Amazon: Books That'll Help You Reach Your Goals

Write It Down Make It Happen: Knowing What You Want And Getting It

by Henriette Anne Klauser

On my shelf. This one has the premise that when we write our desires down, we find a way to actualise them. A rich source of inspiration.

Do It! : A Guide to Living Your Dreams

by Peter McWilliams, John Roger

On my shelf. This one's a life-changer. Highly recommended. If you've ever procrastinated about your life goals, this book'll help you take the necessary steps. I enjoyed the process immensely.

Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams

by Lucia Capacchione

On my shelf. If you're visually oriented, you'll find this book a must-have. I've done several collages using her techniques, and they work. Get this book.

Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life

by Shakti Gawain

The Creative Visualization Workbook: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in You Life

by Shakti Gawain

On my shelf. Shakti Gawain almost single-handedly created the creative visualization movement. This book accompanies her groundbreaking CREATIVE VISUALIZATION, but it's self-contained. I love the practical nature of this book. Very easy to work through.

Goal Setting 101 : How to Set and Achieve a Goal!

by Gary Ryan Blair

Description from Amazon: This book offers solid advice on setting and achieving your goals. Goal Setting 101 helps you to become brilliant on the basics by explaining the Who?, What?, Where?, When?, How?, and Why? of goal setting.

Goal Setting Forms : Tools to Help You Get Ready, Get Set, & Go for Your Goals!

by Gary Ryan Blair

Good for those of us who prefer structure. Description from Amazon: Because our goal is to help you achieve yours, The GoalsGuy offers replacement tools that support your efforts to achieve an extraordinary life.

Motivation and Goal Setting: How to Set and Achieve Goals and Inspire Others

by Jim Cairo

Description from Amazon: Motivation and Goal Setting delivers concise, how to information in a friendly, interactive format ideal for team or individual use. This book will help one clearly define their values, maintain flexibility by setting realistic goals, and inspire others to work with their goals.

Make Success Measurable!: A Mindbook-Workbook for Setting Goals and Taking Action

by Douglas K. Smith

Description from Amazon: This is a how-to book, emphasizing outcomes as opposed to actions in setting goals. You'll learn how to: Set goals that matter to customers, shareholders, and funders. Set nonfinancial as well as financial goals and link them together for total success.

The Magic Lamp : Goal Setting for People Who Hate Setting Goals

by Keith Ellis

Description from Amazon: Do you have trouble setting goals? Would you like to have greater focus, stronger follow-through, and achieve dramatically better results? Would you like to learn how to get anything you want from life--more money, a new home, a promotion, better relationships, a greater sense of fulfillment, or anything else you can imagine? The Magic Lamp transforms the process of setting goals from a dull routine into an exciting adventure because it's the first book to combine the methods of goal setting with the magic of making your wishes come true.

BOOKS TO LIBERATE YOUR CREATIVITY

All of these books sit on the bookshelf beside my computer desk. Most of them are constant references for me. I hope you enjoy them.

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Aha! 10 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas

by Jordan Ayan

Gives you the confidence to listen to your own creative spirit. Based on the notion that creativity is a life skill that must be continually cultivated. Ten strategies for finding and harnessing inspiration.

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Thinkertoys

by Michael Michalko

Provides 30 meticulously outlined techniques, hundreds of hints, tricks, tips and true stories to turn you into a potent idea generator. Practical techniques for individuals, groups in meetings and in brainstorms.

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Cracking Creativity

by Michael Michalko

Superb companion to Thinkertoys. Examines the sources, secrets and methods of creativity. Packed with life-changing creative techniques that are easy to implement in the real world, with easy-to-follow steps that anyone can use to become more creative. Will change the way you think.

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Thinkpak — A Brainstorming Card Deck

by Michael Michalko

56 idea-stimulating cards to help kickstart your idea generation, exploration and evaluation sessions. Simple brain-storming techniques in your hands. Definitely worth having in your arsenal.

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A Whack on the Side of the Head

by Roger von Oech

Whacks you out of traditional thought patterns and sets your creative self free. Illustrated, filled with provocative puzzles. Refreshes your outlook and starts you thinking in new, creative ways.

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A Kick in the Seat of the Pants

by Roger von Oech

Defines the role of your inner Explorer, Artist, Judge and Warrior, and gives you practical ways of using them to generate ideas and solutions.

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Creative Whack Pack

by Roger von Oech

Deck of cards putting into practice all of the ideas in the two books. My favourite creativity tool.

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101 Ways to Generate Great Ideas

by Timothy R. V. Foster

Strategies and techniques to come up with good ideas to solve problems for yourself, your business and your clients. Great advice based on solid experience. Organised into categories so you can find the right technique for the right challenge.

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What a Great Idea!

by Charles “Chic” Thompson

One of my favourite creativity books. Key steps creative people take. Teaches you how to fight killer phrases, establish a creative environment, exploit idea-friendly times, nourish your vision, open an idea-bank, jump-start unproductive meetings, uncover new solutions, mobilise your creative forces. Buy this book today!

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The Joy of Thinking Big — Becoming a Genius in No Time Flat

by Ernie J. Zelinski

Entertaining resource helps you tap into and profit from your hidden store of creativity. Encourages us to ruffle a few feathers, take some chances, and live large. Fun and simple methods for making every part of your life an opportunity to be creative.

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Train Your Brain: The Ultimate 21 Day Mental Skills Programme for Peak Performance

by Harry Adler

Adler explains how you can achieve more with less effort, increase levels of inspiration and creativity, experience peak performance at will, take the hit-and-miss element out of personal achievement. Fascinating brain-training techniques.

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Freeing Your Creativity: A Writer’s Guide

by Marshall Cook

How to write more and better than you thought you could. Learn to be more frivolous, to “write fat”, knowing how to “revise lean” later. Ideas transfer from writing to other idea generation needs.

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Six Thinking Hats

by Edward de Bono

The essential de Bono book. Describes his superb method for making full use of everyone’s intelligence, experience and information, removing ego from discussions. Buy this book. It works.

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Pumping Ions: Games and Exercises to Flex Your Mind

by Tom Wujec

The mind needs exercise to stay in shape. Fully-illustrated guide provides dozens of exercises to increase attention span, improve memory, enhance creativity, stretch imagination, build up powers of deduction and analysis, hone decision-making skills.

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Lessons From the Art of Juggling: How to Achieve Your Full Potential in Business, Learning, and Life

by Michael J. Gelb and Tony Buzan

Trains you in the art of relaxed concentration — the secret of high performance in business and life. Break mental/brain barriers and open up new pathways of perception. The process is more important than the outcome.

BOOKS ON INVENTING

I've dabbled in inventing things, and have had one or two almost-breakthroughs. These books complement my creativity collection very well. And even if you're not an inventor, you'll find interesting stuff here on innovation.

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Eureka! The Entrepreneurial Inventor’s Guide to Developing, Protecting, and Profiting From Your Ideas

by Robert J. Gold

For everyone who’s ever had a great idea but didn't know what to do with it. Remarkably useful and complete guide takes you from brainstorming to market, with checklists to guide you through each process. A must-have for inventors.

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Inventing Small Products

by Stanley I. Mason

Insightful examination of the process of inventing small-scale, useful and very saleable products. Outlines how to become a professional inventor, demonstrating through examples.

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That’s a Great Idea! The New Product Handbook

by Tony Husch and Linda Foust

How to evaluate, protect, develop, and sell new product ideas. About creating new consumer products. How to get the ideas and how to put them to work.

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Great Idea! Now What?

by Howard Bronson and Peter Lange

Turn your idea, invention or business concept into a money-making success. Includes an easy-to-follow workbook to help you profit from your ideas. Shows you how to develop, test, market and sell your idea without huge financial risk.

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Gameplan: The Game Inventor’s Handbook

by Steve Peek

Covers all the bases in creating a game and getting it on the shelves, plus all the steps in between. A wealth of useful information here. Great book.

BOOKS ON PRACTICAL IDEA SKILLS

This is a collection of books straddling my esoteric, business, and writing shelves.

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The New Diary

by Tristine Rainer

How to use a journal for self guidance and expanded creativity. Helps you use a journal to tap into the full power of your inner resources. Clarify goals, visualise your future, focus your energies, free your intuition and imagination, explore your dreams, your past, your present life.

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The Craft of Copywriting

by Alastair Crompton

The best book I’ve read on how to succeed in generating ideas for advertising. A must-read, no matter what industry you’re in. This book gives the practical tools for generating ideas that sell other ideas. Improve your ability to communicate and generate better ideas.

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Graphic Design Made Difficult

by Bob Gill

About using problem-definition redefinition to solve problems. Amazing insight, potently delivered with many superb graphic design solutions and the thinking that led to them. Based on the premise that the more unique the statement of the problem, the more unique the solution will be. Stunning stuff. I love this book.

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Selling for Dummies

by Tom Hopkins

This book is the most important book you’ll buy. I advise that you get it before you get any other in this bibliography. It teaches you how to sell, which is the most basic skill you need when conveying your ideas to others. You will not find a better book on how to achieve personal success. Get this book. It’s the secret to everything you need.

FINDING THE JOB YOU’LL LOVE

Here's one of the realisations I came to in the aftermath of September 11. I decided that if a plane hit the building I was in, I'd want to be doing something I love. I encourage you to change your life so that you're doing the thing you love 24 hours a day. Do it.

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What Color is Your Parachute

by Richard Nelson Bolles

A new edition comes out every year. Buy any edition. Go to second-hand bookshops and look for old editions. This is one of the most important workbooks you’ll read. I’ve given away more than forty copies of this book to friends and strangers over the years. It has two parts to it: (1) finding out what job you want to do with your unique skills and passions: (2) finding the particular job to match your discoveries in the first section.

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Zen and the Art of Making a Living

by Laurence G. Boldt

A practical guide to creative career design. Innovative, unconventional, profoundly practical career guide. Complements What Color is Your Parachute. Another great career-definition book. Includes information not normally found in career guides.

THE BUSINESS OF CREATIVITY

It's not good enough JUST being creative. You've got to DO stuff with your creativity if you want to use it for money and fame and upping your babe-count. Awesome books for you to achieve what you want to achieve.

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Rules for Revolutionaries

by Guy Kawasaki with Michael Moreno

Create like a god. Command like a king. Work like a slave. The three principles of the Capitalist Manifesto for Creating and Marketing New Products and Services. This dude is the real thing. He made Apple Macintosh famous. Battle-tested lessons to help you turn your revolutionary zeal into visionary success. Buy this book.

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Selling the Dream

by Guy Kawasaki

How to promote your product, company, or ideas — and make a difference — using everyday evangelism. Yup. He’s converted religious evangelism techniques to business use. Awesome. A handbook and workbook for putting the techniques to work for your ideas. Another one to buy.

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New Entrepreneur’s Guidebook

by Paul F. McClure

Offers a proven framework for growing a business from start-up to maturity. Discover the repeatable patterns in your business and put them into an understandable framework before they slip away. How to manage the task of innovation through the different phases of business growth.

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Multipreneuring

by Tom Gorman

Using a variety of skills and a series of careers to succeed. Career strategy that provides techniques for managing a flexible “chameleon” career. Multiple careers are essential to success, and this book shows you how you can change your life to manage risk aggressively.

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The Joy of Working

by Denis Waitley and Reni L. Witt

The 30-day system to success, wealth, and happiness on the job. The key to personal profit, productivity and prosperity is enjoyment — enjoying your life and your work. Practical down-to-earth guide makes it easy for you to put the “joy factor” into your everyday life, making work a great place to be.

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The Circle of Innovation

by Tom Peters

You can’t shrink your way to greatness. With business in a state of perpetual flux, constant innovation is the only survivla strategy. This book shows you how to take responsibility as an individual for making the most of the chaos of the new world order. Provocative book.

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Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity

by John Kao

Helps you learn how to manage creativity, how to organise for creative results. Those who willingly implement new ideas thrive. Managers can stimulate creativity like musicians jamming.

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Innovations

by David P. Sorenson

A hands-on guide to developing an innovation culture in any organisation. Designed to help managers, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs create the kind of atmosphere that encourages constant effort to find new answers, new ideas and new products.