Sweet Reads are Made of These: Books for the Smart and Successful Woman
Books | January 2nd, 2009 by Gwen Jimmere | Comments | Leave a comment
If you want to get ahead, you have to hit the books. That’s true in school, and probably even more so once you’ve graduated and nobody’s holding your hand anymore, telling you what to read and giving you good grades for it. Every endeavor or profession has its requisite reading material, but here’s a list of must-reads for success at anything.
1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie – It’s best to go ahead and get this one out of the way up front. Especially if you’re trying to make your foray into the business world, chances are this book has influenced anyone you’re trying to befriend or influence. It’s really intended to help people in sales and marketing, but these days a big part of success in anything, whether you’re an artist or a web programmer, is being able to promote yourself. It used to be called putting your best foot forward. Now it’s called “building your personal brand.” Whatever it is, this book will help you figure out how to do it.
2. The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho – This is a really great read, and quick, too. This fictional story of a young shepherd’s quest for his destiny isn’t written for professional success, but the personal inspiration you’ll feel after reading it could certainly be applied to your career. Achieving one’s personal best is a major theme of this book, as is the notion that what we want and what we need is not always the same thing. Americans put this book in the realm of literature, but the author is regarded as more of a self-help writer in his native Brazil. Po-tay-to/Po-tah-to. Whatever. I just know it’ll make you feel like you can do anything.







