Motivational Books/CDs?

[JeepFreak]

I'm in sales and I've had a nice little vacation over the holidays, but now I need something to pump up the enthusiasm again. I picked up a few books, but I'm sick of trying to ignore the altruism and references to "god". I'm looking for a little motivation from somebody that appreciates the "Virtue of Selfishness". Anybody got any suggestions or ideas on where to start looking?

Much thanks,

Billy

[Chops]

You can be pretty assured that most of us here appreciate the Virtue of Selfishness.

I can honestly say Atlas Shrugged is the single most motivational book I've read. The heroes in the book are inspiring, accomplishing feats with real enough parallels in the world, who love what they do, and who love what they've accomplished. Whenever I'd set the book down, I was ready and rarin' to work. This, of course, is a beast of a book at over 1000 pages (small type), but is unquestionable the best book I've ever read.

In terms of non-fiction, one of my most inspirational books was Founders at WorK, which is a collection of interviews with Dot-Com startups. Many of them, working like fiends to accomplish their goals, and doing so. Seeing someone succeed and knowing how they did it is one of the most motivational things to me. That said, I'm a programmer/business owner, so most of those stories were very relevant to my field. I'm not sure how accessible those stories would be to a non-techy. These are all short independent chapters (each chapter is an interview with a different founder of a different company).

Finally, Rich Dad, Poor Dad I found to be a very easy read and also a rather inspirational informative true story, with lots of useful advice. Admittedly, there is a bit of "giving" and "god" in that book, but it's easily overlooked, as the overall message is "set goals, and work hard to achieve those goals. Becoming a millionaire is a reasonable goal and this is how I did it." That entire book is framed from the perspective of the son of a poor man (a government worker) who used the advice from his friend's rich dad (a self-made millionaire) to become a self-made man himself. For a quick pick-me-up, this book works because it's a VERY easy read.

One unifying feature of all those books is that they all adhere to reality. The answer to "how do I succeed" is not "somehow" the answer is "work at it, you are in control of your life."

Edited January 5, 2008 by Chops

[JeepFreak]

I can honestly say Atlas Shrugged is the single most motivational book I've read. The heroes in the book are inspiring, accomplishing feats with real enough parallels in the world, who love what they do, and who love what they've accomplished. Whenever I'd set the book down, I was ready and rarin' to work. This, of course, is a beast of a book at over 1000 pages (small type), but is unquestionable the best book I've ever read.

I couldn't agree more.

In terms of non-fiction, one of my most inspirational books was Founders at WorK, which is a collection of interviews with Dot-Com startups. Many of them, working like fiends to accomplish their goals, and doing so. Seeing someone succeed and knowing how they did it is one of the most motivational things to me. That said, I'm a programmer/business owner, so most of those stories were very relevant to my field. I'm not sure how accessible those stories would be to a non-techy. These are all short independent chapters (each chapter is an interview with a different founder of a different company).

I'll check that one out. I actually came from a tech background... dot com in fact... so I'm sure I'll appreciate some of the stories.

Finally, Rich Dad, Poor Dad I found to be a very easy read and also a rather inspirational informative true story, with lots of useful advice. Admittedly, there is a bit of "giving" and "god" in that book, but it's easily overlooked, as the overall message is "set goals, and work hard to achieve those goals. Becoming a millionaire is a reasonable goal and this is how I did it." That entire book is framed from the perspective of the son of a poor man (a government worker) who used the advice from his friend's rich dad (a self-made millionaire) to become a self-made man himself. For a quick pick-me-up, this book works because it's a VERY easy read.

HAHA, I was actually reading this for the second time while waiting for a response here!

Thanks a lot,

Billy

Edited January 5, 2008 by JeepFreak

[Tom Hall]

Hmmm. The light response makes me wonder if there's a market here.

Most Oist non-fiction is written to inform; there's not much written to inspire and motivate.

[athena glaukopis]

Jean Moroney (Harry Binswanger's wife) is a lecturer on effective business thinking, and has some book recommendations on her website here that might be what you're looking for... especially Barbara Sher's "I could do anything if I only knew what it was"

There are also some seriously great lectures on CD that you can buy from the ayn rand bookstore, more specifically the lectures by Edwin Locke or Dr. Kenner, such as Locke's Setting Goals to Improve Your Life and Happiness or Kenner's Bringing Out the Heroic in Yourself

[Tom Hall]

As far as informational presentations that have motivational content, I think most of Craig Biddle's work fits the bill; but I think JeepFreak was asking about primarily motivational presentations.