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Three Transformative Books All Women Should Read
Your journey to financial independence should be a transformative experience.
Not every self-help book I’ve read has centered around money. However, some of them help you to develop skills that can directly help you with your attitude and behavior around money.
For me, the following 3 books have been the most significant in altering my worldview around money during my early stages of budgeting and paying off debt.
This isn’t a list of books that are purely educational. They challenge your views and help you build a better you. You must read these with an open mind and an open heart.
As I developed and learned during my journey to financial freedom, I had to learn a lot of skills.
For example, I had to learn that it is okay to be different.
People will still make fun of me for sticking to a budget. Others have said that it’s okay to splurge and that I should go out to eat even when my budget didn’t allow for it.
People told me that buying a house was the only way to go when I was in my early 20’s, and that I shouldn’t even consider renting to save money.
I also had to develop a stable foundation about my views on money. As in, I had to be able to defend my reasoning around why I wanted to live like no one else now, so that I could live like no one else in the future.
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I learned and practiced the skill of influencing others, so I could motivate other women to consider learning about their personal finances and to better understand my reasons.
I read about how to not accept the traditional cultural rules in place in our country and to take risks.
Now, I will say that there are plenty of great books out there, and I will continue to write reviews and recommendations on this site so others can learn from them too as I discover more.
Keep in mind that this list is one that is unique in its own way! Although only one of the 3 books explicitly deals with learning about money, each one teaches an extremely valuable behavior skill that will help you during your financial journey.
These books are ones I recommend to others, whether I am talking to them about finances or not.
So, let’s dive into the 3 books that I believe could transform your thinking, behavior, and overall success with money!
1. The Best Book for Transforming your Goals:
This book is number one on the list for a reason.
I have gifted this book to so many people, no matter their age, struggles, or their situation. The reason for this is due to the significant “transformative factor” that this book gives.
If you have been reading our articles or watching our videos, then you have already realized your financial struggle and want to reach a goal.
Maybe your goal is to be able to have a million dollars when you retire. Maybe you have a goal to pay for all of your children’s college. Whatever your goal, this book will help you realize the deeper reasons for your problems and help you see a clearer solution.
Speaking of goals, if you are any bit of a goal setter, this book is an amazing guide to help you break them down. Long past are the days of writing down complicated and impossible goals. I cannot tell you how glad I was to read this book, just to learn how to set great life goals!
Another reason I enjoyed this book is that it introduced me to meditation.
“Wait…meditation??”, you ask.
Yes, meditation! You’d be amazed at the power and benefits of it. But for those of you who may be skeptics, or can’t see yourself getting into meditation, I feel ya. I wasn’t interested at first.
However, it is another reason this book can be a great help for you. Trust me, it has for me!
So, how else could this book help you with your financial situation?
It introduces what Vishen calls brules.
As in, “BS rules”. This is one of the most transformative aspects of the book.
For example, the ability to realize how often people based their decisions on “that’s just how it’s always been done”. Without giving too much away, you’ll leave this book questioning everything your family and friends say.
And that’s not a bad thing!
It’s fun to start seeing the world through a different lens. You don’t have to go cold turkey and change yourself right now. You’re already going through so much change by stepping up and controlling your financial situation!
At a time in society where media is telling us to do this and do that, this book helps you to realize what you want and what is right for you.
I had people tell me to spend tens of thousands on a wedding. People told me to go into an incredible amount of debt for degrees I didn’t want. I was told everything had to be done in a certain way, at a certain time, and with certain people.
With this book, you can finally see past those norms and realize the amazing future that you can be in control of.
This book can help you:
- Set the best and most realistic goals for your situation
- Be confident when straying from the norm (necessary!)
- Understand your worldview regarding societal and cultural expectations
- Question the rules you learned as a child (this is big regarding money and education!)
2. The Best Book to Transforming Your Overall Behavior
To be honest, I had a hard time initially purchasing this book just due to its title!
However, it’s a great one and I’m here to tell you why.
I will start by saying that I think this book is written for a younger crowd. I have recommended it to a handful of college and graduate students, for example.
It is very relatable for us who are 35 and younger, although it could be helpful for anyone, of course!
I had read The Code of the Extraordinary Mind many months prior to even hearing about this book. I had already began developing a new worldview, and this book expanded on the deeper concepts that helped me to be completely happy with myself and my financial situation.
Let’s be honest here, you probably are not proud of why you had to start taking control of your finances.
Whether it was due to the desire to have a lot of materialistic things, or that you had a shopping addiction, we have all been there.
What this book is great at is helping you be completely happy with yourself.
Because, the best advice I’ve learned is that if you are not happy with yourself now, you cannot expect yourself to be happy with yourself later.
And this is huge with the topic of money! If you make goals like, “when I have x dollars, then I will be happy”, or “when I own a x car, then I will be happy”.
Money won’t buy you happiness.
So, if you’re looking for personal growth and gaining responsibility for your life, then this book is a great one to pick up. And, considering you’re here and reading this, then you’re already looking for those two things.
Do realize that this book is written to be brutally honest. There were times where I looked up from the page, thinking: “Did Mark really write that?”
It also uses some explicit language. Hopefully the title gave that part away.
However, if you are comfortable with those, or can look past them, then this book could be a great motivation to pick yourself up when you’re struggling, and push you to achieve complete happiness and satisfaction.
This book can help you:
- Find happiness with your current situation, and look toward an even better future
- Take responsibility of your life when you’re being burdened by responsibilities, people, and failures
- Put your thoughts into perspective and help you realize the degree of control you have over your life
- Understand times of suffering and how to help yourself in times of struggle
3. The Best Book to Transforming your Personal Relationships
This book is old. But, this book is still completely relevant.
In fact, How to Win Friends has truly stood the test of time by providing the best advice for improving your relationships with others than any other book I’ve experienced.
I understand that you may be thinking, “I already have a handle of my life.” “People love me.” “I don’t need a book to change my behavior.”
Or you were thinking something like that at least, right?
This one book will give you the most straightforward understanding as to why people act the way they do, say what they say, and how they achieve (or not).
If you have any issues with convincing your man to join your money journey, by the end of this book, you’ll have him convinced to join you.
If you want to build better relationships, friendships, or an online community, Dale will teach you how to actually be a good listener, how to smile (sounds obvious, but wait till you read about this!), and all the steps to think in terms of your own thoughts.
Have you ever seen the meme where it jokes about highlighting an entire page that is important for a test? Whenever I read this book, I think of that meme.
Reason being, after reading this book 3 times (trust me, you’ll want to keep coming back!), I have nearly highlighted, written, or post-it noted every page.
How can this book help you with your money situation?
This may be a bit of an abstract thought, but give it a minute to sink in:
When you’re working on becoming financially independent, saving for your future, taking the risks of investing…you have to deal with the idea of influencing others.
Whether you’re selling the idea to your children that they now need to use money envelopes, or to your boyfriend that you both won’t eat out anymore, you have to influence others to join you.
You don’t want to be left out, mocked, or laughed at because you’re trying to take a step towards a better, debt-free life. I’ve had to deal with that. It’s no fun, and I’m sure you have experienced that in some way or another.
But, the best part about Dale’s book is that all of the transformative concepts presented are actually common sense!
Be friendly, remember people’s names, smile, give honest appreciation…the list continues.
However, he uses significant stories and examples to really show the importance of all of his “rules”. In practice, these become so much more real and will help you in every aspect of your life!
You could now get your children to understand money, you could confidently ask others for help or advice, and you may finally gain the skill to influence and lead your family to financial freedom!
This book can help you:
- Become a more collected and confident spouse, employee, and overall friend
- Feel more value with life and have more meaningful and genuine relationships
- Appreciate your life fully and be happy with your current (financial) situation
- Influence others to help you on your financial journey, or to influence others to understand the importance of taking control of their finances
Okay, Let’s Summarize!
- These three books were the most influential and transformative when I was adjusting my behavior around money. They changed my worldview and made the idea of financial freedom all the more possible.
- Each of these books are great for beginners. And, they’re all easy to read! You won’t get bored!
Thanks for stopping by! If you’re looking for a book to help you change your life in more than just a monetary way, you’re in the right place! Look into reading one of these great books next time you’re online or at a library, you won’t regret it!
Let’s keep learning!
ThirtyEight
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