My Favorite Books | Spiritual, Nutrition, Motivational

I have always loved reading. I remember rushing to finish my work in English classes when I was in primary school. Our teacher always had books in her class that I snuck and read well everybody was busy with their work. I loved stories of about outcast youth because the relation I felt made, being an outcast myself, a little bit easier. As I grew older and became engrossed in my spiritual journey I started leaning towards books that offered more in depth lessons. These are the books I turn to time and time again for guidance, inspiration and companionship. Books that I have found to be important to my journey.

Spirituality

The Celestine Prophecy

James Redfield

This is a book I recommend to almost anyone. It is a book about adventure and self discovery that is based on ancient wisdom. The Celestine Prophecy is everything The Alchemist promised to be. It not only blew my mind but also changed how I look at everyday life. Although it is mostly fiction the insights it delivers ring so true to real life that it is hard to make the distinction. This book has taught me to pay closer attention to everyday coincidences, be more sensitive to the beauty of our universe and how I exchange energy with it. I can not rant about this book enough and I just got the audio book for my mom which is not something I take lightly because she does not have much free time.

The Power of Now

Eckhart Tolle

This book changed my life from the moment I started reading it. I have heard about it for years and years and for some reason I always turned my nose up at it, maybe I was not ready for the information just yet. I should have known that I could not escape mention of it for a reason though, because I believe that I was meant to read this book and that it is integral to my human experience. I actually consider it a handbook to surviving the human experience, which has been said to be one of the hardest incarnations one can choose. This has been the most powerful tool in my arsenal against anxiety and depression. For years I have known about the many benefits of practicing mindfulness in our everyday lives, but failing to find a good teacher on the practice made me resentful towards it. That was until I picked up this book. It puts the practice of mindfulness in a modern way that is easy to grasp and makes it less intimidating and more accessible to the average person. It is not an over night process and I am learning everyday but the change it has made in my life is already more significant than anything I have ever read. If you read just one book on this list, this is it.

Nutrition

The Happy Vegan

Russell Simmons

This book is one of the best ways to learn about everything veganism in an easy and entertaining way. Russell Simmons chronicles his vegan journey as it relates to his life as a music industry icon and mogul who once indulged in a very unhealthy lifestyle that included mostly junk food and drugs, but who now indulges in sobriety, clean eating and yoga. He has managed to create one of the most informative and inspiring guides on the benefits of clean eating and veganism. I've recommended this book in both my Why You Should Consider Veganism and Transitioning to A Plant Based Diet posts because it has been one of the most helpful tools in my plant based journey and I believe everyone on the same journey should read it as well. Although Simmons is a mogul he has managed to write this book in an engaging and relatable way.

The China Study

T. Collin Campbell

To go from a dairy farmer who went to college to learn how to make animals produce more milk and meat, to a human nutrition expert promoting a whole foods, plant-based diet as the key to human health and disease prevention represents a remarkable shift in beliefs, career path, and personal behavior. This book tells the story of that shift - the story of Dr. Campbell's life and career as a scientist who was persuaded by what the growing body of nutrition research (including the groundbreaking epidemiological study he led) demonstrated. The China Study takes the time and the care to go through those studies and to explain how those studies show what they do.

 Motivational

Secrets The Millionaire Mind

T. Harv Ecker

This is an excellent book for people looking for financial freedom and to live on passive income. Ecker helps you analyze your "financial blueprint" which is your learnt relationship with money. He gives you the tools to improve this relationship then teaches seventeen "wealth files" which explains the difference in how millionaires think from the rest of the world. It teaches financial lessons that helps develops the mindset required to become rich and to expand your horizons. Although it is intended to focus on finance I have learned a few life lessons that I carry with me everyday such as "Thinking bigger than my problems." This is a book I believe everyone should read at least once. Truly inspirational and something I strive to read at least once a year.

The Tao Of Wu

The RZA

Yet another gem from another one of the most influential men in hip hop. I think its clear what I'm into. This is exactly what you think it is. Wisdom from one of the wisest men in Hip Hop. The RZA is a living legend. He is the man behind the iconic the Wu-Tang Clan and serves as an inspiration behind some of my biggest inspirations in the creative industry, such as Kanye West and Quentin Tarantino. In The Tao Of Wu, The RZA imparts the lessons he has learned on his journey from poverty to super-stardom. He has drawn these life lessons from the streets, martial arts, chess, religion and popular culture (much of which he helped create.) This book serves as both an autobiography, and spiritual and philosophical gem. It has been hailed "the Siddharta for the hip hop generation" and is entertaining, enlightening and inspirational. I can not help but agree with this. The Tao of Wu was my first experience with spiritual text of this kind. If this list was in chronological order this book would be right at the top. I try and read it once a year. It has taught me so many lessons and every time I read it I learn something new. I try and borrow it to as many people as I can (who I know will return it back to me) because I believe it has something to teach all of us. This book is one of my most prized possessions and one I hope to keep till the end of this incarnation.