Reading teaches us empathy by placing us in another person's shoes. It teaches us perspective, saves us time, takes us to times and places we've never visited, and gives us the keys to the city so to speak.  Reading is learning. Reading is education. In a word, Reading is expansion.

Of the hundreds of books I’ve read, below you'll find the small number of books I recommend again and again.  I update this list when I complete a book that I find worth including, and I welcome recommendations. If there's a book that positively changed your life, please send the title my way.  

1. Mindset / Leadership / Habits

Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker — Managing Oneself is a Harvard Business Review article written in 1999. Years later it was published as a short paperback. Managing Oneself is a concise do-this read you won't forget.

​​What You’re Made For ​by George Raveling - ​Born in 1937, George Raveling came from humble beginnings in segregated Washington DC. George became one of the winningest coaches of all time, and a mentor to legendary athletes and coaches.

Mindset:The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck — Dweck’s book is a fascinating read on the power of the mind, and a guide on how to develop the mindset you'll need to become who and where you seek to be.

2. Health & Fitness

Forever Strong by Dr Gabrielle Lyon — Forever Strong places muscle-centric fitness at the center of physical and emotional well-being and optimal performance. Dr. Lyon challenges us to actively build the body and mind. 

Spark by John Ratey — Consistent exercise to some degree of rigor is good for the body and it transforms the mind. This book teaches us how to stay vigorous and sharp as it inspires each of us to live an active lifestyle.

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins — Goggins book on untapped ability is really about the power of the mind. In Can't Hurt Me, Goggins chronicles how to master oneself through hard-won investment in the body.  A great and motivating read.

3. Business & Entrepreneurship

Purple Cow by Seth Godin — A book on how to make your product or service remarkable in crowded marketplace. If you're going to make a product or offer a service, make it a product or service worth talking about. 

Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath — The go-to guide on how to sell your ideas.  Each of us is the CEO of at least one person - ourselves - and telling compelling stories is one of our key responsibilities as CEO's.

Good to Great by Jim Collins — Good to Great shows how outstanding companies triumph over time, and how long-term achievement can become the DNA of an enterprise and the people who comprise the enterprise.

4. Creative & Artistic Endeavor

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield - Resistance is the primary obstacle to creativity and productivity, and Resistance is internal. “Resistance,” he says, “has no strength of its own. Every ounce of juice it possesses comes from us.” Resistance never goes away, but it can be beat. Pressfield shows us how.

The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp - The premise of this book? Creativity is a lifestyle that requires that we show up day after day despite mood or circumstance. and Art?  Art is the very seat of what we live for. 

On Writing by Stephen King — Part memoir, part masterclass, this superb work offers a revealing look at the writer’s tools, the writer's craft, and how writing, deep thought, and living are inextricably linked.  Writing changes the way we think, the way we reason, and the way we are. If you're alive and human, read this.

5.Philosophy

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius — The private thoughts of the most powerful man in the world, admonishing himself on how to be better and wiser. Meditations is the definitive text on self-discipline, humility, self-actualization and strength. 

Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl — Auschwitz survivor Victor Frankl dedicated his life to proclaiming there's a power that can never be taken from us. We always have the power to choose our attitude in any circumstance, and can find meaning in living based on our inner focus, deciding and acting.

Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chögyam Trungpa - A classic guide that presents Buddhist peace philosophy. Sacred warriors conquer via gentleness, courage, self-knowledge and acknowledging the basic goodness of human life.

6. Wealth & Finance

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz — A wealth-building, business-building philosophy-based classic based on the assertion that profit is not an event - it's a habit. Profit First offers practical advice and a four-part framework for gaining control of and power over both business and personal finances.

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham — The book that inspired Warren Buffett to start investing. We all know how that turned out. This book is not only about the stock market. It provides an investing philosophy. You can apply the strategies of this book to life, business, money, and your career.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki - Kiyosaki's story of growing up with two dads (his father and his best friend's rich father), the ways both men shaped his money mindset, and what the rich teach their kids about wealth, that other parents do not teach.