CONTROLLED GREED.com: Book Values: Self-Help

The four books I've enjoyed are:

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, by Benjamin Franklin. Some dispute this even being considered a "Self-Help" book. I include it because Old Ben offers more wisdom for living life and dealing with people in a few pages than most could offer up in volumes.

How to Win Friends & Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. I read this book in 1996 when I took The Dale Carnegie Course: Effective Communications & Human Relations. One of the best things I ever did. If I owned a company, it would be mandatory that every employee took this course. If you don't care to take it, reading this book is the next best thing.

Succeeding, by John T. Reed. This gem isn't available in book stores or on Amazon. You have to buy it from Reed's website. Reed is a West Point grad, former Army Ranger, Harvard Business School grad, football coach, former real estate investor and author of numerous books, mostly on real estate investing. His style might not appeal to some, and you or I might not agree with all his views, but we can all find this work worthwhile.

The Templeton Plan, by John Marks Templeton and James Ellison. Yes, this is the same John Templeton who made global investing a household term. No stock tips. Just 21 steps to personal success and real happiness.

Of course, you may have benefited from works by folks like Norman Vincent Peale, Stephen Covey, Les Brown and many more. Like I said, the bookstores are packed this time of year with people looking at bookshelf after bookshelf of these books. I could never begin to read them all -- I'd never have to time to read anything else. Or do anything, either.

But getting a bit of inspiration here or there, and gaining a few nuggets of wisdom, can only impact our lives for the better. And wouldn't that have left Samuel Smiles with a grin on his face? ;-)

CONTROLLED GREED.com: Book Values: Self-Help