Your Better Self with Akanna: My Book Wish List

I’ve been following a recommended personal development booklist since the beginning of 2017, in the order of recommendation actually.  It’s been an interesting journey of learning, growing and changing and the developing the capacity to teach others what I’m learning through my articles.

The last book on the list is So Long Insecurity, on which my last two articles were based.  I’m almost done with the book, and that means that there’ll be no more books to read.  So, do I read all of them all over again, or do I get new ones? Who would recommend new ones to me?

These are the questions I’m grappling with for now.  But in the meantime, I have a list of books that I’d love to read! I’ve either heard good things about them or I’ve experienced them in some way – maybe while listening to the audio books on an airplane, or heard someone give a good talk based on some of them.

Either way, these are the books I’d love to read! And I thought I’d share so that if you’ve read any of them, you could tell me if it’s worth it or not.  And also recommend books you think should be on everyone’s personal development book wish list!

#1 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
I listened to this book once, on a 12-hour flight. Of course I was sleeping in-between and so I didn’t get the most out of it.  The little I got was gold though.  I remember thinking to myself “I must read this book, and not just once!”

There’s the ‘Urgent/Important’ matrix, where you divide things in your life into: Urgent & Important, Urgent & Not Important, Not Urgent & Important, Not Urgent & Not Important.  And you start tackling your tasks starting from the ones that are both urgent and important.  Those should be given top priority in your life.  Not following this rule is how most people do everything and achieve nothing.

#2 Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this book.  Seems it’s a must read!

Apparently, the book came about by a suggestion given to the author by one of the richest men of all time, Andrew Carnegie.  He suggested to Napoleon Hill to go study all the wealthy men around and find out why they’re wealthy.

Hill then spent the next 20 years studying many individuals who had amassed personal fortunes, and he found out that success was never by accident.  He discovered many similarities among these wealthy people and he condensed them into 13 principles that we all could read, study and apply to our lives in order to achieve higher levels of success!

#3 Business Secrets from the Bible by Rabbi Daniel Lapin
I follow the rabbi’s teachings a lot.  Although I’m currently reading his 10 Commandments for Making Money (I’ve been reading this lazily for the longest time now), I feel like this one will be more condensed and to the point, even though it’s probably the same principles discussed.

He talks about it a lot and highlights how many winning business principles could actually be traced back to the Bible. Even something seemingly inconsequential as the blessings that Jacob gave his 12 sons, on his death bed, could highlight some very key business and work-life balance lessons that are crucial to the financial success enjoyed by those who implement these secrets in their lives – mostly the Jews!

#4 Benjamin Max: Amazed by Truth by Akin Adeboye
This one’s written by my friend, and I helped with the editing. But it’s still on my wish list because I don’t own a copy yet.  No, don’t judge me; I know I should have one by now.  I’ll get one!

I’ve done an article, The Love Detective, based on the book.  It’s a collection of stories that highlight how we have relegated many divine things that happen in our lives to the ever deceitful concept of ‘coincidence’.  When we believe that there’s a reason for things happening in our lives, and we observe to see the patterns, we would learn to get closer to God and hear what He’s trying to tell us.

This is a book for those who are tired of religion or are simply indifferent about it, but know that deep down, they crave a connection to something much bigger than themselves – a higher power and source of life.

#5 Soar! by T.D. Jakes
What made me want this book so badly is that interview that Steven Furtick had with TD Jakes.  Everyone was talking about it and I had to watch the video and see for myself.  It was almost 2 hours long, but I remember coming away with the feeling that I had invested and not merely spent my time watching that video.  Too many golden nuggets to take away!  I suggest you watch it here.

In the video, Jakes promoted his new book Soar! Build Your Vision from the Ground Up and it just became a must-read for me, from then on.

#6 The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
I’ve also heard a lot about this one.  And it’s the whole concept of working only four hours a week that intrigues me.  I guess he must be talking about the new rich and how the internet has revolutionized business and the ability to create passive income.

It would be an interesting read for sure, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

#7 The End of Jobs by Taylor Pearson
The full title of the book is The End of Jobs: Money, Meaning and Freedom Without the 9-5, and I guess it probably has the same message as the 4-Hour Work Week.

I saw it on a list of recommended books for 2016 some time on LinkedIn.  Since then, I’ve always wanted a physical copy but wasn’t able to get one in store.  I guess I’d have to order online.

But it’s a book we all want to read, because it opens our eyes to how the traditional ways of doing work are fading and being replaced by new ways, especially technology-driven ways.  And so you want to be in the know as to how to develop the required skills for today’s market.

#8 Intentional Living by John C. Maxwell
I like John Maxwell a lot.  I attend his seminars. He’s a good teacher who’ll really ‘dumb’ things down and make you feel like he’s talking to you personally, even when there are thousands of people in the room.

That’s exactly how his books are. Personalized.  I attended one of his seminars where he talked about intentional living and also introduced this book as his new book then.  He talked about how extraordinary success comes through intentional living.  And you have to keep doing those habits day-in, day-out; everyday! No weekends, no holidays. Every day.

He says everything worthwhile is uphill and the problem with most of us is that we have up-hill goals but down-hill habits.  We have to intentionally incorporate those habits into our lives that will take us uphill, and the book shows us exactly how!

#9 Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
I don’t know what this book’s about but I’ve always wanted to read it because of the CEO of a bank I once worked at.  I was in training then, as a new hire, and he came to the training school to give us a talk.  He was so articulate – to my greatest surprise – and he started by quoting this title “who moved my cheese?”

I was quite confused for the first little bit of his talk.  On the one hand I wondered whether he was directing that question to us and on the other hand I wondered who must have had the audacity to actually move the man’s cheese and hence put us all in trouble.

But of course neither was the case.  The man only based his talk on that book, and it was superb!  It’s about an amazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life.  And since then, it’s never left my memory, making it a must-read book on my wish list.

#10 Tanach the Stone Edition
I know in my article, My Top 10 Books So Far, I mentioned that the Tanach was by number one book. It’s the Hebrew old-testament bible with the most accurate English translation out there.

I usually read the online version – The Complete Tanach.  But this one’s the paper version recommended by the rabbi I talked about in #3.  According to him, it’s “a good and accurate foundation for understanding God’s word.”  And it would be nice to have myself a copy at home.

So there’s my wish list. I hope you enjoyed reading it and perhaps it inspired you to get one of the books and join me in reading, maybe.

I’d like to know if there are any other books you think I should be reading and also if you’ve read any of these books on my wish list so you can give me either a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down regarding any of them.