5 Books That Have Kept Me Authentic & Ambitious On My Recruitment Journey
Author: Leo Clatworthy
Published date: 2022/10
“Read a book a week”
I was told this countless times by role models in my life as I was starting my career. It’s something that has stuck with me my whole life. Even though my schedule doesn’t always allow me to read a book every single week, I always work towards a set goal to further educate myself. Whether it be reading a book, listening to an educational podcast, or even watching a ‘How To’ video on YouTube. Anything that keeps me motivated on the path to growth!
That said, below is a list of 5 books that resonated with me the most when it comes to recruitment, causing me to act and alter my mindset:
‘Think and Grow Rich’ – Napoleon Hill
“A quitter never wins - and - a winner never quits.”
‘Think and Grow Rich’ is a book written by Napoleon Hill in 1937 and promoted as a personal development and self-improvement book. It focuses on Napoleon Hill’s 13 principles: desire, faith, auto suggestion, specialized knowledge, imagination, decision, persistence, enthusiastic support, organised planning, the power of the mastermind, the subconscious mind, the power of the brain, and the sixth sense. Napoleon researched over forty millionaires to find out what made them who they were and teaches us whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve! This book has taught me to be resilient and given me great self-belief.
‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ - Stephen R. Covey
“Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”
‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ was first published in 1989 as a business and self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey. The seven habits are as follows: be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win/win, seek to understand first before making yourself understood, learn to synergize, and sharpen the saw. Stephen helps us to understand our perception of the world and how to change it (paradigm shift). He also teaches that we have the freedom to choose how we respond to things that happen to us. This can be very important when working on a casual labour hire desk as things are always changing and sometimes our emotions can cloud our judgment.
‘EGO Is the Enemy’ – Ryan Holiday
“Greatness comes from humble beginnings; it comes from grunt work. It means you’re the least important person in the room—until you change that with results.”
‘Ego Is the Enemy’ is the fourth book by author Ryan Holiday, published in 2016. It is about the treacherous nature of ego. Amongst many great ideas, Ryan believes our ego is an unhealthy belief in our own importance and encourages us to nurture self-awareness, humility & diligence to detach from our ego. This book has taught me to be present and humble.
‘Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time’ - Brian Tracey
“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”
Written by Brian Tracey in 2001, more than 1.5 million copies have been sold worldwide and translated into 42 languages. Brian helps us to reclaim time by encouraging proper time management and defining our goals. Once we have a list of everything, we can start to categorise which goals are most important and ultimately which goal is most beneficial for us to complete. The 6 steps Brian suggests are as follows: decide on your goals, plan your goals, plan your time, set yourself up for success, work single-mindedly on your most important task and repeat the process regularly. This book helped me to structure my days and get the most out of my time. It’s easy to get caught up in procrastination and doing meaningless tasks. This method is extremely simple but highly effective!
‘The Four Agreements’ - Don Miguel Ruiz
“Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.”
‘The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom’ is a self-help book by bestselling author Don Miguel Ruiz. The book offers a code of conduct claiming to be based on ancient Toltec wisdom that advocates freedom from self-limiting beliefs that may cause suffering and limitation in a person's life. The four agreements are: be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, and always do your best. Don encourages us to improve our inner dialogue by practicing positive self-talk, understanding people act in a way that reflects themselves and not us, being brave enough to ask questions and do your best in the moment. This book really opened my eyes to how powerful positive self-talk is when used correctly and how detrimental negative self-talk can be. By using a daily affirmation, I can re-align my values and goals every day.
So, that sums up my top 5 books. I hope you get a chance to read at least one of them.
Nearly made the cut:
‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’ - Mark Manson
‘Big Magic’ - Elizabeth Gilbert
‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ - Robert Kiyosaki, Sharon Lechter
