Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers." - Charles W Eliot.
Charlie 'Tremendous' Jones, the founder and CEO of Executive Books once remarked, "You are the same today as you're going to be in five years except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read." May I also add the tapes/CD you listened to and the magazine/journals you read are also very important.
To me, reading is a way of life and one of the things I can spend any money on is buying books. I started the hobby in 1982 by buying three books of the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo namely ‘Voice of Reason’, ‘Voice of Courage’, and ‘Voice of Wisdom’. I remembered the book I read on my 21st birthday was ‘Think & Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill, and since then I have not looked back.
On September 5, 2004 after delivering an icebreaker speech at the Speakers of Croydon Toastmasters, Joe De Souza, one of my mentors, asked me a question "what books do you recommend to read?" As if that was not enough, another man came to me and said he has been reading my articles for the past 5 years that he wants me to write about the books that have made the most impact on my life.
To me, there are 60 books that have made the most impact in my life, they are:
1. The Holy Bible 2. The John Maxwell Leadership Bible 3. The Richest Man in Babylon - George S Clason 4. The Strangest Secret: How to Live the Life You Desire – Earl Nightingale 5. Your Life or Your Money - Alvin Hall 6. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter 7. The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko 8. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey 9. 7 Habit of Highly Effective Families - Stephen R. Covey 10. 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness - Jim Rohn 11. Psychology of Achievements - Brian Tracy 12. Million Dollar Habit - Brian Tracy 13. In search of Excellence - Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr 14. Jack: Straight From The Gut - Jack Welch with John A Bryne 15. Chief Adeola Odutola's biography – The Rare Breed 16. Awaken The Giant Within - Anthony Robbins 17. As a Man Thinketh - James Allen 18. Think & Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill 19. The Power of Positive Thinking - Norman Vincent Peale 20. Voice of Courage - Chief Obafemi Awolowo 21. The Seven Spiritual Law of Success - Deepak Chopra 22. Men Are from Mar, Women Are from Venus - John Gray 23. The 80/20 Principle; The Secret of Achieving More with Less - Richard Koch 24. Motivation and Personality - Abraham Maslow 25. Leading an Inspired Life - Jim Rohn 26. The Challenge to Succeed - Jim Rohn 27. The Seeds of Greatness – Denis Waitley 28. One Minute Manager - Kenneth Blanchard 29. Power of Focus – Jack Canfield 30. Magic of Thinking Big – David Schwartz 31. How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie 32. See You at the Top – Zig Ziglar 33. Megatraits: 12 Traits of Successful People - Doris Lee McCoy 34. Psychology of Achievements - by Brian Tracy 35. Losing My Virginity: The Autobiography - Sir Richard Branson 36. To mother with Love (An experiment in Auto-biography) - Dr Tai Solarin 37. Voice of Reason – Chief Obafemi Awolowo 38. Voice of Wisdom – Chief Obafemi Awolowo 39. Psycho-Cybernetics - Maxwell Maltz 40. Who Moved my Cheese – Spencer Johnson 41. Feel the Fear and do it Anyway – Susan Jeffers 42. Chicken Soup of the Soul – Jack Canfield & Victor Hansen 43. 4 Indispensable Strategies for Success – Dayo Olomu 44. Eat That Frog – Brian Tracy 45. Twelve Pillars – Jim Rohn and Chris Widener 46. The Success Principle – Jack Canfield 47. Seasons of Life - Jim Rohn 48. Acres of Diamonds - Russell Conwell 49. Greatest Salesman That Ever Lived – Og Mandino 50. You Were Born Rich – Bob Proctor 51. The Science of Getting Rich – Wallace D. Wattles 52. Multiple Streams of Income – Robert G. Allen 53. 42 Days to Wealth, Health and Happiness – Robin Sieger 54. Get a Life by Arvind Devalia 55. Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude: How to Fly Out of the Cube 7 gain Your Freedom – Fabrizio Poli 56. you Can Make Money From Your Hobby – Martha Campbell Pullen, PhD with Lilly Walters 57. The Beermet Entrepreneur: Turn Your Good ideas into a Great Business – Mike Southon & Chris West 58. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John C. Maxwell 59. Praying the Psalms – Clift & Kathleen Richards 60. It’s Not Over Until You Win – Les Brown
Dayo Olomu is a UK-based motivational Speaker, Human Potential Developer, Business/Life Coach, Writer, Trainer, Infopreneur, a Competent Leader and an Advance Toastmaster. His core belief is that we are all endowed with seeds of greatness, and his mission is to inspire and empower individuals and organisations to higher levels of achievement and peak performance. He is the author of best selling “4 Indispensable Strategies for Success” and the charter President of Croydon Communicators Toastmasters. Visit his website at www.dayoolomu.com or send an e-mail to info@dayoolomu.com | 
