One book that changed you forever

[gerber]

In the last few years I have read dozens of great books, which have all contributed in some way to my life. Below are the first books I've read about personal and spiritual development and from there on an amazing journey started...

James Redfield - The Celestine Prophecy
Dan Millman - Everyday Enlightenment
Anthony Robbins - Unlimited Power

Other great books include: Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Infinite Self by Stuart Wilde. Tricks Of The Mind by Derren Brown is also a great book to question your current beliefs and is great fun to read.

[DEEJ]

GREEEEEEEEEEEAT THREAD!! Found a few gems off here....

These are a couple of earlier books I read that changed my way of looking at the world...

Tony Robbins - Unlimited Power
Wayne Dyer - The Power Of Intention

[Kingston]

- The Collapse of Darwinism: Towards a Realist theory of life by G.D. Snooks

This book unifies biology, economics, sociology and history. The depth and breadth of it surpasses everything I ever read.


- Thus spoke Zarathustra by Nietzsche

An astounding display of love for life and humanity


- The power of silence by Carlos Castaneda

The only con artist I don't mind being tricked by.

[Life Warrior]

Anything by Heinlein, but Stranger in the Strange Land, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress in particular.

Striking Thoughts - quotes by Bruce Lee

Rock Warrior‘s Way by Ilgner (mental training for rock climbers).

[Lucas]

The most life changing book for me has to be "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. I read and apply it almost every week.

"Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki really blew my mind as well.


"The Success Principles" by Jack Canfield is one of my favorite PD books too, he covers a lot of ground and there is something in there for everyone.

[px1]

The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron
Empowered by Empathy and Cut Cords of Attachment by Rose Rosetree

These books gave me tools to discover many spiritual gifts I did not realize I have and to become a much happier person without getting overwhelmed by the world.

[Joshua Stein]

While I have read many of the books mentioned and am tempted to use a few as my answer, there are many books listed that I haven't even heard of!

After some thought I would have to say, "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. My father gave me that book about 15 years ago and I have never been the same. (In a good way)

[prats]

Fountain Head + Atlas Shrugged.

These two books gave an insight into human nature that no other books that I read have.

Excellent theory by Ayn Rand

[eblight]

Back in 1991 when I read: "Life was never meant to be a struggle" by Stuart Wilde.

[Maricel]

One to the recent books that I read, which is helping me bridge the gap between "knowing" and "doing" is "KNOW CAN DO" by Ken Blanchard, Paul Meyer and Dick Ruhe.

Its a great book that helps to address the reason why we don't put our knowledge into action. He mentions the 3 reasons why we don't do what we intend to do:

1. Information Overload
2. Negative Filtering
3. Lack of Follow-up

Its a great book that I would highly recommend.

[uberinquisitive]

Don't laugh:

Dr. Phil's "Life Strategies"

You can read a very detailed synopsis here.

[dezzo]

Hey guys this is my first post and i have to say i feel so grateful to be a part here...

im feeling generous so i think i might recommend THREE books rather than just one...

a book that recently changed my whole life was:

The Photo-Reading Whole Mind System! by Paul Scheele

1- My life before reading that book (and the course) was NEVER the same again...

another dramatic change in my life was after I read a book called:

2- Awareness by Anthony De Mello

My reality shifted a number of times after reading that book... it continues to change everytime i go back to read it...

and finally:

3- Power vs. Force by David Hawkins

I was literally emotional after reading the levels of consciousness because i saw my own life journey within it. right now on my To Do list is to read his other books.

I actually read plenty of books and can recommened quite a few but for now these three are my top books for this year...

Thanks

Deniz

[Jack]

I found the Louise Hay's book's name which changed my life,it is "Heal Your Life"

[QUOTE=Jack;60875]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.

QUOTE]

[Ak47]

ENDERS GAME -orson scott card

if you have any child (males would probably like it more since it's sci-fi) who is a young adult you should FORCE THEM TO READ THIS BOOK. it wont teach them any values necessesarily but they will learn to view/treat life and problems much more critically and with a much broader and open-minded perspectives, i garuntee it.

best of all, it's very very enjoyable to read. i read this book (300 something pages) in 2 days when i was 13 and i HATED to read.

[dangerlarson]

I know this one has been done, but the Bible - hands down. Entire shift in perspective.

[dacanay]

i see psycho-cybernetics mentioned a few times and how it helped people with thinking negatively.. i was wondering if the negative thinking it cured you from was only in regards to self image..or is it negative thoughts in general? the keywords i often encountered had always been"self image" this may be the core objective of the book, but i would appreciate if someone could tell me more about it..

thanks

[estrella]

Richard Bach, obviously - this is the author of the simplest manuals on IM

(what's IM?)

Originally Posted by cordis

Well I have got a fair list that would fit this category, (see post ) However if I had to pick just one, I think it would be "Illusions" by Richard Bach.

Mind you I was considerably younger then but have re-read it many times.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

When I was a teen, someone (a woman called June who labeled herself as being a channeler, don't know if she was), gave this book to my sister (that woman never met me) saying, that this was for me, one day I'll understand, or sth. like that. My sister gave that book to me, I read it in one night, seeing *some* truth in it but couldn't say it changed me.
I do not know "illusions", however.

Two books that changed me "forever" just one year later (still as a teen) : "Notes to myself" and "I touch the earth, the earth touches me", by Hugh Prather, though I never have read a book by him again. (still appreciate him, however!)

And now, "Power vs Force" - David R. Hawkins, no comment. (it is so rich that I cannot read it as fast as I would like!)

And I must add to the books some contributions to a community like this one (kind of) by one person (no author, no blogger) changed me as much as the two books of Prather. Several of these contributions would be worth being published.

I'll add to complete the circle: in the middle of the two (Prather and Hawkins):
"Secret of childhood" by Maria Montessori and several other books, that one has been the first I read by her. She has awful insights concerning spirituality and development of mankind, development as micro- and macro-cycle.

I find it very interesting that some quote the Bible, too. I very much loved the gospel of Thomas along the bible, it gives a new sense to the bible.

[Tabs]

The Game of Life and How to Pay It by Florence Scovel Shinn is one of the best metaphysical books I have read. It pulls inspiration from all religions, psychology, metaphysics and more but still remains focused on the self as the creator of our lives. It is heavy on references from the Bible but uses tje scriptures to depict examples of how the power of the mind works and how we all have the power to create the life we live.

I actually own "The Wisdom of Florence Scovel" a complilation of all her work.

I read this book several years ago, it taught me to take my personal development focus away from the external physical factors and turn it to a more spiritual focus.

PS
This is the book I turn to when I need to get my life back on track. I have purchased a copy for everyone in my life I care about and they always have great things to say about it

Later
T.

[simplystephen]

Though I have read many self help books - and gathered good information and ideas from all of them, sometimes the deepest impact from a book can come from the emotion it instills in us. I have read dozens of these types of books and often reread them. As a minimalist I keep very few items but a couple books sit on my shelf...and I read them constantly. The first is Dove by Robin Lee Graham and the second is Walden - Thoreau. Both are truly inspirational.

If you want a book that will make you think about life...twists and turns and how fragile it is try - My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult. Wow!!!

So you can see books come and go into our lives but sometimes they leave a mark.

[Jonathan Mead]

Don Miguel Ruiz - The Voice of Knowledge. Changed my whole perspective on everything, forever.

[Amandaaa]

I would have to say... "The Circle" by Laura Day.

It's nothing new to anyone here, but at the time, I was a 17-year-old high school senior, and I had never encountered anything that made me feel so empowered. It was the first book that really opened my eyes. It was like my secret little "window." It kind of became my bible for a couple years, until I needed something new, and found some books with greater depth.

[Jcs]

Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. Not at all based at real life but it thought me a lot of important things .

[bellemeadows]

When I picked this book up as a young wife, working in a call center, I got goose-bumps.

Now, some 30 years later, I can safely say it has changed my life. There are many books that have come after; Gary Renard's The Disappearance of the Universe, books on Buddhism, etc. etc. etc. But that first book on the nondual nature of divinity, well it started me on a path I find as rich and delightful today as I did then.

Blessings from Belle

[barbt]

The Light Bearer at Donna Gillespie - Author of The Light Bearer, Lady of the Light and more .

I read that book back in 1993 and re-read it every year and every single time, I learn more about myself. 'matter of fact, I was inspired back in 1996 to contact the author and ended up building my first website Good Book - THE LIGHT BEARER, BESTSELLER ! I was paid in pickled garlic if I remember correctly (I had such hero-worship of the author I refused to accept money).

Utterly magnificent book and astonishingly gifted author.

Enjoy,

Barbara

[eblight]

Books that have had a great impact on me are:

"The Essential Rumi" translated by Coleman Barks. Rumi is considered one of the greatest spiritual poets.

"Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda

"Consciousness Speaks" Conversations with Ramesh S. Balsekar

and the books and CD's of Eckhart Tolle:
"The Power of Now"
"A New Earth."

[Joely]

Over the years, I've read many amazing books in my life, and it's difficult to isolate one. The book that started me on my fantasy journey was Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien, and I grew up with it.

Most recently, the book that had the single most profound effect (and I mean profound as in it completely changed my entire outlook in a breath) is A Short History of Tractors In Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka.

It's not a great PD or self-help book. It's a funny, fictional tale of two daughters coping with their elderly Ukrainian father, living in the UK and trying to marry a woman some forty years younger than him. It's light, and it's lovely. It made me really get in touch with the idea that I didn't have to crush myself into this perfect family idea. I'd grown up in an abusive household, but we all had to play this happy family thing, so I had crushed myself down a great deal. My parents were godlike and ruled my life emotionally, even though I tried to escape I remained their emotionally. When I finished the book and put it down I felt a surge of confidence, and clarity, and felt more at ease with myself than at any other time in my life. This is why I think fiction very often teaches us more than we'd like to admit.

[coollikeme]

Cash flow quadrant it changed the way I though about money , and life.

[Woohoo]

Allen Carr - An easy way to stop smoking

When I heard about it I thought that it was a pile b***s***. People claimed that just by reading the book will make you stop smoking. I was highly skeptical about it at first, but after hearing lots of good things about the book from different places on the internet, I decided to try it.

The book started in a very UNEXPECTED way

Originally Posted by Allen Carr

If you are expecting me to inform you of the terrible health risks that smokers run, that smokers spend a small fortune during their smoking lives, that it is a filthy, disgusting habit and that you are a stupid, spineless, weak-willed jellyfish, then I must disappoint you. Those tactics never helped me to quit and if they were going to help you, you would already have quit.

This grabbed my attention, and I kept on reading, and reading, until I had finished it. The book was AWESOME. I was in SHOCK for a few days afterwards. No book has ever had a so POWERFUL effect on me. All my desires for smoking went away, and I never smoked again. I never believed that stopping smoking can be that easy. I strongly suggest it to everybody who wants to stop smoking.

Other books that changed me are: Power of Now, and Psycho Cybernetics

[vimoh]

There are many such books but if I had to choose one from among them then I would say: 'What Should I do with My Life?' by Po Bronson.

It assured me I was not alone in my quest for authenticity and gave me hope.

[evrgrn3]

Greetings,

I guess The Personal Vision Workbook had a pretty profound impact on my life given that it took two colleagues and i almost 10 years to complete and publish it!

It is a truly cathartic experience to come to completion on such a task, and we believe that the book can change lives, and we know it changed ours...not only through its content, but through the pure impact of writing it.