Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki will help change your perspective and open your eyes to why the traditionally taught path (go to school, get good grades, get a good paying, secure job) does not produce wealth.

The story is told in an entertaining fashion and you get to see the world through the eyes of the author’s poor dad, and then contrasted with the thought processes of his best friend’s rich dad.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad will change how you view money and open your eyes to an entirely different (and effective) path to creating wealth.

“Hacking Work: Breaking Stupid Rules for Smart Results” by Bill Jensen and Josh Klein is a new book that shows one how to “break stupid rules for smart results.” Take that, corporate America.

For example, 1 person the authors interviewed wanted a remote work arrangement 2 days per week. He strategically began taking on projects which would occasionally require working over the weekend and he did all of this from home. This individual documented his progress and after a few months presented his case to his boss by highlighting how much more productive he was while working remotely. He was awarded 2 days per week of freedom to work from home because he had already proven his case before approaching his boss.

So if you’re working a 9 to 5, temporarily “stuck” or maybe in a transition into doing your own thing, this book is for you.

If you’ve read Dan Miller’s 48 Days to the Work You Love, you’ll understand why No More Mondays is a must-read as well. This was the 2nd book I read in my determined efforts to leave the rat race and become a self-employed, independent entrepreneur.

Consider No More Mondays the motivational kick in the butt while 48 Days is the action plan in book format. This book will help open your eyes to the opportunities that are all around and guide you toward discovering what your “calling” is.

What I like most about Tim Ferris’ book is that he gives you the nuts and bolts, the “how to” behind starting your business or finding a product to sell or networking with the right people. Many books gloss over this important information, assuming you already know. Not here.

Tim has a very no-nonsense approach and displays a stunning mastery of efficiency. When he says 4 hour workweek, he means it. This is no exaggeration and he shows you in plain English how to achieve exactly that.

Read everything Seth Godin writes. I can’t stress that enough.

In Linchpin, Seth illustrates the importance of positioning oneself as indespensible within your organization. It’s career and economic suicide not to do so.

Godin encourages people to produce emotional work, to put your heart and soul into what you do. This is certainly the type of behavior that can lead one down the path of entrepreneurialism.

Seth is a futurist. He sees trends coming before they have even developed. Read whatever he writes, as it will keep you ahead of the curve while everyone else has yet to come around the bend.

Deutsch has a CNBC television series called “The Big Idea” where he interviews “average joes” turned entrepreneurs. This book is a culmination of the many lessons he has learned not only in his own rise as an entrepreneur but from his many successful guests as well.

Focusing on normal people with a unique idea, The Big Idea is brimming with Deutsch’s contagious enthusiasm. There’s no way you can read this book and not come away motivated.

The Big Idea will help spark your own creative energies when you see firsthand how the guy next door or the gas station attendant or the stay at home mom saw their ideas become reality. There is some solid “brain training” here as well, as the reader learns how to identify opportunities that surround us everywhere in normal day to day life.

Many people accept the fact that you wake up Monday morning, dreading your day. Many people accept the fact that you hate your job and just try to get by day after day until retirement.

Many people are wrong.

Dan Miller’s book “48 Days to the Work You Love” truly opened my eyes and helped begin my journey into entrepreneurism.

The core concept here is this: rather than trying to find a job, try to figure out what you are wired to do. Dan shows you how to turn your passion into dollars and have fun in the process. Again, this is one of those books that will change your life.

I wish someone had handed me a copy of Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover when I was a teenager. Lots and lots of financial lessons learned the hard way that could have been prevented had I had access to the information in this book.

Dave has a no-nonsense style and delivers his message in everyman speak. The principles in the book are practical, logical and easy to understand and implement.

This book has the power to change your financial future and that of your family for generations to come. Read it and pay it forward to someone you care about. You’ll kick yourself for not having done it sooner.