Recommended Books for the Alpha Asian

Back in college I majored in psychology and minored in Asian American Studies, so I've always had a thing for self-improvement. The key to improving all aspects of your life is improving your mindset and decision making. Here are some life coaching books for the Alpha Asian:





Awaken the Giant Within- This book by Tony Robbins was the very first self-help book that I ever read, and to this day it still has very profound effects on my mindset. Tony takes neurolinguistic programming to the next level and goes over how you choose your words can shape your beliefs and how beliefs will steer your course of actions. Tony goes over the mechanism of change, and how to use it to make yourself a better person and to make your life better. The great thing about this book is that it goes over SPECIFIC actions to change your mindset, and not vague bullshit philosophy.





The Secret, a.k.a. The Law of Attraction- Do yourself a favor and just rent the DVD "The Secret." This will save you from reading any of the books on "The Law of Attraction." The Law of Attraction is quite simple: what you think of attracts what you get. In psychology, it's widely known that people will mirror each other's emotional states. So if you're a depressing bore, then people interacting with you will display negative emotion and body language. The Law of Attraction takes it further into metaphysics and states that your thoughts will shape the course of the Universe. So if you think shit happens to you all the time, then guess what? It does! If you are more happy and positive, then good things flow your way. This DVD serves as a nice adjunct to "Awaken the Giant Within."





The 80/20 Principle- Mark Twain once said, "Put all your eggs in one basket, AND WATCH THAT BASKET!" The secret to success is be damn good at something people give a shit about. If you can do that, then people will pay you big money for your specialty.





Rich Dad, Poor Dad- All of the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" books are the same, and frankly, don't give you any concrete advice on how to make money and be rich. What this book does go over is how do you think of money and more generally, what is your learning style? Most of us were taught in school, and school teaches you that failure is not good. But in the real world, failure is how you learn and improve yourself. This is why people who are academically smart aren't necessarily the wealthiest people, and why there are a lot of dumb rich people. Just read any of the books in the series, and the author Robert Kiyosaki will drill it into your head that your money should work for you and not the other way around.





Influencer- Changing yourself is one thing, but how do you influence others for positive change? People always rely on lecture and debate to influence people, but logic and rationality, no matter eloquently laid out, don't move people to change. Yet people are taught in school that this should be the primary method of communication and influence. Nobody wants to listen a lecture. Experience is what changes people. Not everybody can go through what you experienced, so vivid and focused story telling is the next best thing.





The 4 Hour Work Week- Rethink your life's course. Why delay your retirement, when you can enjoy mini-retirements through out your life? You may not quit your job and spend a year in Thailand after reading this book, but you will rethink how you're spending your life. The most quoted line from this book: "It is better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission."





The Definitive Book of Body Language- I've read quite a few books on body language over the years, but this recent one by Allan Pease is quite good. Not only will you be able to discern the body language of others, but you'll be cognizant of how you present yourself. Adjusting your body language will adjust your emotional state. So if you want to be confident, then take up a confident body posture.





Refuse to Choose- Do you want to do one thing and do that for the rest of your life? I sure as hell don't, and you shouldn't either. Most people are multi-faceted and have multiple interests. The problem comes when people suffer from "goal paralysis," when they dabble in everything but accomplish nothing. Career coach Barbara Sher goes over how you can pursue multiple interests and live a a life of variety and accomplishment.

Comments

J said…
You're a wealth of knowledge, B!

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