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50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Life and Work from 50 Landmark Books :: 1857883330
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| Here is the first and only bite-sized guide to 50 of the most important and inspiring books that already have helped legions of readers unleash their potential and discover the secrets to success in work and life. Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
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Author: Guest
This book gave me positive feedback at a time in my life where I wasn't sure what my next step was.
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TOP TEN LAWS OF SUCCESS: LESSONS FROM THE GREAT WORKS OF SUCCESS ON HOW TO SUCCEED AND ACHIEVE
OPTIMISM
Optimism is power. This is a secret discovered by all who succeed against great odds. Nelson Mandela, Ernest Shackleton, Eleanor Roosevelt--each admitted that what got them through tough times was an ability to focus on the positives. They understood what Claude Bristol called "the magic of believing." Yet great leaders also have an unusual ability to face up to stark realities and, as a result, create a single powerful attribute: tough-minded optimism. Optimistic people tend to succeed not simply because they believe all will turn out right but because the expectation of success makes them work harder. If you expect little, you will not be motivated to even try.
DEFINITE AIM, PURPOSE OR VISION
Have higher aims and goals and doggedly pursue their realization. Success requires concentration of effort. Most people disperse their energies over too many things and fail to be outstanding in anything as a result. In the words of Orison Swett Marden, "The world does not demand that you be a lawyer, minister, doctor, farmer, scientist, or merchant; it does not dictate what you shall do, but it does require that you be a master in whatever you undertake."
WILLINGNESS TO LABOR
Successful people are willing to engage in drudgery in the cause of something marvelous. The greater part of `genius' is the years of effort to solve a problem or find the perfect expression of an idea. With hard work you acquire knowledge about yourself which idleness never reveals. A law of success is that once first achieved it can create a momentum that makes it easier to sustain. As Talleyrand put it, "Nothing succeeds like success."
DISCIPLINE
Enduring success is built on discipline, an appreciation that you must give yourself orders and then obey them. Like compound interest, this subject may be boring but its results--in the long-term--can be spectacular. Great achievers know that while the universe is built by atoms, success is built by minutes. They are masters when it comes to managing their time.
INTEGRATED MIND
Successful people have a good relationship with their unconscious and subconscious minds. They trust their intuition, and because intuitions are usually right, they seem to enjoy more luck than others. They have discovered one of the great success secrets: the non-rational mind infallibly solves problems and creates solutions when trusted to do so.
PROLIFIC READING
Look into the habits of the successful and you will find that they are usually great readers. Many of the leaders and authors profiled in 50 Success Classics attribute the turning point in their lives to picking up a particular book. If you can read about the accomplishments of those you admire, you cannot help but lift your own sights. Anthony Robbins remarked that "success leaves clues," and reading is one of the best means of absorbing such clues. Curiosity and the capacity to learn are vital for achievement, thus the saying "leaders are readers." The person who seeks growth, Dale Carnegie said, "must soak and tan his mind constantly in the vats of literature."
RISK-TAKING
The greater the risk, the greater the potential success. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Have a bias for action!
THE POWER OF EXPECTATION
Successful people expect the best--and they generally get it! Expectations have a way of attracting to us their material equivalent. Since our lives correspond closely to the expectations we have of it, the achiever will argue, "why not think big instead of small?"
MASTERY
Advanced beings can turn any situation to their advantage. They are "masters of their souls, captains of their fate." When other parties are involved, star achievers will seek solutions that benefit everyone. In the words of Catherine Ponder: "You do not have to compromise in life if you are willing to let go of the idea of compromise."
WELL-ROUNDEDNESS
Achievements mean little if we are not successful as a person. The capacities to love, listen, and learn are vital for our own well being. Without them it is difficult to have the fulfilling relationships that we need to both renew us and inspire achievement.
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Author: Guest
50 Self-Help Classics: 50 Inspirational Books to Transform Your Life, From Timeless Sages to Contemporary Gurus
50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Life and Work from 50 Landmark Books
50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom from 50 Great Books on Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose
In the first instance, I have bought these three books in one go because I have been fascinated by what the author had done: He has practised what is known as the highest level of reading. Mortimer Adler, in his classic book, 'How to Read a Book', written in the forties, had called it 'syntopical reading'. It's actually reading a number of books of the same genre, more or less simultaneously & then synthesising the key points.
Secondly, the author, who is a graduate of the London School of Economics, somehow impresses me with his ability to synthesise the big picture of each of the books that made up the entire collection. For apparently a left-brain thinker i.e. economist by training, this has been a very remarkable feat, as his synthesising endeavour has been essentially more of a right-brain activity. Well, I must compliment him for a job well done.
Before my final decision on buying the three books, I have been thrilled by the prospect of reading three books, which in turn will give me access to one hundred & fifty books.
For each book, the author has very artfully as well as skillfully selected fifty books to made up one collection. I may not agree with his selection, but I must admit that I can't default him at all.
Take the first book, '50 Self Help Classics', with timeless wisdom, as an example. Out of the fifty books he has selected, I have read only seventeen of them. I have those books in my personal library.
For the second book, '50 Success Classics', I have read & still own sixteen of the landmark books on winning wisdom selected by the author.
For the third & final book, '50 Spiritual Classics', covering timeless sages & contemporary gurus, I have read only & still own three of them, namely 'The Tao of Physics', 'The Way of the Peaceful Warrior' & 'Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'.
For those books I have read previously, totaling thirty-six of them (probably stretching over three decades of my life), & upon revisiting them again in the trilogy, which actually took me one whole weekend to complete, starting on Friday evening & finishing on Sunday night, I must say that the seemingly marathon reading experience has been very refreshing & uplifting. It has also given me the opportunity to check & verify whether the author has captured the key ideas or essence of those books. I don't think I can find fault with the author in this respect.
Not only that, in the first book, I am very impressed that the author has cut through the bewildering array of choices to bring the essential ideas, insights, and techniques from the `literature of possibilities'. In works that span the world's religions, cultures, philosophies, & centuries, he summarizes each work's key ideas & finally makes clear how these legendary classics can educate, affirm, & motivate anyone searching for the inspiration to make a meaningful life change.
In the second book, the author is back with his wide-ranging collection of enduring works from pioneering thinkers, philosophers, & powerful leaders, like Napoleon Hill, Stephen Covey, Kenneth Blanchard, Baltasar Gracian & Christopher Maurer; from the inspirational rags to riches stories of such entrepreneurs, like Andrew Carnegie, Warren Buffet & Sam Walton to the leadership lessons of Sir Ernest Shackleton, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln & Nelson Mandela, just to name a few.
In the third book, I believe the author has captured the very best in spiritual writing: They include personal diaries & compelling biographies of such diverse figures as Gandhi, Malcolm X, & Black Elk & Eastern philosophers & gurus including Krishnamurti, Yogananda, Chögyam Trungpa & Suzuki; & Western saints & mystics such as St. Francis of Assisi, Herman Hesse & Simone Weil. For each book in this volume, the author offers insightful commentary on how these classics can help spiritual seekers everywhere bring personal beliefs, values & practices squarely into the center of their every day lives.
Reading the three foregoing books has been quite a breeze because the meaning of each work is initially captured 'in a nut shell' at the onset, coupled with a representative quote as well as cross-referencing to similar work. In each work, appropriate sectional headings in bold print make it really easy for the reader to follow the author's train of thoughts over some six pages. There is also a short biographical sketch of the author of the respective work.
I must admit that the third book in the trilogy has been the most challenging for me to read as I normally do not go for such stuff. To put it bluntly, it's not my cup of tea. On the other hand, the curiosity streak in me has been too overwhelming, since I relish the thought that I could read fifty spiritual classics in just one book!
Overall, & for all those books I have not yet read at all (some of which I have not even heard of), I really enjoyed digesting the author's bite-sized summaries (in actuality, they are only the main ideas, context & impact of each title, to give a taste of the literature, so to speak) in the three collections or volumes, even though some of the titles are relatively esoteric for me. The entire reading journey has been enlightening, inspirational & yet humbling in some areas. Best of all, there are useful tools & practical techniques to take away from each collection!
For the first & last book in the trilogy, namely, '50 Self Help Classics' & '50 Spirtual Classics', the author has respectively provide a list of additional 50 books. The titles are certainly enticing! Well, all I can say is this: I wish the author will repeat his syntopical reading exercise covering these books & add two more volumes, that will make a quintulogy, for all the readers out there, including me!
As usual, all my three books are now scribbled with my own hand-written marginal annotations as well as my fancy colour marker symbols. Additionally, there are also colourful sticky notes in between selected pages. My next personal assignment is to transfer all these notations into mindmaps with Mindmanager Pro.
To end my review, I have one last humble comment to make. Out of the one hundred & fifty bite-sized summaries, I still don't quite get it from 'The Bhagavad-Gita' as outlined in the author's '50 Self Help Classics'. I have not read this work before although I have heard about it. [J Y Pillay, former Chairman of Singapore Airlines, who is credited for building the airline to what it is today, A Great Way to Fly, has vouched for this ancient Hindu scripture as an inspiration for his leadership success during an interview.] However, in the same vein, I found that I could relate quickly to Deepak Chopra's 'The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success' but simply not this one! I may have to explore other avenue.
In site of the above minor short-coming, I strongly believe that the three books in the author's trilogy are really an intellectual treasure!
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Author: Guest
Butler-Bowdon is my guide through the literature of inner -development. His books have helped me grow as an individual and continue to help in my research for the books I choose to write to help humanity. His knowledge is exceptional and his choice of books is perfect. He truly is an expert in this area. I recommend his entire series and genuinely cant wait to get Psychology Classics. Thanks for helping humanity with your writing Mr. Butler-Bowdon.
10 stars
Author, Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds and Upcoming Release of Eastern Wisdom for Your Soul.
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Author: Guest
Truly, this is a great condensed volume of success advice. Butler-Bowden does the hard work for you, and in one volume you get the "meat" of 50 books. And, these 50 are some pretty hefty books. Some contemporary, some classic, but all contain valuable kernels of information that Butler-Bowden has already sussed out for you. The author includes a brief biography of the authors of the books he has chosen, and in many instances, those stories are just as inspiring.
I really enjoyed being reminded of "The Inner Game of Tennis". I read that book a long, long, time ago and 20+ years later, I have used the information time and again. Perhaps this little book helped make me a lifelong self-learner. I'm pretty sure it helped me be a better parent, teacher and manager.
For fans of success and achievement books, some of these selections are like old friends you need to get in touch with, and many will probably be new stories you'll grow to love.
If, on the other hand, you are a new student of success, seeking a meaty source for success education and information this is definitely bang for your buck. It might inspire you to read some of the "whole" books, but even this condensed "cram session" will leave you inspired and informed.
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Author: Guest
As a book lover who had read over 100 self help/success books, I must thank the author for telling me that I still miss a lot. In fact, I just ordered 10 out of the 42 I had not yet read. In this respect, this book is a very helpful guide. However, under the constraint that the author can devote only 6 pages to each classic, including a brief biography of respective authors, the essence of individual classics had not been brought out, at least not in the 8 books I had read. I understand that it might be a compromise, pitifully.
For book lovers who want to know what they should read, and for those who just want to quote or boast in front of their friends, this book is a good choice. For those who want help from compleat self help books, I suggest them to look for some books else. Just go straight to Success Principles by Jack Canfield, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins, Good Luck by Alex Rovira etc etc.
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