25 Best Audiobooks to Make the Most of Your Commute

Reading has been on the decline for years. All you have to do is think back to the last time you have stepped into a library to see my point. One of the biggest reasons for the decline in book sales and going to libraries is the leaps and bounds in technology. Why buy a book when you can conveniently buy audiobooks instead? I can see your point in thinking this way, however, I’d argue that it’s still worth picking up books. First, I personally read every day. I read about productivity, entrepreneurship, leadership, and anything related to personal growth. Reading has inspired/helped me a lot in my work and personal life. Second, many successful people credit reading as a factor in their success, and there are many examples of this.((Business Insider: What 13 highly successful people like Warren Buffett and Donald Trump read every morning)) Only when I’m driving, commuting, or doing exercises do I listen to audiobooks. In light of that, I recommend you to listen to audiobooks too as a start. If you love it, buy a physical copy of the books, too. Here are 25 of the best audiobooks you can find.

1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook

One of the best audiobooks around for self-improvement is Stephen R. Covey’s ‘The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People’. It is one of the best modern self-improvement books you can pick up. I say modern, even though it was published in 2004. The reason I make that claim is due to Covey’s overall approach. He doesn’t indulge in pop psychology or common trends. He doesn’t say what so many people in this industry talk about. The latest version has a foreword and afterword where Covey explains the relevance of these habits in the modern world and answers questions he’s been asked over the years since. Get this audiobook! 

2. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Another one of the books to listen to is ‘Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind’. Written by Shunryu Suzuki, this 2011 book is one of the most beloved American Zen books. To give you a taste here is the first line of the book: "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." It is an immensely powerful line and it is filled to the brim with these particular nuggets of wisdom. Get this audiobook!

3. The Power of Now

Published in 2000, ‘The Power of Now’  explains a journey—a journey that encourages you to dismiss your analytical mind and set aside your ego as well. Already, you can tell that journey is difficult, but the author, Eckhart Tolle, guides you through these transitions with easy to understand words and phrases. The purpose of this book is to help you through living in the current moment—the "now." Get this audiobook!

4. Daring Greatly

Over one million copies sold, Daring Greatly by Dr. Brené Brown is among the list of best and most famous audiobooks. The premise of the book is the idea that we all experience vulnerability in our lives and Brown argues that it’s alright that these happen. The book also stresses that it’s not always about winning or losing these battles of vulnerability. Instead, it’s about courage, willingness to accept vulnerability, and throwing ourselves into further risk. Get this audiobook!

5. Good Morning, I Love You

One of the Amazon audiobooks you’ll want to pick up is ‘Good Morning, I Love You’ by Shauna Shapiro. Another zen-related book, Shapiro’s approach is a bit different from other zen books. Most people encourage meditation, but Shapiro pushes for something different. Instead, she brings up the science and explains why we feel what we feel instead rather than trying to “empty your mind with mindful meditation.” Get this audiobook!

6. The Four Agreements

Written by don Miguel Ruiz, ‘The Four Agreements’ covers the sources of limiting beliefs. Using Toltec wisdom, this is one of the audiobooks that uses ‘the four agreements’ as a powerful code of conduct to transform your life and thrive. Get this audiobook!

7. Practicing Mindfulness

For those looking for mindful meditations, ‘Practicing Mindfulness’ by Matthew Sokolov is one of the best audio novels to pick up. The book provides 75 exercises that are backed by science to help you bring calmness and compassion into your daily life. Get this audiobook!

8. The Alchemist

From the title alone, you’d think that you won't find this in the audio self-help books section. The reality is that it’s one of the most powerful audiobooks around. Written by Paulo Coelho, this book has inspired a following all across the world. It presents a simple—and yet dazzling—story. It is one of the best audio stories you’ll hear. In short, it talks about the journey of a boy named Santiago who travels from Spain to Egypt in search of riches. Along the way, he meets three characters, a gypsy woman, a man who thinks he’s a king, and the alchemist. These characters help guide Santiago to his goal, but over time that goal changes. It moves away from worldly riches to something deeper and more profound. I’ll let you figure out what that is. Get this audiobook!

9. The Power of Habit

Written by Charles Duhigg, ‘The Power of Habit’ talks all about the power behind habits using various cases and scenarios to present Duhigg’s points. In the book, Duhigg distills complex systems and methods into easily digestible stories that people and businesses can relate to. These stories bring us to what goes on behind the doors at Proctor & Gambles and bring us to the sidelines of NFL team tactics. All in all, it presents valid arguments when it comes to habit building and explains it in a way you have never seen before. Get this audiobook!

10. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

As the title suggests, ‘The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success’ talks about seven natural laws of success. Written by Deepak Chopra, Chopra uses all his years of teaching and distills them into seven simple principles or laws that you can apply to see success. Beyond that, the book aims to shatter the myths surrounding success and gives the reader a peek at what it’s really all about. Get this audiobook!

11. Outliers

Written by Malcolm Gladwell, this book is, well, an outlier amongst self-improvement books. It is the book that popularized the idea that practicing 10,000 hours total will make you an expert in that area. There is that factoid, but it also covers other aspects that many of today’s billionaires and successful people use—things that stretch beyond traditional methods. Get this audiobook!

12. The Seven Most Effective Methods of Self-Hypnosis

One of the easiest ways to make drastic changes in your life is the idea of self-hypnosis. Over the years, many great books have pushed the importance of this, from Napoleon Hill’s ‘Think and Grow Rich’  to Tony Robbins ‘Awaken the Giant Within’. The idea behind this book is to expand on those ideas and give you seven of the best methods that you can use and how to use them.  Get this audiobook!

13. Becoming

Written by the former First Lady of the 34th US President, Michelle Obama’s book is one of the many powerful audio autobiographical books you can get this year. In short, it’s a powerful and inspiring memoir from her that explains in vivid detail the events that helped shape who she is today. Get this audiobook!

14. Close Your Eyes, Get Free

Another self-hypnotism book to consider, this one drives home three main points: 

1. What hypnosis is and isn’t
2. How powerful your subconscious mind really is
3. Simple practices you can use to improve various emotional aspects—things like boosting confidence, self-esteem, and calming anxiety, amongst others.

The book is simple in its direction, but you know precisely what you are getting into with this book, and I love it. Get this audiobook!

15. I’ve Decided to Live 120 Years

One of the biggest problems in life is that it’s relatively short. While we have made leaps and bounds to prolong life, the average life expectancy of someone is about 79 years old. It's still good considering how far we’ve come, but clearly, people have lived longer. In this book, the author Ilchi Lee challenges us to radically think differently about life, longevity, and other ideologies. It’s also been praised by several famous authors, some of whom I’ve mentioned in this list already. Get this audiobook!

16. Real Love

‘Real Love’ provides you with a creative tool kit for mindfulness exercises and meditation techniques to help you engage in the current moment in your life. The goal is to help you have a deeper appreciation of yourself, those around you, and the events that occur in your life. The book argues that to obtain those aspects, you need to shed the layers of negative habits and obstacles and help ourselves to experience authentic love. Get this audiobook!

17. Mindfulness in Action

There are so many kinds of mindfulness books out there and you can see why. Time and again, the benefits of this practice have proven themselves—a better sense of well being, lower stress, and high concentration, to list a few. The purpose of this book is to help guide you through meditation on the surface level. It’s amazing for those who want to start. However, it also dives into deeper questions that many veterans of this practice have been asking themselves as well. Get this audiobook!

18. 12 Rules of Life

Humorous, surprising, and informative are three words that aptly describe this book. To summarize, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson explains in great detail the rules of life from easily relatable scenarios—from why we should pet the cat that’s been walking down the street to why we the skateboarding boys and girls ought to be left alone. This book brings in unusual examples to explain fundamental principles that we could all use in our lives. It is both comical and truly insightful. Get this audiobook!

19. The ONE Thing

For the extremely busy folks, this book is for you. If you want less on your plate and more for your life and career, this is the book to pick up. ‘The ONE Thing’ is a book that’s written to bring your life and work into focus. It teaches you how to cut through the clutter, achieve better results in less time, master what matters most to you, and ease yourself from stress all at the same time. Get this audiobook!

20. The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth

Similar to other list-based books that establish laws, this particular book focuses on the overall guiding principles of growth. According to John C. Maxwell, there is such a thing as laws of growth. For over 50 years, he’s built up his knowledge of growth and has written a book to share what those particular laws he has established are. Get this audiobook!

21. Mindset

Written by a university psychology professor, this is another profound book that has shaken the industry. Carol Dweck PhD. explains in detail how success in everything that we do can be dramatically enhanced by how we view our own abilities and talents. In short, the book explains the major differences between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset—a topic that I’ve talked about many times before. Get this audiobook!

22. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

While it is a little unusual this book made it to the list, I swear it’s for a very good reason. While we think of organizing and cleaning to be a chore, there is a certain way to go about it to make your life easier. In this book, you’ll learn how the Japanese declutter and clean up their surroundings and establish a system that saves you time and energy for years to come. Get this audiobook!

23. Blink

Another great book written by Malcolm Gladwell, Blink is a book that gets you to be thinking about all kinds of things. From our rapid-fire choices to even something as meta as thinking itself, this book brings people from all manners of life and how they can use unique abilities in an instant. From a psychologist who can predict if a couple is doomed or not to a tennis coach who can tell whether a player will double-fault before the racket hits the ball, this book will challenge a lot of aspects of people and our thought process. Get this audiobook!

24. Thinking Fast and Slow

Written by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, this book is based on his seminars revolving around behavioral psychology, behavioral economics, and happiness studies. This book provides a convenient summary of all of these aspects in his first-ever public book. This is a big deal as the discoveries that Kahneman uncovered revolutionized the cognitive psychology world and sprung several industries from these concepts. Get this audiobook!

25. Switch

The last of our long list of audiobooks is Switch. This book talks about the struggles to make long-lasting changes in various environments. From companies and communities to our very own lives, 'Switch’ provides some insight into what are the leading causes and help us to “make the switch”. The solutions presented are based on something that psychologists have uncovered. It presents two types of mindsets: the rational mind and the emotional mind. The premise of the book establishes these things and how we can use them to our advantage. Get this audiobook!

Final Thoughts

With new authors emerging every single day and multiple books coming out and shaping industries, it’s easy to find many influential books that challenge the way many of us see the world. Authors provide a glimpse into their own thought process and through that, we all grow together. This is the beauty of books and audiobooks alike. It’s a chance for us to grow and develop ourselves. So don’t dismiss books so readily as they are the treasure trove to your own growth.

More Audiobooks You Should Check Out

• 20 Best Audible Books for Instant Motivation Boost
• 100 Best Free Audio Books and 10 Sites for More
• Save Time and Add Value with Audio Books – Part 1

How to Be Organized: The Ultimate Guide to Get (and Stay) Clutter Free

With all the inputs, information, and clutter that come into our lives today, just staying on top of it all creates so much stress and frustration, and it can often lead to feelings of helplessness and anxiety. Most of the time, you simply don't know where to start when you want to learn how to be organized. However, it is, in fact, something that can be learned. By developing a few strategies and methods, and having a system in place that quickly deals with all these inputs, you can finally get control of your clutter and, more importantly, stay clutter-free. Here are a few rules that can help you on your path to a clutter-free life.

1. Don't Use Your Computer's Desktop for Storage

Your computer’s desktop was not designed to store your files. Your desktop should be clean and file free. Not only does a cluttered desktop slow down your computer, but it also makes finding things painfully slow. Instead, as you're learning how to be organized, create a basic folder structure inside your documents folder. Now, this needs to work for you, but try not to make things too complicated. What you can do is think about the kind of files you will need to keep, and categorize them between your personal and professional ones. For me, I have two basics folders inside my documents folder, one called "work" and one called "personal." Inside of these, I have subfolders organized according to my different roles or categories. It’s simple, and it allows me to quickly find what I need when I need it. Now, I do understand that during the day, when you are doing your work, you may need quick access to certain images and files, and it’s okay to hold them on your desktop temporarily. However, make it a habit to clear your desktop at the end of each day as part of your closing down routine (more on that later).

2. Learn to Use Your Computer’s Search Features

It surprises me how few people know how to find documents on their computer with a simple keyboard shortcut, but it's one of the easiest things to do as you're learning how to be organized. On a Mac, for instance, CMD + Space bar brings up the spotlight search, and you can type in a date, a file type, a keyword, or a file name. On a Windows computer((GCF Global: Finding files on your computer)), open the start button, and begin typing the file you are looking for. In both cases, you do not need the exact name of the file. Just type a few letters, and within seconds you have the file you need. When you learn how useful your computer’s search features are, you will be much more comfortable removing all those files scattered around on your desktop and putting them in an appropriate folder on your computer.

3. Keep Your Desk Clear of Clutter

Just as with your computer’s desktop, your desk’s desktop should also be file and clutter-free. Use your drawers for those paper documents that habitually hang around on your desk—a cluttered desk does not encourage inspired work((Quality Logo Products Blog: The Psychological Benefits of Having an Organized Desk)). Also, take a look at your workspace, and ask if what is on your desk is necessary. Often, we have stuff on our desks that serve no meaning and has no sentimental value to us. It’s just something we have always had on our desk. If you don’t need it or it does not inspire you, remove it. And while we are talking about your desk, make a decision this week that you will go through your desk drawers and clear out all the old pens, cups, and other debris that has accumulated over the years. Trust me on this one, the act of cleaning out your drawers and removing all the clutter on your desk will give you renewed energy and ignite a lot of creativity that has been pushed into the background. You will love working at your desk again. Pictures of your loved ones and a few inspiring mementos are fine. Just don’t go crazy with them. Keep them to a minimum.

4. Create a Closing Down Routine

This is such a great way to make sure you keep your files and other stuff organized, so make it an essential skill to adopt when learning how to be organized. Give yourself ten to twenty minutes before you finish your work for the day to clean up your desktops. Move your files to their rightful place, and delete anything you no longer need. I often accumulate a lot of screenshots throughout the day, and if I am not removing them, at the end of the day, they soon start building up. Before I shut my computer down for the day, I clean these up, delete the screenshots if I no longer need them, and leave my desktop file free. It’s a beautiful way to start the next day with a clean desk and a clean computer desktop.

5. Incorporate a To-Do List Manager Into Your Life

Writing your to-dos and commitments down on post-it notes just encourages clutter. Sure, it might seem like a great idea to stick these to your computer so you don't forget things, but over time you become numb to them. They just become a part of your desk, and you ignore them. Remove them. Take your tasks and commitments, and put them into a to-do list manager. Whether you use Windows or Mac, they both come with to-do list managers. Make good use of them. You do not need to create an elaborate to-do list structure. All you need is an inbox for quick entry and the ability to date tasks for when they need doing. I use a simple structure in my to-do list manager. I use a system I call the Time Sector System((Carl Pullein: A Revolutionary New Time Management System Designed For The 21st Century)) where I create six folders:

• Inbox
• This week
• Next week
• This month
• Next month
• Long-term / On-hold

Then, whatever I collect, the only decision I need to make is: when am I going to do the task? I can then drop the task into its relevant folder. One of the biggest causes of clutter on desks (and in bags) are all those little bits of paper you use to write down critical information and telephone numbers or email addresses. When these accumulate, they are easy to lose, and you waste a lot of time searching for them. Use your digital devices for these. You can take a photo of a written note. You can quickly add a telephone number or an email address into your to-do list manager (or notes app), and if you have syncing set up between your devices, you will have access to the information on all your devices. And what’s more, it will be searchable.

6. Set a Weekly Time to Declutter Your Devices

This is an area that can quickly creep up on you, so take time to develop this habit as you're learning how to be organized. Taking photos and videos on our phones is too easy these days. We take a picture, and we just leave it in our photo album. Over time we end up with thousands of photos in our electronic photo albums that are not worth keeping. I spend around ten minutes on the weekend (usually Sunday evening) deleting all the images I no longer want to keep. It keeps my digital storage needs down—which saves money—and it means all the photos in my photo album are photos I want to keep. I do the same with my downloads folder. We often download a PDF intending to read it later, and then we completely forget about it. As time passes, we end up with hundreds of PDFs and other documents we are no longer interested in or no longer need. Delete them or file them. Just don’t leave them in your downloads folder. If you want to stay clutter-free, this habit will reward you. Doing this weekly means you will spend around thirty minutes each week cleaning up and filing. Not doing so means you will end up having to spend a day or two just dealing everything, which will leave you feeling like you've wasted those days.

7. Do an Annual Clean-up

One of my annual rituals is to clean out all my folders and notes. I take a day off from work and spend the day going through everything on my computer and delete anything that no longer has any value. I choose the winter holidays for this. Not only is it the end of the year, but many companies are on holiday, and things are generally quieter. I go through all my work and personal folders and clean out anything I no longer need. I also archive a lot of files onto an external hard drive—just in case they are needed later. It’s also a good time to clear out your email folders, too. Email can become a bottomless pit of emails you no longer need. Go through and purge those. You will feel so much better when you do this. With email, you can also declare yourself email bankrupt and just delete everything in your inbox (or if you are not comfortable doing that, declare a ‘soft’ email bankruptcy and you move all your emails into a folder called “Old Inbox”). Doing this might seem like a radical step, but it is incredible how much clearer you become. You get to see what you have been holding on to, what you may have missed, and you find yourself with a lot more space ready for the year to come.

8. Do a Little, Often

I learned this a long time ago. Many years ago, I tried becoming a salesperson. I failed miserably at it, but during my training, I shadowed an experienced colleague. On one of the days I was shadowing her, she had to complete and file her expense report for the month. I vividly remember her opening the glovebox of her car and pulling out handfuls of receipts and then painstakingly adding them to an expense report—we did things on paper in those days. Four hours later, she finally finished the report. I remember at the time thinking this was not a great way to do this. When I got my chance to go solo, I began stopping my car in a car-park on the way home and added that day’s expenses to my expenses sheet. It took me a few minutes, and as I was doing it on the same day, I remembered exactly what each receipt was for. When you're learning how to be organized, you can use this principle for almost everything. Clear out your email inbox every day, delete screenshots from your desktop and empty your bag at the end of the week, and throw away anything you no longer need. Doing a little often makes things so much easier, and you do not have that mental backlog creeping up on you where you have that nagging feeling in the back of your mind telling you you have to do something—only you can't remember what that something is.

Final Thoughts

If it doesn't come naturally to you, learning how to be organized can take time and effort, but it's ultimately worth it. Becoming clutter-free helps you in so many ways. You have a more pleasant work environment, and de-cluttering your environment also helps to declutter your mind. On top of that, finding stuff is easier, and that means your overall productivity goes through the roof. Choose the strategies above that will help you in your daily life and start getting your life organized today.

More Tips on How to Be Organized

• How to Organize Your Life: 10 Habits of Really Organized People
• Getting Organized Effectively in 9 Easy Steps
• 50 Ways to Make Your Home More Organized, More Attractive, and More Efficient

25 Important Investment Books Every Entrepreneur Needs to Read

Entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart and brings its own unique set of challenges and obstacles. Thankfully, there’s a wealth of information out there from entrepreneurs of all different backgrounds that can be applied to make solid and fruitful investments. Investment books can help you get started. Whether it’s been a while since you picked up an investment book, or you’re a ravenous reader, here are the investment books that should be on your must-read list.

For When You're Just Getting Started

If you're getting started as an entrepreneur, or even just thinking about it, these books will help you get your foot in the door.

1. A Random Walk Down Wall Street

Burton G. Malkiel’s book truly is a must-read for aspiring entrepreneurs who are new to investing and want to learn the ropes. The book has sold over 1.5 million copies and covers everything from investment lingo to common pitfalls and proven strategies for maximizing one’s investments. Get this book!

2. Beating the Street

Learning from somebody who’s climbed their way to the top of the success ladder is one of the best ways to gain knowledge, and Peter Lynch is a shining example of that. Lynch lays out how he started as an intern at an investment firm and went on to manage $14 billion in assets at a hedge fund. Needless to say, he’s full of investment advice. Get this book! 

3. The Millionaire Fastlane

Author MJ DeMarco wants his readers to start thinking like a producer rather than a consumer, and that means building wealth. DeMarco draws upon his own life and guides readers on how they can leave behind the old model of “get a degree, get a job” and carve out their own financial destiny. Get this book! 

4. The Richest Man in Babylon

Before you write off a book from 1926 as “irrelevant,” hold-up a second. While this book by George S. Clason may not have any insider trading secrets, it’s full of practical parables, such as “pay yourself first,” that any investor would be wise to follow. Get this book!

5. Economics in One Lesson

Having a good business sense is one thing, but knowing economics is a completely different wheelhouse. Henry Hazlitt gives investors a crash course in economics so that they have a better understanding of how such things as tariffs and minimum wage increases impact the business world and potential investments. Get this book! 

6. The Power of Broke

While other books might lay out advice for navigating the complex world of Wall Street, Daymond John takes a different approach. John’s part biography, part how-to book details why being broke can be one’s greatest asset when it comes to embarking on entrepreneurial success and how to go about harnessing its power. Get this book! 

7. Million Dollar Women

Julia Pimsleur has built a business out of helping women achieve million-dollar revenues through her podcasts, speaking engagements, and best-selling book. She packs the book with case studies and real-world examples that provide tips and guidance for how female entrepreneurs can maximize their careers and investments. Get this book! 

For When You Need Inspiration

Maybe you've started your entrepreneurial journey and are just feeling a little lost or unsure. These books can help!

8. The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America

Warren Buffet is the Michael Jordan of investing, and his collection of essays, co-written by Lawrence A. Cunningham, is full of insight and wisdom that investors of all levels can learn from. The collection spans 50 years of Buffet’s wins and losses in investments and what he’s learned along the way. Get this book! 

9. Thrive

Thrive may not detail every single step Arianna Huffington has taken along the way with her business investments, but it does make our list for a very good reason. Huffington offers plenty of knowledge she’s gained over the years for keeping one’s self mentally happy, so that you can make those smart investment decisions. Get this book! 

10. Beating the Odds: Eddie Brown’s Investing and Life Strategies

Eddie Brown, founder of Brown Capital Management, details how he got started in the industry and weathered the recession of 2008 to grow one of Maryland’s premier investment firms. If you’re an entrepreneur looking for inspiration on how to build success from the ground up, Brown offers a wealth of knowledge. Get this book!

11. Principles: Life and Work

Principles isn’t the typical investment book, but it details Ray Dalio’s creation of the investment firm Bridgewater Associates and offers a great amount of knowledge. Dalio shares his wisdom on not just cultivating business relationships and investment strategy, but the set of rules he applies to all areas of his life. Get this book!

12. Shark Tales

Barbara Corcoran is a familiar face to fans of the TV show Shark Tank, and her book is a fantastic read when it comes to a real-world, rags-to-riches story. Shark Tales dives into how Corcoran went from being a broke waitress to making the right investments and business moves to become the millionaire investor that she is today. Get this book! 

13. Prince of Darkness: The Untold Story of Wall Street's First Black Millionaire

Shane White has done a fantastic job of unearthing and telling the story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton. Born in the early 19th century, Hamilton went on to become a successful investor and the richest Black man in the United States. Prince of Darkness is a truly fascinating story of a man finding success against the odds. Get this book! 

For Aspiring Real Estate Investors

If you're looking to get into real estate investments, take a look at these books before embarking on that adventure.

14. The Book on Rental Property Investing

Looking to create some sweet passive income with real estate? The rental market is the way to go. Brandon Turner breaks down everything, from which investments make the most financial sense to how to land your first rental property, and how to avoid the pitfalls of real estate as you grow your rental portfolio. Get this book! 

15. How to Flip Houses With Little or No Money

The sheer number of TV shows on the subject is proof of just how popular house flipping has become. Author Cody Sperber has flipped over 1,000 properties and offers tips and how-to advice to entrepreneurs on how to begin investing and flipping real estate on the cheap. Get this book! 

16. The Book on Tax Strategies for the Savvy Real Estate Investor

Getting a piece of real estate property at a good price is only part of the strategy involved in successful real estate investing. Written by two CPAs, Amanda Han and Matthew McFarland, the book details everything entrepreneurs need to know when it comes to tax strategy and how it plays into real estate investing. While this may not be the most exciting topic, it is quite essential. Get this book! 

17. Investing in Rental Properties ror Beginners: Buy Low, Rent High

Lisa Phillips’ approach to investing in real estate might not break the mold, but what she does do is show readers a solid foundation of how they can apply proven real estate investing principles to their own financial situation. That alone makes this book worth its weight in gold for novice investors. Get this book! 

Books That Should Be on Every Entrepreneur's Shelf

Entrepreneurs at any stage of creating their business will find these books full of useful information and practical advice.

18. The Little Book of Common Sense Investing

John C. Bogle knows his stuff when it comes to investing as he’s credited with creating the first index fund and founded the Vanguard Group. Bogle doesn’t offer a get-rich-quick approach to investing, but he does guide readers on how to approach the stock market and other investments with strategy. Get this book! 

19. Thinking, Fast and Slow

Written by the 2002 Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences, Daniel Kahneman, this book looks at the psychological process of investing. Kahneman examines how the thinking patterns of investors can truly make or break them when it comes to success and how to recognize your own critical thinking investment decisions. Get this book! 

20. Become an Idea Machine: Because Ideas Are the Currency of the 21st Century

Got a start-up in mind or want to have one? Author Claudia Azula Altucher’s book functions as a workbook of sorts to help entrepreneurs learn to cultivate, recognize, and capitalize on the right investment ideas. The book is full of exercises and tips on tapping into one’s creative and entrepreneurial spirit. Get this book! 

21. The Intelligent Investor

If you’re looking for how to spot and capitalize on the next big trend before it breaks, look elsewhere. Benjamin Graham is in it for the long game and places his focus on value investing((Invezz: Value Investing Strategy)), which ignores the market trends of the moment and instead shows readers how to pick investments with a proven track record. Get this book! 

22. I Will Teach You to Be Rich

Author Ramit Sethi lives the title of his book in his professional life as the founder of GrowthLab, a site dedicated to showing people how to build a successful automated business. Sethi tackles the challenges of lining up one’s own financial ducks and then growing their money with both wit and practical advice. Get this book! 

23. The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need

So many investment books offer advice with a “wealthy investors only” approach. Andrew Tobias offers insights, tips, strategy, and guidance for those who don’t have mountains of capital to burn. While the book came out in the 1970s, it’s far from outdated and has been revised over the years to keep up with the times. Get this book!

24. Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Robert T. Kiyosaki is one of the most well-known financial gurus out there, and for good reason—he offers consistently good, proven advice. Kiyosaki’s views on approaching wealth-building aren’t without criticism, but Rich Dad, Poor Dad is worth a read to get some real insight into how Kiyosaki’s investing principles helped him build a net worth of $80 million. Get this book! 

25. Think and Grow Rich

Napoleon Hill’s book could double as a case study as it highlights 500 individuals over the course of 20 years and the 13 traits that led to their wealth-building and success. First published in 1927, the book has sold over 70 million copies. Those numbers alone should be a testament to its value. Get this book! 

More Books on Investing Wisely

• 5 Finance Books From Warren Buffett’s Bookshelf
• 19 Best Finance Books That The Richest People Read
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7 Reasons Why a Life Without Purpose is Unfulfilling

Every motivational speaker preaches the importance of having a purpose in life. They all tell you that a life without purpose is not the right way to go. None of them are wrong. In fact, what they say is 100% true. But it’s not the easiest when you're struggling to find the motivation that you need to find a purpose. It takes a lot to take a step out of your life without purpose to change the way you live and think. What bigger motivation can there be than to tell you all the reasons why a life without purpose is hurting you? Here are 7 fundamental reasons that will give you just enough motivation to get on with the search of your life’s purpose because living without one is affecting you beyond your imagination!

1. A Life Without Purpose Has No Meaning

Have you ever dreaded living a lifeless life? If not, you probably don’t know how excruciating such an existence is. Imagine not wanting to wake up every morning but also not wanting to go to sleep at night. No will to work, no excitement to spend, no friends’ company to enjoy, and no reason to continue living. A blank mind with nothing to think about. The lack of emotions—negative and positive. Nothing to look forward to. Yes, it’s clearly a depressing life. That’s exactly what you end up feeling without a purpose in life. A lack of purpose means a lack of goals. This means nothing is leading you to an imaginary final destination. You literally have nowhere to go, you find it absolutely torturous to be on the way, and you don’t even like the route. Why even would you want to go on such a journey? Even if you have goals, they are very haphazard. One goal contradicts the other. You’re all over the place with no sense of direction at all. A life without purpose is as meaningless as this. However, once you have a clear idea of why you’re living, you get an idea of the bigger outcome that you can look forward to. Every step of the way is meaningful. Your journey is not just a wander around without an aim. Instead, even the strolls become enjoyable because you know they’re leading you to where you’re supposed to be.

2. You’re Full of Anxiety

Do you find yourself stuck in a cycle of an anxious life? Well, there’s a high chance it’s because of your lack of purpose. A life without purpose is senseless. Nothing you do in life is connected. Since nothing seems to be coherent, your mind is unable to comprehend why everything is happening. Anxiety is triggered when a person’s mind thinks their life is in danger. So, in the case of a purposeless life, your brain translates the lack of connection to be a threat to your life. Anything that doesn’t seem to be a fit is automatically a danger as per your brain. On the contrary, if your mind can link your doings with a coherent purpose, everything tends to make more sense. Hence, you feel more at peace and less anxious. Your mind is at ease because the path to the final purpose isn’t pointless anymore.

3. Motivation Is a Long-Lost Dream

One thing that pretty much every human who wants to be successful needs is a lot of motivation. For a clearer picture, look at it from the perspective that you do have a defined purpose in life. You trust in every way that life leads you to. What does that do? It boosts your brain to work harder. Every step of the way makes you feel closer to your final destination. This automatically encourages you to perform better. Without a purpose, you can never scale your achievements. Since you don’t know what it’s leading you to, you consider it to be meaningless. But when you’re well-aware of the expected results, the smallest progress is a motivation booster too. You can try out all the motivation boosting tips but the one that will work the best is to find your life’s purpose and live by it.

4. Lack of Focus Keeps You From Growing

Every field, career, part of life, and relationship requires growth. Human life is ultimately the name of progress—if nothing else, at least your mental capacity and knowledge grow. Where does this growth come from? You could have access to the best knowledge sources. Yet, you won’t learn a word unless your mind is in a state to absorb that information. Similarly, if you’re focused, you can learn something valuable even from the most non-happening events. Basically, the way this works is that a life purpose keeps you working in one direction. You may take a few turns here and there, but the ultimate output is known. So, all the hard work you’re putting in is intended for your life’s purpose in the bigger picture. This focus is unachievable any other way. With a purpose, you’ll choose a career path, people around you, relationships, friends, living space, and even your daily commute accordingly. So everywhere you go, your focus remains undisturbed. The end goal in mind is consistent. With a clear focus on the right things, you can easily get past the minor inconveniences. The important things are always in your focus no matter how small they are. So, overall, it gets way easier for a person with a defined life purpose to work well, harder, and more effectively.

5. Success Seems Unachievable in a Life Without Purpose

Everything that you’ve read so far directly contributes to your success or failure. So, mental peace, motivation, and focus are all important to be successful in any part of your life. But there’s more to the picture. You may have a vision in mind even if you don’t have a life purpose. You might even push yourself to the maximum to stay focused in the direction that you think is right for you. Look at it this way: You head out for New York but you got on the wrong road. You’re welcomed with a narrow road that is too dark to even see around—but you keep going. Your car breaks down and there’s no workshop nearby. Yet, you push the car as far as possible. You can go for as long you want but you’ll never reach New York. So, without even knowing what your life’s purpose is—no matter how hard you work—it will be useless. If you know the right path for you, you might not even have to work half as hard to get to your desired results.

6. Affects Physical Health

A life without purpose affects more than just your mental health. It can impact your physical wellbeing too.((University of Minnesota: Why is Life Purpose Important?)) First of all, the strain on your mind automatically translates to your physical body. Continuous stress is likely to cause hair loss, acne, weight loss, weight gain, etc. But there can be more serious consequences as well. Studies have proven that people with a clear sense of purpose in life live longer than those who continue with a life without purpose. People with their life purpose well-defined were able to tolerate more pain and also had a lesser risk of heart diseases. What’s more astonishing is that people without a purpose in life are 2.4 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, too. The reason may possibly be that people who don’t have a life purpose lose hope and don’t have anything to look forward to. So, the psychological effect gets to their physical wellbeing. Whatever the case, if a defined life purpose can save you from all this hassle, why wouldn’t want to have one?

7. Nothing in Life Is Enjoyable

Social inclusion is a huge part of one’s purpose in life.((NCBI: Alone and Without Purpose)) People who are living a purposeless life tend to be more lonely. Even if they join social gatherings, they are lesser likely to enjoy it. Since such people do not have mental clarity, they just cannot enjoy the fun things around them. Their brain is unable to comprehend emotions. This doesn’t necessarily mean that their circumstances aren’t good enough. The same environment and people can be enjoyable for a person who feels content mentally.

Conclusion

Every single one of these reasons is proven to be a result of a purposeless life. Every single reason leads to a chaotic lifestyle. Nobody would purposely want to live a life like that. We’ve been given a very short time to live in this world. So instead of wasting it living a life without purpose, it’s time you start making an effort to improve it. Getting out of this hurtful life is right within your hands. Go through the hassle and short-term struggle to live a worthy life till eternity!

More Tips on Living a Life With Purpose

• How to Live a Meaningful Life: 10 Inspiring Ideas to Find Meaning
• 13 Ways Living with Purpose Makes You Happier and More Fulfilled
• 10 Reasons Why You’re Demotivated and How to Overcome It