This past weekend I went to my local bookstore that lets you buy, sell, and trade. I really like to read and had a few fictional books that weren’t that great so I traded them in and went looking for some new reading material.
There were several books on the shelf that many of the successful people I follow have recommended. These books were not all that expensive, many of them less than $10. But for some reason, I found myself hesitating to buy them.
My hesitation was not because I have 4 or 5 books on my desk that are only half read (because there are). The hesitation came because of the price.
Should I spend $30 or $40 on these books?
The problem begins with the wording of that sentence. It should read – Why am I hesitating to invest $30 or $40 dollars in myself?
I was reminded of this video by John Sonmez of SimpleProgrammer.com
As soon as I realized how completely stupid I was being worrying about a few dollars when the information in the books is probably worth hundreds and thousands over the course of my life, I bought the 2 books I thought would be most useful right now and will be back for the others later.
Why do we not blink when we spend $3-$5 on a coffee, $10-$20 on a meal, but stop short when preparing to shell out a measly $6-$12 for a book that could change your life? Skip a meal, buy a book.
What would you pay for information that could make you a fortune, improve you relationships, give you more health and energy? The information is out there.
In fact it is really, really cheap. There is this amazing thing called a library that exists in most towns and cities. Its a super inexpensive way to get access to almost any book ever written. So if you want to be cheap with your money, don’t be cheap with your time. Invest the time to find your local library, get a library card, checkout a book and read it.
What book? Glad you asked. Here are a couple that I can recommend as starters.
Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
This book is all about the mindset and practices it takes to become successful. You will find that many successful people, and those who teach success, recommend this book. It has a few odd things in it, especially in the later chapters, but it is still a great book to start with.
How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
I read this book for the first time a few weeks ago. I then read through it 3 more times in the next 2 weeks. The wisdom contained in this book on how to deal with people and get along with them is phenomenal. Since almost all of life is dealing with people, highly recommend this book.
After these 2, find one in a field you are interested in (and if you are reading this blog I am guessing that is game design or programming) and read it. Take some notes. If it was really good, read it again.
Whatever you do, don’t be hesitant about investing your time and your money into self improvement. Whether it is courses or conferences, books or seminars, invest in yourself.
You are your most valuable asset, don’t be cheap with yourself.