My Favorite Entrepreneurship Books

In April, it’s World Book Day! In honor of this magnificent holiday, I wanted to share the five books that have been the most impactful and influential in my journey over the past two years.

The past two years have been eventful for me. This time two years ago, I was working as a paralegal and planning on going to law school. Then, I declined my law school acceptances (changing my career plans, but unknown what for!). Once I decided to do that, I looked for different jobs in New York, but nothing was panning out. I decided to quit my job nonetheless, even without another job lined up. It was scary, but I followed my gut.

I started Urban20Something.com as a blog to document the unmapped journey I was about to take. So much has happened since then, and I am especially proud of how far Urban 20 Something has become. Since I started it, I quit my job, declined law school, traveled through Southeast Asia alone, landed my job at a wonderful nonprofit back in NYC, moved, and turned Urban20Something.com into a full business, all around my day job.

The key to all of this change? Mindset. So, in honor of World Book Day, I wanted to share the top five books that have supported me during this time.

1- Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.

A must-read for creatives! At first, I wasn’t sure if this book would be applicable to me because I had a narrow assumption of what ‘creative’ meant. I’m not a writer or traditional artists. But, this book is for anyone wanting to live a creative life, and find the magic in doing so. It gave me so much inspiration to put more into Urban20Something.com than what I had originally thought it could be, which in turn, transformed it from a blog to a business. I reread it often and highly recommend it.

2- The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles.

Another one that I revisit every couple of months, I love this way of thinking. It’s a great reminder to drop the stress and drama. You don’t need either to be rich (or happy!). This helped me monetize my website because it helps you think less of selling things in a salesy way, and instead, giving more to someone than what they pay for it. For instance, many of my online courses cost $100-$200, but contain tools and strategies designed to make people much more than that investment.

3- Anything by Marianne Williamson.

Another author that seems to speak my language. She writes about experiencing the world through love and miracles, and receiving more of both in doing so. She has helped me move forward so much despite fear I have, which is a big reason Urban20Something.com has grown the way it has. It’s not always easy putting yourself on the internet, where people can say whatever mean thing they want about you!

4- The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks.

This book helps us all identify ways in which we put upper-limits on what’s possible for ourselves. Typically, it’s based on what we grew up with, what society has taught us, or other old programming that has nothing to do with reality. As a result, we often accept things as not possible for us, even though it’s not the case. This book has really help me reshaped what I think is possible for me and helped me break through any false limits that appear to come up, not accept them.

5- The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo.

I loved this book in college and reread it on my own travels throughout Southeast Asia. It’s such a comforting book and always leaves me optimistic that things will work out. They always have!