The Wealth Creation Books They Didn't Tell You About In School

The books you actually needed to read, to learn how to adult like a boss.

The ones you actually needed to read, to learn how to adult like a baws.

Now you might be thinking. 'Juan, don't you sell pictures of frogs or something? what do you know about adulting like a baws', and hey fair enough. But just because I make it look easy, doesn't mean there's no magic to it. :)Real talk though. While I'm no hard-hitting CEO. I know what books they've read. And I know which books - if you are reading this- probably have not.  And let me tell you, they are a major upgrade. The world is different on the other side of this rabbit hole.

I'll add more books to this article as I remember them, so check back on it sometime.

Now, without further ado.

HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE

This one is a classic. Easily found in the 'must read' lists of many. Any businessy people you know will probably have read this at some point in their lives.The key takeaway for me - having read it over 10 years ago - is about how to ... well, make friends and influence people. : )  The book really does teach this. It teaches you charm when you might otherwise be defensive. It teaches you grace when you might otherwise be cold. It reveals the opportunities available to all of us if we only learn to access each other's brighter side.Perhaps best of all, it teaches you how to influence people in positive ways that serve you and serve the world. This book is a master class in social skills and it is probably timeless. Also a very easy read, you'll enjoy it.

THE GOSPEL OF WEALTH

You might have heard of this OG industrialist guy called Andrew Carnegie. He was probably like a Jeff Bezos of his era, the industrial age. The funny thing is, you probably heard of him because of his alleged biographer, Napoleon Hill and his famous "Think and grow rich". Turns out, Napoleon Hill was a bit of a scammer who never meet Andrew Carnegie and mostly just taught self-help off of this myth he spun. An early-day social media influencer Guru, if you will. The guy who Hill grifted his fame off of tho, Mr. Andrew Carnegie did however write an excellent book on wealth. The Gospel of wealth. This book is very short and beautifully to the point, unlike the verbose and endless piece by Hill. The book focuses on wealth creation principles of economics that are probably timeless. I think makes for essential reading for anyone really interested in money and prosperity. It also focuses on the moral dilemmas of inheritance and family heritage. Very interesting insight into the mind of one of the OG industrialists that helped create the modern world.

THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON

Here's another fantastic piece. To me this is one of the most beautiful books out there. Perhaps the most memorable book when it comes to money and prosperity. This book is a short and sweet history of the birth of money, based on ancient tablets found in the ruins of Babylon. It follows the life of various people who lived 5000 years ago in what was the then New York or London of the Middle east. The capital of finance, fashion, and luxury in an era seemingly before time. The striking thing is, you would not believe how much of life was exactly the same then as it is today. You had to work. You were wise to save. There were risky sketchy investment opportunities all over the place. And those who could sift through the risk and the scams and find the gold, well those survived and thrived. Really fascinatingly similar, I'm telling you.Last but not least, this book is so epic in its storytelling, it reads like a biblical classic. Like you are reading Homer's Odyssey or Troy. However, it's very very short and it is written in modern English for normal people like you and me. Not the priestly class of an ancient era. In case you can't tell already, I love this book.

EMYTH

Here's another classic. This book turns out is like the bible of entrepreneurship. Somehow I managed to hustle my way through the world for almost a decade without running into this book. And when I read it, oh man. So many silly mistakes. So many hard lessons learned. So much this book could have taught me the easy way. This book is a master class on American-style business. It follows the development of the franchise as popularized by McDonald's, halfway through the 20th century. Then it teaches you how to build a business in a way that can function without you. And yet pays you. It's magic. It's also hard work. But it's all hard work. isn't it. Somehow, however, knowing this book exists grounds me in the knowledge that, if I really want to build a business one day. I already have the blueprint.

Special thanks to my friend Scott for pointing this one out, as well as the next. :)

STORYBRAND

In the information age, everything is a brand. If you want to be seen. If you want to be known. If you want to be recognized at the level you are at. Branding becomes fundamental. Storybrand takes you from random acts of marketing to intentional and psychologically influential messaging. A key insight of Storybrand is that as a businessman you are not the hero of the story. You are the guide. Your client, your customer. They are the hero of the story. They are looking for Yoda.

Yoda, you are.

This book is reasonably short and serves as bait for a full series of workshops and training you can do to master the art of branding. A good portion of which you can find online for free or simply pay and learn it from the pros.

Jordan Peterson's Understand Myself and Future Authoring Suite

Ok, ok. So these aren't books exactly but trust me. You are going to want to do them.First off, take Peterson's big 5 personality test. The test asks you a series of questions. It then compares your results anonymously to that of everyone else that takes the test and tells you where your personality is compared to theirs. It measures various dimensions like enthusiasm, disagreeableness, neuroticism, creativity, and so on. It is, as far as I know, legit psychology well-grounded in science. And boy oh boy does it expand your insight into yourself and others.When you understand that personality structures are more or less set in childhood. And you understand more or less what those personality traits are, man. It's amazing. You end up knowing more about people than they know about themselves, within hours, even minutes of meeting them. That personality test will show you your rough edges, and your superpowers. And will help you use that knowledge for good. Then, there's the future authoring workbook. This short writing exercise builds very well off of the personality test and makes you think about your future. What you want to accomplish? What can get in your way? and how are you going to deal with those challenges so that you succeed?

Both of these are essential reading on my book. That's all for now.

Good luck. Go get em. Arrivederci! or, w.e. :D

Juan Galt.