Successful people see books as a gateway to knowledge. As a result, they tend to read books that are going to help them grow their minds and improve their lives. This is important because, the truth is, if you’re not learning anything of value, it is impossible to change your life.
Reading changes the brain, as well. The advantage of literate people over those who cannot read is profound, including higher intelligence, increased longevity, and better memory. The practice also thickens the corpus callosum and reduces the chances of dementia.
According to one study, mental stimulation like reading can help protect memory and thinking skills, especially as you age. The authors even suggest that reading every day can slow down the late-life cognitive decline.
Elon Musk, in an interview, said that he learned how to build rockets by reading books. While talking with The New York Times, Bill Gates said that he read around 50 books a year. Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, started his book club in 2015 to motivate himself and others to read a book every two weeks. Warren Buffett, with his voracious reading habit to learn every minuscule detail about the industry, became America’s most successful investor. Famous people like Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, and Emma Watson find solace in books.
Below are some important life lessons from some very wealthy business leaders:
The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow
“Do not many of us fail to achieve big things because we lack concentration? The art of concentrating the mind on the thing to be done at the right time to the exclusion of everything else.” I
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
“…I really believe that if something is really important to you, you must go after it even if the likelihood of success is really low.”
Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone
When Jeff Bezos was starting Amazon, he said. “We’re doing this for decades. We’re not building this company to make a quick buck…” And he has always maintained that. “Start small, take action.”
Based on Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz
Throughout building Starbucks, CEO Howard Schultz has stayed true to the company mission: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit.”
Based on Billionaire Secrets to Success by Bill Bartmann
Our self-belief is a determinant of whether we would take action or not in face of fear or challenge. It’s all a function of how much belief you have that you will succeed in your endeavor. If your brain says you will not succeed, then you will not take action. But if you constantly tell yourself “I am big enough, I am able enough,” and you believe it, then you will keep taking action.
Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein
When asked what the secret was to his success, Warren Buffett said: you need to identify your area of competence, the thing in which you’re absolutely the best. And that’s where you grow.
Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton and John Huey
Sam Walton worked really hard. He spent 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, working. From the first time he started the Ben Franklin store at the age of 27, he had been working very hard. He had very few vacations. On Saturdays, he would go to the store at 2 or 3 in the morning just so
he could go over the numbers before meeting with his executive team. On most days he would go to his office at 4:30 am. Such an extreme hard work exhibited by a highly successful man.
Based on How to Win at the Sport of Business by Mark Cuban
In his mid-20s when he was starting MicroSolutions, he did not really have much of a technology background. However, he knew one thing: he could “RTFM” (Read the Freaking Manual) and figure it out. And that’s what he did every single time. He told himself that he was willing to put in the hard work, and that became his advantage.
Based on Commodore: The Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by Edward J. Renehan Jr.
When he was in the shipping business, Cornelius exhibited insistence that every amount be invested in sailing vessels at the higher quantity and better quality. He studied steam technologies and designed improvements for his own ships (which were later applied to railroads). In times of scarcity, he always saw opportunity and improvised.
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Many people do not know that Steve Jobs was fired as the CEO of the company he founded and created. In his absence, Apple began to struggle, and then it got very close to bankruptcy in the mid-’90s. In the final quarter of 1996, Apple’s sales plummeted by 30% and it was
struggling mightily. Steve Jobs was brought back as the CEO of Apple in 1997 and that was when he started the historic turnaround of the company.
How to be Rich by J. Paul Getty
The challenge we face on a regular basis is that we are being forced by society to become homogenized, that is — it wants us to become the same and to follow the same “safe” path: get a job, buy a car, buy a house, start a family, wait for retirement, etc. Society tells us to not try to ruffle the feathers, to not do something crazy at our chosen field.
My Life and Work by Henry Ford
He said: “Nothing is more abhorrent than a life of ease. None of us has any right to ease. There is no place in civilizations for the idler.” He strongly believed that if you focus on doing great work and providing great service, you will have more money than you can ever spend.
Damn Right! Behind the Scenes with Berkshire Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger” by Janet Lowe
Like fellow investor Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway’s vice chairman Charlie Munger only invested in companies that were within his “circle of competence.” He focused on what he knew, which means he steered clear of companies beyond his understanding. But first, he had to know those things beyond the circle, those things he did not know. “Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.”
Finding My Virginity by Richard Branson
Despite his massive success over the years, English business magnate and philanthropist Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin Group continued to find ways of providing exceptional customer. Wherever there’s room for improvement, he is eager to enter the market and get stuck in and comes up with a better service.
Think Like Zuck by Ekaterina Walter
A Facebook slogan says, “The journey is only one percent finished.”
His passion combined with an ability to act continues to play a huge growth in the company’s success, no matter what it goes through. Besides, no matter how much you love something, if you don’t act on it, it would be a waste.
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