One book that changed you forever

[starlet]

Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting by Lynn Grabhorn.

After living my entire life in depression (including a mental breakdown and suicide attempts), one of my few freidns drug me to her psychic, who recommended her book. After reading it I cried and cried, finally seeing that I was not put on this earth to be a scapegoat, that I had allowed myself to become one. No more!

Eight months later I am not even remotely the same sad person I was. My life is absolutely perfectly wonderful.

Although, last week I reread my favorite book as a child, The Phantom Tollbooth and realized it has a lot of the same messages as Ecuse Me, that I apparently missed as a child.

[Quakin]

Jim Rohn "7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness".

This great book shifted me from long-lasting Neutrality to Willingness level of consciousness 2 years ago and it was a reason of my conscious personal development process.

[placebo]

Imortality by Milan Kundera.

It descirebes destiny, life, part of us that we carry since being kids to old age. As the author says in the book, his books are hard to tell. But reading it was amazing experience. I recomend it to all of you. I've read it in a single day.

[llong]

1) Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger
2) The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
3) The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump

All very different, yet so very similar.

[Tasaio]

1) Magician (Raymond E. Feist)
2) My 1st year chemistry lab text, 'cause it made me realized how boring a chemistry degree would be
3) Tales of the Greek Heroes (Robert Lancelyn Green), for fostering my love of mythology

[bert eats dirt]

First of all it was Sylvia Browne's "Past Lives Future Healing" that introduced me to the idea that God is all loving and would never send anyone to Hell ever and got me into New Age spirituality. Then it was Neale Donald Walsch's "Conversations With God", which gave me a much larger, more involved and sophisticated picture of spirituality, the way things are, ideas and values to live your life by, etc.

[Smokefish]

Hanta Yo - Ruth Beebe Hill

[Leandro Leme]

The Prophet - Khalil Gibran
Beautiful poetic prose and amazing metaphors that talk clearly and straight to the heart.

A Theory of Everything - Ken Wilber
An effort to connect and promote harmony among all the fields of human knowledge, from science to art and spirit. Very good food for the intellect.


L

[Vipa]

In a nutshell

1984 - George Orwell
Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
Morals and Dogma - Albert Pike
Celestine Prophecy - James Redfield

I'd also add the last presidential election between Kerry and Bush, all that stuff about them being Skull and Bones and them saying it wasn't very interesting. Led me to Rudolf Steiner via Google.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just being the Doctor.

[Lucinda]

Originally Posted by TheFlyingMan

Definitely A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle - it was the final push that got me out of my depression and made me go "ooh! now I get it!"

I love this book as well!! Maybe more so than any of his other books.

[BelleEnchanted]

Ask, and It Is Given, by Abraham-Hicks.

Second on the list would be The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene, but in a different sort of way.

Belle

[june]

"partisans" by alistair maclean.opened the whole book world to me. :^)

[777]

Conversations with God series by Neale Donald Walsche
Jesus Christ SUN of God - Ancient Cosmology and Early Christian Symbolism by David Fideler
Chaos Point by Ervin Laszlo
The Mayan Calander and the Transformation of Consciousness by Carl Johan Calleman

My guides are pushing me to go and buy one of Eckhart Tolle's books now

[Enlightenment]

'Seat of the Soul' by Gary Zukav. I had no idea before reading this that spirituality had anything to do with physics, even though I studied physics (or tried to anyway) in university. I've always believed in G-d, so it all fit together when I read the book. I knew that there was more to this world than just day to day living after I read that book.

[napieed]

So many choices, but I pick As A Man Thinketh by James Allen. One of the earliest explanations of the mind's effect on the person. Can be read in a few hours.

As I read, I like to highlight the best parts. I'm in the process of collecting all the best quotations I've run across in my reading. Check out my collection at: Quotation Collection Collecting the most inspiring, intriguing, and amusing words ever said..
Lots of positive, motivational, and inspirational nuggets there.

[Greg]

Wow - this is such a good thread. One book that I loved was the Alchemist. Suggest everyone read it

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by pi11

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Pirsig would be the book that completely transformed my life. And, greatly for the better.

Great book... I spent hours on that book and even have the most meaningful passages in my Palm... for occasional reviews...

It was suggested to me by my son who is a Harvard graduate... however, for some reason, he would never read it himself... goes to confirm the saying, "Do as I say... and not as I do..."

.

[Shamou]

Awaken the Giant Within (Anthony Robbins)
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert M. Pirsig)
The Transformation of a Man (William Warren BartleyIII)

Are three books that I spent countless hours on... especially Robbins' book... been a steady companion for over twenty years... it has transformed my life and given me the greatest gift of all which is "success" and which is defined as "feeling good for the right reasons..."

.

[thestral]

Tuesdays with Morrie. The chapter on Emotion is so wonderful.

[Redline21]

Rich Dad Poor Dad changed my outlook on everything. His common sense approach to business and finances immediately struck a cord.

[ming]

Highly recommend the teachings of Krishnamurti to be found in his foundation http://www.jkrishnamurti.org/. HIs books are free to download.

Although Its teachings conflict with the self-help books we love to devour, I find his writings poetry for the soul. For the truly anarchics.

[Jack]

The first book was "%100 Thought Power"(or something like that.I read it but it didn't help me.The second was a book writtten by a Turkish,i read it,in that book author was integrating Muslim religion into power of beliefs.It empowered me a bit.

Then the next book i i read was written by Louise Hay.Before reading that book,i was having very difficult time,i was thinking about killing myself,i was never as serious as about this before.But then i heard that my father read it and liked it,then i wonder about it and give it a try.I loved that book,it changed my perception very much,empowered me a lot,it was the book which changed my life.After reading that book,i started searching about spiritiuality.In her book Louise Hay says that "You created all of your life experiences,you are responsible for all of your experiences,the other people are your mirrors,if you have a boss which criticize you always,look into yourself,maybe you are doing the same thing or you have a belief that bosses always criticize."
And some sentences in this book which i love and changed my God concept:"I m One and same with the Power which created me and this Power gave me to create my own conditions-circumstances" "Your mind is the same mind which created the universe"

The next book i read was,by Sri Nisargadatta "I'm That",but i really didn't understand much thing in this book,it didn't help me much,he was saying that this world is an illusion and it is a pain world,and the thing which i hate was,he said in a few sentences that all experiences we had were casual-random...

The next book i read was "Quantum Thinking Technique",it helped me a little,but didn't like it too much.

The next one was a great book,its name is White Book,it was written by Ramtha,he is a soul-personal God.He really explains it very well so i decided to stopped reading it...I guess you wonder why i stooped reading it although i loved it...I stopped reading it because i will go to a Soul School about in a few weeks,i didn't want to understand all things about spirituality and universe from this book,because if i read and understand everything or most things,then it may break my desire to go to that school...I really recommend this book,Ramtha explains everything extremely well with details...Also he talks about interesting things,for example,he says he wanted to be wind alot,and concentrated on becoming wind,and he became Wind!!!A very empowering and a great book...

[alexyeo]

"Rich Dad Poor Dad" is a stepping stone for me.
It's the first financial self-help book that I ever read.

Next is "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind" by Dr Joseph Murphy.

The current for me is "Master Your Mind Design Your Destiny" by Adam Khoo. Talk about beliefs and NLP.

All the 3 books are simply fantastic. My grades in University improved tremendously after reading the 2nd and 3rd book.

[dulaney0330]

Rachel's Tears...such an inspiring and powerful book that continually challenges me to think of others and try to make an impact on the world around me.

[Sunnybayes]

I was in 8th grade and I read a self hypnosis book on the internet. It told me to be ambitious.

That started my journey to self discovery.

[AidanMatthews216]

I can't pick just one.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I had never before been told to think so many times and in so many ways. (And in so many pages. )

If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland. Turned me on to the idea that you can only be truly creative if you are free and honest.

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. I knew before I read this book what evolution was, but I had never been show how simple and elegant. This is what sparked the idea, which I am still passionate about, that everything is simple and beautiful if you peer in deep enough.

[may77]

this changed my life. I knew i was totally loved and accepted.
All the other self help books were complimentary and confirmed what I believed. ultimately, we live to love and be loved. and when we finish this journey, we go back to the ultimate source of love.

[Zukin]

"Ask and it is Given" - This is one of the few books I've read where the authors seem like they truly love the reader and want to help him/her, rather than just try to prove how smart or great they are.

[Nathan]

Great thread! Creating a nice list here

There are some books I would recommend that have already been mentioned however one that hasn't is
Trust your Vibes by Sonia Choquette which was a great book to kick start my Intuition.

Originally Posted by Tasaio

1) Magician (Raymond E. Feist)

This is also my favorite fiction book. I loved the whole series!

[JohnPlace]

The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse, by Gregg Easterbrook.

This is one thick book, very well documented and not for the faint of heart or the impatient. It is one of the most thorough examinations of modern hopelessness that I've ever seen. Simply fantastic!

The premise is simple. As you obtain more, you become harder and harder to satisfy. Although the book does not identify it explicitly, there is a strong relationship between this phenomenon and Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs. I will eventually be writing a series of articles about this. Fascinating stuff.