One day when I woke up, I had a thought like this: If I die tomorrow, what books do I want my children to read?
And these books will teach them everything they need to know about life when I am away.
I know it sounded funny but I bet you agree with me that this list is useful and important, especially when we are not around to show them the way.
I don’t have a huge library at home but I have read some of the best books in the world, if not all.
What kind of books? In this article, I only focus on personal empowerment books. I want my children to read books that help them to live life to the fullest. To put it more accurately, as Roger Dawson has to say about the meaning of success:
The amount of personal satisfaction you get from accomplishing what’s important to you in your own way that makes you a success.
In the beginning, I wanted to list down ten best books but I couldn’t and stopped at seven.
After thinking through, I eliminated the non-essential books and eventually only left 5. Not to say other books are no good but I just want to keep the list short. Good news for my kids as they don’t need to read that many books!
Here is the list (some links contain affiliate links):
1. How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne. One of the best books I have ever read about personal freedom. This book shows you how to live your life based on your own terms – and not governed by how others expect of you. Harry Browne has become one of my favorite authors and his writing is simple and straight to the point. Harry was the Libertarian Party’s 1996 & 2000 candidate for President of the United States. He passed away in March 1, 2006. Formats available: PDF, hardcover, or paperback.
2. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. A very popular classic by Dale. In short, it is an amazing book on how to communicate and socialize with people. Many gurus take advice from this book and it contains timeless principles of human communication.
3. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie. Another great book by Dale. In today’s world, we can’t escape from stress. And stress has caused us tremendous health problems and robbed us the opportunity to enjoy life. The book outlines many effective ways to alleviate worries – both personal and business – so that we can enjoy a full and happy life.
4. Ask and It is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks. Not everyone will like this book as it is not a run-of-the-mill book you can read anywhere. It is a book about using nonphysical ways of getting what you want. The book is divided into two sections. First part is about the concept and the second is a list of 22 practical steps on how to achieve what you want in life. New York Times best-selling authors Jerry and Esther are a famous husband and wife team and they go around giving live seminars based on laws of the universe through channeling.
5. The Power of Less by Leo Babauta. A great book on less is more and more is less. Leo teaches you how to eliminate the non-essential in life and only focus on what matters most. In other words, he shows you how to simplify your life in a cluttered world. Leo is one of the world’s Top 100 bloggers. A useful complementary book that I recommend, also by Leo, is called The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life.
