Have you ever gone into someone’s home or office and looked through their library to see what kinds of books are on the shelf? You can tell a lot about a person from the books he reads. You can also tell a lot about a person by how they dress, how they eat, who they hang out with, what they do, etc. Without deliberately trying to find information, we learn more about people simply by observing. In essence, this is how we know someone, or know someone best. This is also how people are attracted to each other as friends, business partners, etc. When you find out what books they read, that’s when you find out what they’re thinking.
When I look at someone’s book collection, I can tell if they like to read the same kinds of books that I read. Maybe you have read the sami book. I believe, more than anything else, that I can tell more about a person just by looking at the books he reads. If there is someone I want to learn from, I will try to find out what books they are reading. I would love to have seen the library of Thomas Edison, Napoleon Hill, and Donald Trump, just to name a few. Sometimes the best books we read were books recommended by someone. I would love to know what books everyone on the Forbes 400 has read in the past year. Or I would like to know what books others in my industry are reading.
If you want to be successful at something, look at others who are successful and do what they are doing. Sounds simple, but here’s another way to look at it. Find out what books they are reading, and you will learn what is in their head, what they are thinking about. If you want to learn about investing, find out what the Wall Street professionals are reading. If you want to learn how to invest in real estate, find out what real estate investors are reading. If you want to be inspired to start a business, find out what other entrepreneurs are reading. You can even read biographies of people in similar businesses or industries. You’ll find that successful people in any vocation usually read biographies, self-help books, and anything else that might inspire, motivate, and educate.
If someone is looking to lose weight or just get in shape, they will ask people at the gym what books they would recommend. My personal favorite is Live Young Forever by Jack LaLanne. I think a great conversation would be between sports fans discussing some of the best books they’ve ever read. I would love to be in that conversation with my pen and pad at the ready. How nice would it be to have Magic Johnson’s top ten recommended books? You would get a double bonus there, since he was a stellar basketball player, as well as a great businessman. With all this in mind, here’s a new topic of conversation? “I read good books lately.”