25 Books for Success

Excerpt from Success.com (Success Magazine) Article by Erin Casey

Editors of SUCCESS have narrowed a list of 25 must-read books for achievers.

These are books they've read, liked and that made a difference in their lives. Books that take a comprehensive approach to money, life and personal development because one-dimensional success really isn't success at all.

We're encouraged to find a book that's of interest, and set aside a few minutes every day to read at least a few pages.

You will be amazed at the difference it will make in your journey toward success!

1. How To Win Friends and Influence People

First published in 1937, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie was an overnight success with staying power. Today, this book is regarded as one of the all-time best for its lessons on dealing with people.

2. The Richest Man in Babylon

Too often, life doesn't turn out as expected. And money, or the lack of money, plays a large role in people's ability to handle life's ups and downs. Perhaps that's why, in the 1920s, banks and insurance companies decided to distribute short parables written to educate people on important financial principles. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason began in 1926 as a series of pamphlets, the most famous ones later compiled into one of the best-loved money guides of all time.

3. Think and Grow Rich

Napoleon Hill, inspired by business legend Andrew Carnegie, spent 20 years of his life studying the lives of some of history's most successful people. The culmination of his research was the in-depth series, The Laws of Success. In 1937, Hill published another book, Think and Grow Rich, founded on the same philosophies of success. This book condensed the wealth of knowledge he's accumulated into 13 principles for successful living.

4. The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom: Practical and Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying

As a financial expert, Suze Orman offers advice on the nuts and bolts of managing money. But whether you're watching her on television or reading her advice in O, The Oprah Magazine, or in one of her best-selling books, such as 9 Steps to Financial Freedom, her message is clear: Wealth is an attitude and money isn't the key to acquiring true financial freedom.

5. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

While Stephen Covey wasn't the first to write a book on becoming a better, more effective person, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People marked the beginning of a revitalized interest in personal development. With a 15th anniversary edition released in 2004 and more than 15 million copies sold, this book has helped millions change their perspective and their lives.

6. Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives

Dan Millman (HJ Kramer, 2006) The first of Dan Millman's writings, this book is an inspirational story based largely on his college years. The book delves into the notion that a person can be accomplished and successful without feeling alive or genuinely happy.

7. The Law of Success In Sixteen Lessons by Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill (Combined Registry Co., 1966) Twenty-six years of research, including interviews with more than 500 self-made millionaires, laid the foundation for this massive collection. After studying the methods and accomplishments of masterminds such as Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Theodore Roosevelt and Alexander Graham Bell, Napoleon Hill compiled what he learned, offering it to the world as the Laws of Success.

8. Acres of Diamonds: All Good Things Are Possible, Right Where You Are, and Now!  by Russell H. Conwell

9. As a Man Thinketh  by James Allen

10. Maximum Achievement: Strategies and Skills That Will Unlock Your Hidden Powers to Succeed by Brian Tracy

11. The Seasons of Life by Jim Rohn & Ronald Reynolds

12. See You at the Top by Zig Ziglar

13. The Magic of Thinking Big David J. Schwartz

14. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

15. Awaken the Giant Within : How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! by Anthony Robbins

16. Developing the Leader Within You by John C. Maxwell

17. The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard

18. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap And Others Don't by  Jim Collins

19. The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich by David Bach

20. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

21. The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

22. The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource: Including The 10.5 Commandments of Sales Success by Jeffrey Gitomer

23. Who Moved My Cheese?: An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Dr. Spencer Johnson

24. Chicken Soup for the Soul Series byJack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

25. Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone

Why a must-read? When you're looking for advice on how to create a successful and rewarding life, why not get the answers from those who have “been there, done that?”

These thought leaders and business experts used the principles of a positive mental attitude and experienced a lifetime of rewards.