There have been many books that have really helped formulate my view point of not only how I attack business but life in general. Here are a list of my favorite books (not in any particular order) that I would definitely recommend to anyone. Also, I am constantly looking for great new reads, so please feel free to shoot me an email with your recommendations!

1. Delivering Happiness
Author: Tony Hsieh
Influential thought: “Happiness is really just about four things: perceived control. perceived progress, connectedness (number and depth of your relationships), and visions/meaning (being part of something bigger than yourself).”

2. The Ultra-Marathon Man
Author: Dean Karnazes
Influential thought: The entire book. Reading about how one person can run over 200 miles at one time or run through the hottest time in Death Valley inspired me to live a more active and healthier lifestyle which equated me to start running 10 mi/day (which if you know me is a VERY big deal for a chunky kid) and lose 35lbs in 3 months.

3. PEAK
Author: Chip Conley
Influential thought: “Employees are looking for meaning. Customers are looking for a transforming experience. Investors are looking to make a different with their investments. We often forget, especially in today’s high-teh world, that a company is a collection of individuals.”

4. Happiness Advantage
Author: Shawn Anchor
Influential thought: “A counterfact is an alternate scenario our brains create to help us evaluate and make sense of what really happened… Here is the crucial part:… counterfacts are completely hypothetical. Because it’s invented, we actually have the power in any given situation to consciously select a counterfact that makes us feel fortunate rather than helpless.”

5.Rework
Author: Jason Fried
Influential thought:” When you want something bad enough, you make the time-regardless of your other obligations. The truth is most people just don’t want it bad enough.”

6. Made to Stick
Author:
Influential thought: ” To make our communications more effective, we need to shift our thinking from ‘What information do I need to convey?’ to ‘What questions do I want my audience to ask?’”

7. Tribes
 Author: Seth Godin
Influential thought: “Whatever the status quo is, changing it gives you the opportunity to be remarkable.”

8. Art of the Start
Author: Guy Kawasaki
Influential thought: “Create meaning, not money.”

9. The Lean Startup
Author: Eric Ries
Influential thought: “Success is not delivering a feature; success is learning how to solve the customer’s problem” – Mark Cook