These four books definitively changed my life.

1. Harry Potter (Series) – J.K. Rowling
2. How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
3. Extreme Ownership – Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
4. The 4-Hour Workweek – Tim Ferriss

Harry Potter (Series) – J.K. Rowling

I read the Harry Potter series (several times) when I was around 10-16 years old. I love fiction and fantasy – I would read Harry Potter for hours at a time. It was such an exciting, immersive world. While I was definitely let down when I didn’t receive my letter to Hogwarts, I really enjoyed reading Harry Potter – it made me feel like life could really be magical.

How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie

How to Win Friends and Influence People is an incredible book. It’s filled with short real life stories demonstrating simple, timeless principles in action. The ideas all feel like common sense but are principles we constantly need reminding of. Examples are using people’s names when speaking to them, listening more than you speak, thinking from others’ perspectives, etc. It’s a great book for communication skills and social awareness. I could read this book every year and it would be worth it each time.

Extreme Ownership – Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

I love the book Extreme Ownership and the concept behind it. It’s an easy read with each chapter containing a principle, a related story from the Navy Seal writers’ experience in combat, and a business application. The concept of Extreme Ownership changed the way I viewed my life. It is liberating to realize you have the ability to decide how you allow external factors to impact you, and take ownership of your reactions to life’s events as opposed to having a victim mentality or blaming others. Taking accountability makes you better. Everyone should read Extreme Ownership.

The 4-Hour Workweek – Tim Ferriss

The 4-Hour Workweek, similar to Extreme Ownership, was a paradigm shifter for me. Tim does an incredible job of demonstrating how coloring outside the lines can result in a fulfilling and successful life. He breaks through the traditional 9-5 mentality and emphasizes the importance of becoming excellent at your craft by focusing on the things that matter and then using that as leverage to free yourself up to work remotely and travel, enjoying mini-retirements during your prime years. Reading 4-Hour Workweek gave me a different mentality for thinking about work and what it means to have a successful career.