10 Books That Will Positively Change The Way You Live, Work & Think

I’m a paperback reader, always have been, always will be.  Sorry Kindle, you just don’t do it for me.
The act of reading allows us to experience life in a way that few mediums can truly impact us.  When you find a great book it often has the power to uplift you from the present taking you to a far off place where you completely forget about time or the actual place you’re curled up in.  Books can give off the feeling of hanging out with a new friend or the excitement of a first date.  They can thrill us and keep us on edge for days on end as the story itself becomes a part of our life. 
When I hear people talk about books like this they are almost always referring to some sort of fiction based book, often times written by larger than life authors like Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, Dean Koontz and even Nicholas Sparks, to name a few.
What if you could find a book that had this same type of impact but actually made a difference in the way you live, both personally and professionally?  Of course, there are endless options to choose from but which ones are truly great.  So great that these books stand on the shoulders of the other books which typically receive all the fanfare.  Could such a book exist? 
With this very thought I began a quest to find some of the greatest books out there, searching for a lifetime of impact within a couple hundred pages. 
I started asking others about the books they’ve read which changed their life or the way they viewed themselves and their surroundings.  I sought to understand why they loved the book and what change it brought about.  My quest took me to read all sorts of different books, some living up to their recommendation, many falling far short of it, in my opinion.  I didn’t want books that were just touted as great reads because they appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers list.  I wanted book recommendations from people I trusted who shared with me these nuggets of knowledge based on their earth shattering experience.
The following 10 books have impacted my life in a way that I didn’t think was possible before I set out to read each book.  They changed me for the better professionally and personally, as a leader, as a friend, a colleague, a husband and father.  They changed the way I care for others and how I show affection, they helped me with my vulnerability (let’s be honest this can be a tough thing for most men) and of course my thought process.   
For information on each book including author and a short write up on my experience with the book click here.  In no particular order these are the 10 books that positively changed the way I live, work and think:
Personal & Mindset:
1. The Go Giver (my #1 book)
2. 4 Seconds
3. Finding Ultra
4. Season of Life
Professional/ Business Reading:
5. Good to Great
6. Authentic Leadership
7. The Answer
8. Start With Why
9. Spin Selling
10. Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Each of these books has allowed me to transform myself into a better me, perhaps you will have a similar experience.  I still have a long way to go as it’s not about the end result but the journey along the way.  I have a lot to still learn and much more to read.  I’m forever grateful to the people who recommended these readings.