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As an entrepreneur, you constantly want to be learning new things and expanding your mindset. Today, I want to share with you the 5 books that changed my life.
These are the ones I gift to clients, and buy as stocking stuffers. There’s really no better gift than investing in yourself and your knowledge.
After years and years of reading so many books, I want to share the 5 books you MUST read to change your life.
For each of these books, I share main takeaways, but definitely read them yourself so you can have the full experience and apply the parts that really resonate with you.
Let’s dive in!
Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco
I read this book when I was 23 when I was still working at my corporate job.
It completely made me rethink the corporate path, the stable path, and what was possible with my life.
There are so many business ideas that you can start, and after reading this book, I was had full clarity that I wanted to start my own business that was scalable and follow his criteria so I can have the freedom to travel, to become a millionaire, to be financially free, to be location independent, and to have full control over my time.
Filter Out What Business You Dedicate Time To
Control: Be in the driver’s seat, not the passenger seat. You must be able to have full control over your income, business, and time. When I was working in the bank, I was clearly in the passenger seat relying on a salary. This is why I encourage everyone with an online business to get a self-hosted website and an email list that is completely yours.
Entry: Are there high or low barriers to entry? Initial capital investment, time investment etc. The more competition you have, the less likely for success.
Need: People NEED what you’re selling, and you want to make sure you have demand.
Time: Make sure your income is not tied to your time. Don’t work for an hourly wage, don’t have income tied to your time. At one point in my life, this seemed impossible, but seeing MJ DeMarco talk about this concept really fascinated me. Believe in yourself and believe that it is possible for you, even if your current reality doesn’t support it.
Scale: Is your business scalable? Are you limited to a physical location? Are you limited with labor or time? With an online business, you can reach people around the world and scale infinitely.
The Fastlane Forum
MJ DeMarco also runs this forum called the Fastlane Forum where you can introduce yourself after reading the book, and where I was so inspired by other business owners.
It’s so clear how much the book impacted me, shifted my mindset, and changed my life at the age of 23.
It’s funny because I posted this from my work computer and actually got flagged by the tech team, and got a call from HR! I was freaking out but everything worked out in the end.
I would not be where I am today had I not read that book and sped everything along. If that’s something you’re looking for, I highly recommend you checking it out!
🤩 Buy Millionaire Fastlane on Amazon
The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
The second book that shaped me into the online business owner and digital nomad I am today is the 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss.
I learned the concepts freeing yourself from society’s expectations and traditional expectations and geo-arbitrage.
Pave Your Own Path
You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing.
I realized this concept after the first time I studied abroad in college when I was first bit by the travel bug.
I loved exploring new places, I loved going to new countries and spending $20 round trip on flights in Europe. There were so many cool new things that I could be doing with my time, instead of just going to the same frat parties every weekend.
I realized there were other ways of living.
So when I went back to college and when I went back to that lifestyle, it was really hard to explain to other people what the experience is like when they’ve never gone through it themselves.
But at that point, I knew what made me happy. So I studied abroad again AND graduated early to backpack by myself, even though it was unheard of for other students.
Take the path less traveled and follow your intuition of what makes you happy.
There are going to be people who just don’t understand, and it’s not your job to convince them.
Showing What’s Possible
What I find really inspiring about these authors is that they walk the talk and show you what’s possible.
They weren’t born into wealth, they weren’t handed everything. I could relate to all of their struggles, all of their confusion in the early days, and it humanizes the whole process.
You see where they were just a few years ago and realized they must have changed something. If they come from where I come from, then that means if I thought like them, acted like them, I would end up where they are and that’s exactly where I want to be.
Geo-Arbitrage
Tim Ferriss was working at a call center and started his own business.
He then realized if he could make money online, he could spend months in Argentina and learn to dance and have lots of free time, living on a fraction of what he would spend in the states.
That’s when it started all coming together for me.
I had the opportunity to start an online business, make my income in USD, and not have to spend thousands in New York City rent and taxis.
So what Tim Ferris did was he first started as I think, like a sales rep and he was doing calls at a call center and then started his own business, but then realized, Hey, if I can make money online, I can, you know, spend months in Argentina and learn how to dance and just have so much free time.
Ultimately, having the time freedom and location freedom is going to give you financial freedom.
When I first read this book, I truly thought I could do it. So I did it, and you can too.
🤩 Buy The 4-Hour Work Week on Amazon
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
This is the only fiction book I have on my list and the one that has made the biggest impact.
It’s a really heartwarming book about a boy who finds his life purpose.
The quote that has resonated with me the most, and the one you’ll see everywhere in my business is:
When you want something, all the Universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
Paulo Coelho
When you internalize the fact, the proven fact, that when you want something and you truly believe you can have it, and you have that unwavering desire to make it happen, the whole Universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
I don’t know why the Universe works this way, but truly believe that anything you want, you can create.
This is the most powerful frequency that you can be radiating.
Focus on the What, and the How will follow
I have so many thoughts and ideas for my future and I never know exactly how I’m going to get there.
But none of that matters because I lean into this quote. I know I can figure it out, and that I’m going to figure it out.
The Universe is going to help me, and I’m going to get there.
Back when I was working in Corporate, I had no idea how I was going to make an income online. I had no idea how I was going to travel full-time.
But I know that’s what I wanted, and the how revealed itself.
You really need to believe that you are capable of doing whatever you set your mind to.
If you have trouble believing, read this book to change your life!
The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles
The next two books are all about money mindset.
As entrepreneurs, your income reflects the work that you put into your own business, so you need to work on this.
You need to make sure that you’re allowing all the income and all the money to flow into your business without any blockages, without any fear, without any limiting beliefs or scarcity beliefs.
This book was recommended to me by one of my mentors, The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D Wattles, and was written over 100 years ago.
It teaches you the exact science behind getting rich, and I treat it as one of my business bibles.
Practice Gratitude Every Day
One of the main practices I implemented in my business and life since reading this book is practicing gratitude.
The more gratefully you fix your mind on the good when good things come, the more good things you will receive and the more rapidly they will come.
The moment you let your mind think about things that are going wrong, you start losing ground.
So I started keeping a gratitude journal. I journal about everything that I am grateful for instead of focusing on things that are going wrong and what I don’t have.
This has made such a difference focusing on where I want to be.
Focus on What You Can Control
Another takeaway from this book is focusing on what I can control, and not spending time worrying about things that negatively affect me.
Things are not brought into reality by thinking about their opposites.
So you must shape and form your day to be the most conducive to success.
I stopped caring about the news because for me, it induced stress and anxiety as I’m a very emotional person.
I would always get stressed and anxious over the traumatic news every day. I didn’t want to get sucked into all the depressing things that were happening in the world.
So instead, I stopped watching, and continue to focus on my goals and the things that will bring me success.
🤩 Buy The Science of Getting Rich on Amazon
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker
The last book is Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T Harv, Eker.
He studies millionaires, concludes that they all think a certain way that is not taught in school, and shares them in what he calls “wealth files”.
If you want to become a millionaire, you need to adopt these wealth files.
People have different wealth files
Everyone thinks a certain way, and not everyone thinks in a way that will make them rich.
He gives an example of his wife shopping at the mall. She sees a green purse on sale for 25% off. She immediately goes to her wealth files with the question “Should I buy this purse?”
Her mind with her files comes back with the answer “Well, you’ve been looking for a green purse to go with those green shoes you bought last week. Plus it’s the right size! Buy it!”
Her mind is not only thrilled she’s going to have a beautiful purse, but glowing with pride that she got it for 25% off. She believes she needs it and it is a “great deal”.
However, at no point, did her mind come up with the thought, “This is a great deal, but right now I’m $3,000 in debt, so I’d better hold off”.
She didn’t come up with that information because she didn’t have the wealth file of when you’re in debt, you shouldn’t buy anymore.
It was never installed and doesn’t exist, which means that particular choice is not an option.
If you have files that are non-supportive to financial success, those will be the only choices you can make. They are natural, they’re automatic, and make perfect sense to you.
So in this book, the 17 wealth files that he shares, some I never paid attention to, others I didn’t have at all.
Rich people focus on their net worth, poor people focus on working income
An example of one of the wealth files that I since adopted, and have seen the biggest change in my life, is “Rich people focus on their net worth, poor people focus on working income.”
My focus is now directed differently.
Full disclaimer, he is not talking about the rich and the poor in terms of how much actual money they make, it’s simply about their mindset.
People can make so much income and be working for someone else, but have no financial sense and end up having the lowest net worth.
Calculate your assets minus liabilities, and focus on increasing that instead of your yearly income.
Rich people are grateful that others have succeeded before them so that they now have a blueprint to follow.
This is another wealth file that I love. Why reinvent the wheel?
There are proven methods for success that work for virtually everyone who applies them.
Consequently, the fastest and easiest way to create wealth is to learn exactly how rich people who are masters of money play the game.
The goal is to simply model their inner and outer strategies.
If you take the exact same actions and have the exact same mindset, chances are good that you will get the exact same results.
That’s what I did. That’s how I got my results. And that’s what this entire book is about.
🤩 Buy Secrets of the Millionaire Mind on Amazon
Conclusion
Every single time I read these books, I think, “If they can do it, I can too”.
So I hope if you’re looking at me, and you’re wondering, “How did she create this life where she can run her own business and travel the world full-time?”
You will realize you can do it too, by reading the same books, adopting the same mindset, and taking action.
I cannot recommend these books enough. Let me know if you have any questions!
If you’ve enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps us spread The Wanderlover mission to those who need a dose of inspiration today. Thank you and happy holidays!
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