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This morning I woke-up with a question on my mind. Reading is one of my favorite pastimes, yet I don’t have a Top 5 books list. It’s time I wrote one.

This list is prioritized based on the impact of each book on my life, and the order in which I would recommend them to be read.

My entrepreneurial life started when I studied Think and Grow Rich with a friend of mine named Joe Roberts. We spent an entire year reading and reflecting on the stories, thoughts, and strategies presented by Napoleon Hill. Almost every year since, I have reread the book. I always find new seeds of wisdom.

So, my numero uno book has to be Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

Next on my list is The Fountain Head by Ayn Rand. This book depicts some of the core elements of Ayn Rand’s philosophy using a fictional story. You join her character Howard Roark on his journey through life. I have held on to what some refer to as “naive youthful idealism” due this book, which brings me joy, happiness, and success in all that I do.

Therefore, number two on my list is The Fountain Head by Ayn Rand.

I have sipped through almost an entire cup of tea pondering my third favorite book. It has to be The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This book currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most translated book by a living author. Paulo paints a beautiful picture of a boy’s journey to fulfill his personal legend (achieving that which he had always wanted to accomplish).

So, number three is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Fourth on my list is another fictional story, like two and three, that conveys a deeper message. The Return of Merlin by Deepak Chopra has to be my number four. Deepak is a physician, philosopher, writer, and public speaker. The relationship between the characters of King Arthur and Merlin are weaved into space and time. This book is magical, so much so that I lack the words to accurately describe it.

Four would be the indescribable book,The Return of Merlin, by Deepak Chopra.

Where The Return of Merlin elucidates the totality of life, How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael J. Gelb lays a framework for developing wholeness of one’s thoughts. He outlines the Seven Da Vincian Principles in this workbook and gives you exercises to explore them. [As an entrepreneur, I can sometimes be blinded with passion and overcome by my goal orientated nature.] The Renaissance ideals are to be well-rounded, balanced, and comfortable with both art and science. Since reading this book, I have come to recognize the value of practicing the Renaissance Ideals in both business and life.

Number five on my list is How to Think like Leonardo Da Vinci by Michael J. Gelb.

I am going to call these 5 books a “Business Degree in Life”. Since we are still doing business with people, and not robots [for the most part], a critical element to success is your understanding of the human condition. This only starts with knowledge of self and then follows with knowledge of others.

If you haven’t read some of the books on this list, I advocate that you do. If you have, please share your thoughts about them. You could leave a comment about the impact that one of the books has had on your life, or share your top 5 books list.