1️⃣ What To Do When It’s Your Turn (And it’s Always Your Turn) - The list starts with this book because it is fun and easy to read… even if you are not a big reader. The book is full of colorful illustrations and thought provoking calls to action for those who wish to do something bold and beautiful with their lives.
About the Author: Seth Godin is the author of nineteen international bestsellers that have been translated into over 35 languages, and have changed the way people think about marketing and work.In addition to his writing and speaking, Seth was founder and CEO of Squidoo.com,. His blog (find it by typing "seth" into Google) is the most popular marketing blog in the world. Before his work as a writer and blogger, Godin was Vice President of Direct Marketing at Yahoo!
What I love about this book: Seth has a unique way of challenging your understanding of who you are and what you can/should do with your life. Each topic of the book only lasts a page or two and they are quick but very profound lessons on how to create an empowered mindset.
One key takeaway for music professionals: The title of the book is a bit cryptic, but it is referring to a particular principle that Seth imparts. People are taught to sit around and ‘wait your turn’. Wait for someone to tell you what to do. Wait for someone to tell you that you are ready. Wait for someone to ‘discover you’. Seth teaches that the proper mindset is to ‘take your turn’ when you see the opportunity arise. Know that you might fail and do it anyway.
“This is a book about an opportunity. The opportunity is to take your turn and to make a difference. The opportunity to contribute, to lead, and to live your life fully.”
2️⃣ The Power of Now - I could not overstate the effect this book has had on my life and work. It helped me develop a deep peace that I hope everyone can find. The words of this book are not always concerned with information, but often designed to draw you into a new consciousness as you read.
About the Author: Eckhart Tolle is widely recognized as one of the most inspiring and visionary spiritual teachers in the world today. Eckhart’s profound, yet simple teachings have helped countless people around the globe experience a state of vibrantly alive inner peace in their daily lives. His teachings focus on the significance and power of Presence, the awakened state of consciousness, which transcends ego and discursive thinking.
What I love about this book: Eckhart does a great job of repurposing and repackaging ancient wisdom from the world’s spiritual traditions to make it more relevant in the modern world. The book taught me to get out of my head and into the present moment. It taught me to slow down and realign so that I can transcend the fast-moving, stress-filled modern world.
One key takeaway for music industry professionals: Most of us are insanely passionate about music and inherently understand it to be a ‘spiritual thing’. My first major experiences fully in the ‘present moment’ happened at concerts and festivals as a teenager. Learning the practices in this book made me a better performer in music and in business.
“Your mind is an instrument, a tool. It is there to be used for a specific task, and when the task is completed, you lay it down. As it is, I would say about 80 to 90 percent of most people’s thinking is not only repetitive and useless, but because of its dysfunctional and often negative nature, much of it is also harmful. Observe your mind and you will find this to be true. It causes a serious leakage of vital energy.”
3️⃣ High Performance Habits - The outcomes in your life are largely dictated by your habits. By forming better habits, you will get a better life. Which habits can help you achieve long-term success and vibrant well-being no matter your age, career, strengths, or personality? That is what this book is all about.
About the Author: Brendon Burchard is a 3-time New York Times bestselling author, a globally respected high performance coach, and one of the world’s most watched, followed, and quoted personal development trainers with over 10 million followers across his brands. O, the Oprah Magazine named him “one of the most influential leaders in personal growth.”
What I love about this book: Brendon is extremely research and data driven. He runs the High Performance Institute, which has compiled thousands of case studies about high performers. He then breaks down the top six habits (Clarity, Energy, Necessity, Productivity, Influence, and Courage) they have identified as the most correlated with success across all industries and areas of life. The book is full of inspirational stories and persuasive principles to help you become a world class performer.
One key takeaway for music industry professionals: Brendon’s approach to productivity involves ‘Increasing the Outputs that Matter’. In the world of music production and content creation, this is especially relevant. He uses the term ‘PQO’, which stands for ‘Prolific Quality Output’, and says:
“High performers have mastered the art of PQO. They produce more high quality output than their peers, and that is how they become more effective, better known, and more remembered… Figuring out what you are supposed to produce and learning the priorities in the creation, quality, and frequency of that output, is one of the greatest breakthroughs you can have in your career.”
4️⃣ The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness - The Slight Edge is a way of thinking, a way of processing information that enables you to make the daily choices that will lead you to the success and happiness you desire. Learn why some people make dream after dream come true, while others just continue dreaming and spend their lives building dreams for someone else.
About the author: Jeff Olson has built multimillion-dollar sales and marketing organizations, hosted seminars in every major city in the U.S. and has produced over 900 television programs with such personal development legends as Les Brown, Jim Rohn and Brian Tracy. Over the past twenty years, Jeff has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals achieve better levels of financial freedom and personal excellence.
What I love about this book: Jeff has a unique way of getting you to think long term about your daily choices that often seem insignificant. By the end of the book, he has taken you through many comprehensive exercises designed to help you find a clear vision and make better choices in every area of your life.
One key takeaway for music industry professionals: The book starts by explaining the power of compounding growth by comparing it to compounding interest on your investments. This is a particularly important principle to remember for someone building a fanbase from the ground up… the rate of growth accelerates for streaming numbers and other important metrics as an artist’s catalog and notoriety expand.
“The truth is, what you do matters. What you do today matters. What you do every day matters. Successful people just do the things that seem to make no difference in the act of doing them and they do them over and over and over until the compound effect kicks in.”
5️⃣ Think and Grow Rich - This book will teach you the secrets that could bring you a fortune. It will show you not only what to do but how to do it. Once you learn and apply the simple, basic techniques revealed here, you will have mastered the secret of true and lasting success.
About the author: Napoleon Hill was born in 1883 in a one-room cabin on the Pound River in Wise County, Virginia. He began his writing career at age 13 as a mountain reporter for small town newspapers and went on to become America's most beloved motivational author. Hill passed away in November 1970 after a long and successful career writing, teaching, and lecturing about the principles of success. Dr. Hill's work stands as a monument to individual achievement and is the cornerstone of modern motivation.
What I love about this book: The book is best read very slowly. The language is a bit outdated, but it is overflowing with profound statements and frank wisdom. It is the most popular book in the self-development world for a reason. Go slow and chew on it all a little bit at a time. Many entrepreneurs read it over and over again. Whether or not you consider yourself an entrepreneur, the book provides a massive amount of mindset training that will make your life more fulfilling.
One key takeaway for music industry professionals: Napoleon uses the term ‘definite chief aim’ to describe an unwavering sense of purpose about what you are working to accomplish. He dives into thorough examples of how to manifest whatever you desire into a reality, including the ‘Mastermind Alliance’. We have built HOME around the power of mastermind alliances, and I highly recommend this technique for those who are working to build a big career in music.
“I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism, by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me, because I will believe in them, and in myself.”
🤗 BONUS: If you’d prefer to start with a video, check out this FREE series on Amazon Prime: Napoleon Hill’s Master Key
Interested in reading more thoughts on personal development?
Check out my blog post ‘Marvelous Mindset’ for some practical exercises to develop more empowered thinking 🧐🧠💪