This was another recommendation from my friends, Zack Blair. I absolutely love Dave Ramsey! The first time I heard Dave, I went through his Financial Peace University curriculum when I was 19. I was in college, working part-time, and really didn’t have the mentality to do what the program suggests. Now, five years later, I read this book at an entirely new level. I’m ready for my Total Money Makeover!

“If you live like nobody else lives now, later you’ll live like nobody else!”

This book is great for developing and confirming a belief system in your heart about money. It’s about getting money to work for you instead of you working for your money. Dave’s plan is broken down into 7 baby steps:

1.) Get a $1,000 Emergency Fund

2.) Pay off all Debt Using the Debt Snowball

3.) Get 3-6 months worth of Expenses in Savings

4.) Invest 15% of household income to Roth IRA’s and Pre-Tax Retirement

5.) College Funding for your Children

6.) Pay off your Home Early

7.) Build Wealth and Give!

One of my favorite quotes is “Discipline is remembering what you want.”  – I want to be in a great place financially and be able to give tons of money away in my lifetime! This will only come through believing God and being a wise steward of the increase He brings into my life. This book is a must read and a must implement! I hope you’ll read it, become a fan of Dave, and have your life changed through your own Total Money Makeover!

Final Grade: 9.5 out of 10

So I finally jumped on board and read one of the best selling books of all time! Over the past year, I’ve become a huge Rick Warren fan. After hearing him at Catalyst West Coast last year, I became convinced I needed to get all the wisdom I could from this guy!

You are as close to God as you choose to be. – Rick Warren

You’ll never know that God is all you need until God is all you’ve got.

So I picked up The Purpose Driven Life. This is a great book. If I had to call it another name, I’d call it Christianity 101. This is a great book for new believers who want to grow in their relationship with God. It’s also a great book for mature believers because it brings us back to the simplicity of living for God and helps us remember what’s important. It’s a great 40-day journey to go through – I’d recommend it!

Final Grade – 8.5 out of 10

My Highlights:

• Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless

• God is not just the starting point of your life; he is the source of it.

• I don’t know all the keys to success, but one key to failure is to try to please everyone.

• The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.

• Never confuse activity with productivity.

• A very important test is how you act when you can’t feel God’s presence in your life.

• If you have ever said, “I didn’t get anything out of worship today,” you worshiped for the wrong reason. Worship isn’t for you.

• You are as close to God as you choose to be.

• You don’t bring glory to God by trying to be someone he never intended you to be. God wants you to be yourself.

• If God never did anything else for you, he would still deserve your continual praise for the rest of your life because of what Jesus did for you on the cross.

• THE BEST USE OF LIFE IS LOVE

• Why should God give you another day if you’re going to waste it?

• The importance of things can be measured by how much time we are willing to invest in them.

• the best way to spell love is “T–I–M–E.”

• it is easy to fool ourselves into thinking we are mature if there is no one to challenge us. Real maturity shows up in relationships.

• Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others. Humble people are so focused on serving others, they don’t think of themselves.

• Nothing shapes your life more than the commitments you choose to make.

• You’ll never know that God is all you need until God is all you’ve got.

Seth Godin is definitely a linchpin. He is indispensable. Why?  He knows he has something of value to offer to the world. Because of this knowledge, he ships -> he gives what he has to the world, and as a result thousands of people and organizations are in a better place. If he didn’t give what he has away, it would be to the detriment of all of those people and organizations. This makes Seth indispensable.

This book will at least give you the inspiration and motivation to become indispensable, of course,what you do with the knowledge gained through this book is what will actually matter. My summary of the book: Stop doing things that anybody else could do, and start doing things that will make you stand out, that make you indispensable. To do anything else is a waste of your talent, time, and to be honest, your life.

This was one of the best books I’ve ever read. If you’re plan on doing anything with your life, including actually having a job, you need to read this book.

Final Grade: 10/10   Buy It Here: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Here are some of my highlights:

• You can train yourself to matter.

• The only way to grow is to stand out, to create something worth talking about, to treat people with respect and to have them spread the word.

• “Not My Job” Three words can kill an entire organization.

• What They Should Teach in School Only two things: 1. Solve interesting problems 2. Lead

• If you can’t be remarkable, perhaps you should consider doing nothing until you can.

• If you don’t have a résumé, what do you have? How about three extraordinary letters of recommendation from people the employer knows or respects? Or a sophisticated project an employer can see or touch? Or a reputation that precedes you? Or a blog that is so compelling and insightful that they have no choice but to follow up?

• The linchpin says, “I don’t want a job that a non-linchpin could get

• ”A day’s work for a day’s pay (work <=> pay). I hate this approach to life. It cheapens us.

• It’s okay to have someone you work for, someone who watches over you, someone who pays you. But the moment you treat that person like a boss, like someone in charge of your movements and your output, you are a cog, not an artist.

• I think the discipline of shipping is essential in the long-term path to becoming indispensable.

• If you are working only for the person you report to according to the org chart, you may be sacrificing your future.

• If your agenda is set by someone else and it doesn’t lead you where you want to go, why is it your agenda?

• Linchpins don’t need authority. It’s not part of the deal. Authority matters only in the factory, not in your world.

• Mentoring is rarely about the facts of the deal (the facts are easily found), but instead is a transfer of emotion and confidence.

• When you meet someone, you need to have a superpower. If you don’t, you’re just another handshake.