dreams. Highlight your favorite parts to go over again and again. Write down your favorite parts and tape them to your walls to recite daily. Sounds crazy, but it works.

#2) The Richest Man in Babylon

This book teaches you about money. Specifically about the need to save money and about the power of leveraging your money.

#3) How To Win Friends and Influence People

How can you get what you want if you can’t get people to do what you want? This is an oldie but goodie and the lessons hold up in today’s world. Maybe even more so because we are all so disconnected.

#4) The 4-Hour Workweek

The newest book on my list. Don’t let the title fool you, the book is all about using your time wisely and becoming hyper productive. Whether you put in a few hours a week or many hours, make sure you are actually doing stuff and not being a time waster.

#5) Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder

This is the most motivating, inspiring book I have ever read. Arnold went from a tiny town in Austria to being the #1 bodybuilder in the entire world. He made millions as a businessman before getting into the movies and becming the highest paid movie star of all time.

Then he got into politics and become the governor of the 3rd largest economy. This book details his life up until the end of his bodybuilding and the very start of his acting career.

These books have changed my life so much that I now use hundred dollar bills as bookmarks.

Comments

  2. What do you think about Brian Tracy’s works? I’ve recently bought some books from him. I also bought I Dare You by William H. Danforth and 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by John C. Maxwell. Have you read these books? What do you think of them?

  4. I just read that article about dreams. But this one talks about visualization. While they may resemble each other, they are indeed different. I just used to confuse the two.

    When successful people talk about their dreams, they are actually visualizing and putting into action what needs to be done to achieve that goal. They aren’t really dreaming. They just call them that.

  5. Uncle Victor, whats the difference between Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder and Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story?

  6. http://dangerandplay.com/2013/07/17/total-recall-my-unbelievably-true-life-story/

    I own the book, and I confirm what this review says about it - some good patches, especially in the beginning and middle, but more spotty after that.

  7. Are you really that rich that you use 100$ bills as bookmark? :3 common man , you can’t be that rich. You’re lying.
    Great Article btw,

  8. Hi Victor,
    What version of the think and grow rich book would you recommend?
    some say the updated version is good as it’s easier to read and has modern day examples but is missing some key point that the original has. Also there are a lot of updated versions, so not sure which one to buy?

  9. Great books I have read and/or currently reading highly recommende for Boldanddetermined readers

    - Who owns the ice house? - Clifton Taulbert (recommendation by MJ Demarco)
    - Overachievement - John Eliot
    - The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
    - Man’s search for meaning - Viktor Frankl
    - Release Your Brakes - James Newman
    - How to get Control of your time and your life by Alan Lakein
    - Working Smart Michael Leboeuf
    - Napoleon Hill - Law of success and napoleon hills golden rules magazine

    Creativity / Strategy

    - Brainstorming - Charles Clark
    - Your Creative Power - Alex Osborn
    - The Max Strategy - Dale Dauten

  10. Hi Victor,

    I am reading The 4-Hour Workweek and am greatly fascinated by the New Rich, but I can’t really figure out what it exactly is

    I assume you have some knowledge about this lifestyle, since you listed this book, talk about living without cluttery in “Live Like A Spartan” (the book advices that as well), and mentioned that you are able to live like a king but very cheaply, which as far as I know is a characteristic of the New Rich

    Are you a New Rich?

    Do new rich always make use of Geo-Arbitrage?

    Have you tried the book’s technique’s such as:
    • Batching
    • 80/20 principle
    • Parkinsons Law
    • Preventing W4W

    Could Modafinil help living the New Rich life?

    • I don’t follow any of that except for geo-arbitrage. Make in dollars, spend in baht. But that only goes for housing, food and transportation really. The same goods you buy at a shopping mall in New York are double price here. You’ll have to ask Tim Ferris about the new rich, that’s his invention, not mine.

  11. I read each of those books years ago (except for Arnie’s book). So why aren’t I already a bajillionaire?

    The answer: A-C-T-I-O-N

    I spent my early adult years reading those books and just “feeling” like I was getting ahead without actually putting in the sweat to follow through on what they prescribe. Nowadays I always tell my juniors not to be the dumbass I was. Read a book, and put what you learned into action right away.

  12. “These books have changed my life so much that I now use hundred dollar bills as bookmarks”.

    - Best sentence I’ve read all my 18 years on this planet! Brilliant; this will be me by the age of 20!

  14. I have read…

    1. TAGR,(great)
    2. How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie (great)
    AND have listened to 60% of Tim Ferriss - 4 hr work week.

  16. Thanks much victor pride,
    I have been inspired by Napolleon Hill,Think and grow Rich, It is my favourite book of time.