{Book #4} Required Entrepreneur Reading: Greatest Salesman in the World

What Do Habits and Thought Patterns Have To Do With Business Success Anyway?

Jim Rohn, motivational author and speaker, said it best.  "Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune."  What does this mean for the business person?  

Each person is pursuing something in life, but the differentiating factor is this:  Are you pursuing a particular goal, a certain dream and that is the basis of your daily decisions?  Or do you keep your goals and dreams in your back pocket, while you aimlessly pursue those things in life that are distracting you from what you really desire out of life?  If asked directly, most people don't have their life goals written out, in order to intertwine them with how they live out their life each day.  

Which leads to the next point of self-education.  Once you have made the decision to put your lifelong achievement goals onto paper, then you must commit yourself to taking all necessary steps to get there. With perfection in mind?  Hardly.  The reality is that you are more likely to achieve what you desire when it is at the forefront of your mind and decision making process.  

Thus, one of the best ways to fill our minds with thoughts that strengthen our resolve to continue in our endeavors and to think outside of the box is through books.  Which is why this blog series is so important: every person from every walk of life has been influenced in one way or another by a book.   

In our current exploration of the most influential books for everyday entrepreneurs, we are moving steadily down the list.

{Book #4}: Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

If you're looking for a book that will tell you how to make a lot of money by following 10 simple steps,  then this is probably not the book for you.  Written over four decades ago, Og Mandino's book has sold more than 3 million copies.  What is it that has drawn millions to read it?  Put very simply, Mandino wrote this to inspire you to train yourself to motivate and guide your life down the path you desire.  It will challenge you to look at how you think, the habits you are employing, and simple ways to assess the path you are taking.  It is a small, easy book to read.  Be prepared that while you will be able to apply the principles to your business life, this is a book that will explore the more complex issues that make you a unique individual.  

There have been mixed reviews on this book - have you ever read it?  What are your thoughts?