I have been an avid reader since I was about 6 years old. I would choose reading over playing. In fact, with my head buried inside a book, I would sometimes forget food.
There is a story my siblings still tell to this day about how I buried myself inside a laundry basket just so I could read without being disturbed. I would sneak under the bed to read. My Mum yelling my name to come and do my share of the house chores did not deter me neither did our Nanas (Aunty Tessy and Aunty Chinyere) who were sometimes even worse than my Mum in the way they yelled my name.
I didn’t want to do anything. I just wanted to read as much as I could.
Books have been an ever constant presence in my life and they have not only allowed my imaginations to soar, they have also helped me both broaden and shape my perspective about everything under the sun.
Whether you know it or not, your reading habit is a very important factor in your life. Your favourite book says a lot about who you are. And as any devoted reader knows, a book can help you get through hard times and even change the way you look at the world.
This is a short list of some of the greatest books that have most impacted and influenced my life and my personality. Over the course of the year, I will add to it;
- Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do by Robert Schuller: I got this book off my Mum’s desk after I turned 15. And since then it has helped mould my view of problems and difficult times. I learnt the power of a positive self-image, no matter what problem I have to face. It doest matter if it’s unemployment, poor health, loneliness, fear or anything that blocks your success. Dr Schuller shared how you can turn your negative into a positive. This book helped me establish the principle that no matter how tough times get, I have the potential to achieve the best of life.
- The Power Of Positive Thinking by Dr Norman Vincent Peale: This book will remind you of the things that truly matter if you want to live life to the fullest. You will see how to expect the best and get it. You will also be reminded to believe in yourself and in everything you do. This book will help you to develop the power to reach your goals, and teach you how to break the habit of worrying. And this is one of my many favourite quotes from this wonderful book; “When you expect the best, you release a magnetic force in your mind which by a law of attraction tends to bring the best to you.”
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As A Man Thinketh by James Allen
A little booklet that you could probably finish in less than an hour or two, the words are truly powerful and deeply profound. This book shows how, each man holds the key to every condition, good or bad, that enters into his life, and that, by working patiently and intelligently upon his thoughts, he may remake his life, and transform his circumstances. One of my favourite quotes from the book says: “A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.”
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7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
This book is consistently listed as one of the most inspiring books ever written and has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. One of my favourite quotes from the book says: “But until a person can say deeply and honestly, “I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday,” that person cannot say, “I choose otherwise.”
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Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson –
This is a book which helped me redefine and overcome “the small stuff”. You know those little things that can drive you crazy. It is filled with supportive and thoughtful suggestions on how to live a more peaceful life. From the book: “…when you let go of your expectations, when you accept life as it is, you’re free. To hold on is to be serious and uptight. To let go is to lighten up.”
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The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth By M. Scott Peck.
The first words in this classic and powerful book are: Life is difficult. Without hiding the true realities of life — which is filled with conflict, difficulties, and challenging decisions — Dr. Scott Peck guides us to a deeper level of self-understanding and creates a path we can follow to a fuller, more serene life. (Disclaimer: I have heard about this book for years before I finally decided to pick it up. It always seemed like that book everyone talks about but I was sure was not for me. After gulping it down in a few days, I can vouch for this: It may not be for everyone, but it’s worth your time.)
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The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life And In Business
Written by award-winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg, this book is an awesome mix of research, stories, and revelations about habits: how we form them, how we can change them, and how knowledge about human habits is transforming everything from the way companies are run to where fruits and vegetables are placed in the grocery store.
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Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Wellbeing
Written by Martin Seligman, a University of Pennsylvania professor who is considered one of the founders of the field of positive psychology, this book outlines four core components of well-being: positive emotion, engagement with what one is doing, a sense of accomplishment, and good relationships. It’s filled with research and stories to illustrate and back up each component, and while not a self-help book specifically, it’s one of the richest resources — and most accessible — on your journey to living a life that makes you happier.
- 8-Minute Meditation: Reading this book helped me a lot when I first started meditating. Written by Victor Davich, it will anyone who is a beginner to meditation the exact tools they need to learn to meditate and do it in a time-frame that even the busiest people can easily handle: just 8 minutes a day. It really isn’t just about reading the book. The whole point is to understand the undeniable importance of meditation.
- The Bible: This book was one of the first books I learnt to read and it is one I still read everyday. If you are a Christian, you will know why after all these years, I still haven’t been able to put this book down. It has the answer to practically everything under the sun and somehow, it manages to give me a new message, new hope, new insight every time I open it.
