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In the previous PYW Asks, I asked you readers to name the books that transformed your careers. Here’s what you answered:
MarkMcDaniel picked The Bible especially for “ethics and the application of my labors”. He also chose “A Passion for Excellence” by Tom Peters because it was “revolutionary”.
I’ve never heard of “A Passion for Excellence”, so I decided to look up its Amazon.com page. It sounds interesting, especially from the reader reviews.
Pimp Your Work reader BadAssBilly selected “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. Here’s his take on the book:
Kiyosaki has since been revealed to be somewhat of a sanke oil merchant, but that book woke me up. It made me realize the 50+ hrs on the treadmill working for ‘the man’ was ultimately only going to enrich ‘the man’.
Source: Pimp Your Work Comments Section
As for me, my career-changing book list starts with “The 4-hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss (I reviewed it here). Although the title and in some parts the writer’s voice seems a bit sensationalist, it does offer a great wealth of practical advice which I’ve applied to my life. I can say that the 4HWW system, with some personal alterations I made, really worked for me. I’ve reduced my work time to 9 -12 hours per week because of it.
“The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand is also a book that I have strong feelings about - both positive and negative. It contains the following things that I love: personal integrity, questioning authority, and many of my sentiments about the process of making art. I identify with many passages in the book and often thing about them when I think about my own work.
However, “The Fountainhead” also contains many things I loathe, such as rape, weak women characters, and ideas that go against my own beliefs when it comes to capitalism and socialism. I think it’s safe to say that this is the only book that I both love and hate at the same time.
If you weren’t able to contribute your career-changing books last time, feel free to tell us about them now. Which books transformed your career?
Photo Credit: Image by Ove Tøpfer from sxc.hu
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