A Reading List To Help You Love Your Work & Make More Money

Can the books we read make us better at what we do? Can they help us help more people? Can turning a book’s pages and reading the words there teach us how to love our work and make more money so we can do more fun things with the people we love? They can. Actually,

Good books might be the cheapest, most accessible magic wand we have for completely changing our lives.

Depending on the season of life you’re in right now, your work might primarily consist of navigating life as a student, partner, parent, or retiree. It might entail keeping small humans, teenagers, pets, and spouses healthy, clean, safe, well-read, and well-fed. Or, it might consist of trying to do some of those things while getting to an office, opening the shop, or logging into your first Zoom meeting by 9 am every morning, staying busy until 5 or 6 pm, and getting back to keep things running at home until your head hits the pillow.

You might love what you do but wish you could do it better, help more people, or use more of your creativity.

You might feel like what you do is taking you away from your family too much or keeping you from your true calling. You might wish you could find different work, more work, or work that better fits who you really are. You might want to make more money so you can move across the country to live close to your sister, send your kids to art school, or take your whole family to France next summer.

Or, you might be facing bills you have no way of paying and zero opportunities to make the money to pay them.

I’ve been there. I’m not just saying that — I’ve actually been there. Recently, in fact. And I’m somewhere entirely different right now, drastically so. And I know things changed drastically for me because of a little luck and a few simple steps I took, steps I learned from the books I’m about to share with you.

If you can relate to any of those pain points, I’m writing this blog post because I want you to know things can change for you, too.

Drastically so. They can be better than you can even dream of right now.

Here are the books that can help:

#1— You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero

I’ve been reading/listening to You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero yearly since 2020 — the year when I decided to leave my good salary job and step into running my own consultancy business full-time. I’ll probably be reading it every year until the end of time. Why? Because I didn’t grow up believing I could (or should) make a lot of money, and even though this book changed that, 12 months is about how long it takes my poverty mindset programming to kick back in.

Jen’s writing style is sassy, straight to the point, and activating, and her stories are hilarious. (Also, she’s fantastic in the audio version.) I never feel like she’s trying to sell anything other than my own brilliance that’s been hiding in the back closet since I was a teenager, a brilliance I couldn’t even see anymore until I saw it in these pages. Jen is a master at helping people master the mindset of wealth.

Here are a few good blurbs from the book:

“Make the best choice you can, give it a shot, succeed or fail, learn from the experience, and keep going. Sitting around in tortured indecision is not an option.”

“[It’s about] freeing yourself up to thrive in abundance instead of living life clinging to your fears”

Here’s what others say:

"An accessible book for anyone looking to push the restart button on their personal finances."
—New York Post

"Jen Sincero helps readers find true financial success through her combination of practical advice and deeply personal (and often hilarious) stories."
—Today.com

#2— The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles

I started looking for The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles after reading about it in You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero. It was one of the books that made Jen angry at people who talk about making more money and also one of the books that changed her life, particularly with its opening line, “Whatever may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a really complete or successful life unless one is rich”.

It’s a short, simple read (the version I have is self-published and doesn’t even have page numbers), but the principles inside are profound and life-changing, principles based on gratitude, being a creator instead of a competitor, mastering your mind, and considering money as not something dirty or bad but necessary if we want to help others and take care of the people we love.

A few good quotes from the book:

“There is a science of getting rich, and it is an exact science, like algebra or arithmetic. . . any man or woman who learns to do things in this certain way will infallibly get rich.”

“You can get into the business you want by making constructive use of the business you are already established in — by doing your daily work in a certain way.”

“No one else is going to beat you to the thing you want to do; there is enough for all.”

Here’s what other people say:

“In his seventeen short, straight-to-the-point chapters, Wattles shows how to use this idea, how to overcome barriers to its application, and how work with very direct methods that awaken it in your life. He further explains how creation and not competition is the hidden key to wealth attraction, and how your power to get rich uplifts everyone around you.” —Bookshop.org

#3— Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo

If you’ve been reading my articles since 2019 or keeping up with the personal growth sector since 2005 or so, you’re probably no stranger to Marie Forleo. It’s true, she’s not everyone’s cup of tea. (None of us are.) But she’s helped millions of people overcome great obstacles, create beautiful businesses, and change their lives for the better. And her B-school program put me on the path that not only led to my becoming a “real” writer but also led me to the philanthropy consulting work I get to do today with some of the most talented, amazing people on the planet — people I never would have met in a million years, let alone worked with, had it not been for that program. And Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo holds so many of the concepts that have helped me and so many others over the years.

A few good blurbs from the book:

“You never feel ready to do the important things you’re meant to do.”

“You’ll never grow beyond your current circumstances if you’re closed off to everything except what you currently know.”

“Create before you consume.”

“Nothing changes if nothing changes. Be bold. Break your patterns. Step away from societal norms that suffocate your life.”

Here’s what a few other people say:

"Everything is Figureoutable is a whirlwind of power, humor, pragmatism, and grace. Marie Forleo writes exactly the way she lives--with full-on enthusiasm, no-bullshit directness, and a ferocious commitment to self-accountability. This woman is the real deal, people. This book will change lives."
—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and Big Magic

"Smart, funny, and as brilliant as it is straightforward. LOVED it!"
—Brené Brown PhD, author of Dare to Lead and Daring Greatly

"The best books fit our persistent locks like a perfectly made key. Marie is honest, generous and caring, and she's sharing her wisdom here. If you're looking for the next step on your journey to make a difference for others, here it is."
—Seth Godin, author of This is Marketing

#4— How Remarkable Women Lead by Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston

I first read How Remarkable Women Lead by Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston while studying non-profit leadership in my graduate program in 2018-2019. It’s a remarkable book featuring interviews with top women leaders where they share the steps that have made all the difference for them, both professionally and personally, in entering leadership and loving it. This book helped me embrace the work that comes most easily to me, figure out what I wanted from my work life, and commit to creating opportunities for myself. The biggest lesson I learned from its pages? Don’t be in such a hurry for your biggest dreams—work for them, keep your eye on them, but also embrace what you’re doing right now as preparation so you’ll be ready when big dreams suddenly become your reality.

A few good quotes from the book:

“Once you kick the always-on habit, you’ll be much more productive.”

“You really can set the rules.”

“You can turn almost any job into your calling if it draws on your core strengths, engages you fully, and inspires you through a higher purpose.”

Here’s what other people say:

“How Remarkable Women Lead offers some interesting ideas, such as learning to frame events in a positive light and to adapt to setbacks with optimism rather than self-doubt and pessimism. But some of the book's interviews with top executives--like Avon's Andrea Jung, Xerox's Anne Mulcahy and former Qantas chairman Margaret Jackson--are long on platitudes and short on the details of how these business leaders handled various challenges."—The Wall Street Journal

"We are always looking for new perspectives on growing great women leaders. How Remarkable Women Lead is a great read, with real insights and actionable ideas! The inspiring stories give an intimate look at how remarkable women really get things done, providing a development model valuable to both women and men. This refreshing and action-oriented book stands out!"
—Susan P. Peters, vice president, executive development and chief learning officer, General Electric

"Here are the stories of amazing women leaders in the context of an imaginative and pragmatic framework that rests on a rich fact base. It puts to rest stereotypes we have about who leaders are and how to lead. The seeds for our future are in here. The new CEO is a woman or a man who is not afraid to drop the John Wayne costume."
—Gary Hamel, author of The Future of Management and Leading the Revolution

#5— You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

Yes, Jen Sincero made my top-five list twice. Yes, this book is that good. No, it’s not a repeat of the other one. And yes, I’ve read You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero over and over again, too. I also keep it in one of my desk book stacks, and every time I see it, I can’t help but wonder how different my life might have been if I hadn’t been so shy about buying a book with a curse word on the front the first time I saw it in a bookshop 10 years ago. Maybe I wouldn’t have been ready for it back then. But maybe it would have changed everything years before it did.

A few great quotes from the book:

“Every single person is born with unique and valuable gifts to share with the world. Once we figure out what ours are, and decide to live our lives putting them to use, that’s when, and only when, the real party begins.”

“The times I jumped in and went for it were way more fun than the times I spent sitting around ‘getting ready’ and doing nothing instead.”

Here’s what other people say:

"If touchy-feely self-help tomes make you feel, shall we say, less than inspired, this no-nonsense manifesto to awesomeness might be just what you're looking for. Filled with blunt and sassy advice, do-it-yourself exercises in personal transformation, and a whole lot of hilarity, You Are a Badass will silence your inner critic, and help you build a life worthy of the kind of Facebook news feed that others envy. Take a day off from looking for your inner goddess, and spending some time cultivating your outer badass instead."
—Bustle.com

Now go get ‘em.

And send me a note when you do.

A word about the book links I use. . .

The book links in this post point to Bookshop.org instead of Amazon. Why? Because a portion of every sale they make goes to keep small, local, independent bookshops alive, and they have incredible service. And for audiobooks, I link to new audiobook service Libro.fm instead of Audible. Why? Because they support small, local, independent bookshops, too. (They even let you pick your favorite local bookshop to support with your purchases or monthly subscription—I chose Bellabooks in Belfast, Maine.) If you haven't checked these out before, I hope you will. Especially if you love sweet little local bookshops and want to keep them around.

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