5 Game-Changing Books Every Professional Should Read

The best way to invest $15 is to buy a book and pay attention to what it says. It may entertain you, inform you, and once in a while—it will change your life.

That’s what happened when I read Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art. I was at a crossroads, feeling stuck in the way so many professionals do—not because I lacked talent or opportunity, but because I couldn’t seem to break through the invisible wall holding me back.

The Invisible Enemy: Resistance

That wall, I realized, was resistance. Pressfield didn’t sugarcoat it; he named it, dissected it, and handed me the tools to fight it. He spoke about resistance like an old enemy, one that shows up every time you sit down to do something meaningful. And there it was—the voice in my head that rationalized procrastination, disguised fear as practicality, and kept me busy instead of focused. For the first time, I understood that this wasn’t a flaw in me; it was a universal force that every professional must face.

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Overcoming resistance is now part of my core coaching program at Xponential. I’ll be diving into this in my next webinar focused on Making a Quantum Leap in your Career on Feb 5th at Noon CST. [Get Your Spot Here] - if you sing up, please add this to your calendar as we want to keep these small and every spot is valuable. We don’t record these and those who attend will have an opportunity to setup a strategy call with me.

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The Shift: Discipline Over Inspiration

With this newfound perspective, I began to show up differently. Every time I sat down to write, speak, or create, it felt like a deliberate act of defiance against resistance. The shift wasn’t about waiting for inspiration anymore—it was about showing up, doing the work, and committing to excellence.

The Results: Purpose Over Perfection

And that’s where the magic happened. Small, steady victories over resistance built momentum, and that momentum turned into meaningful progress. Pressfield’s words didn’t just help me overcome a creative block; they redefined how I approached work itself, transforming it into a purposeful practice.

The ROI on my $15 investment about 17 years ago? Three businesses—one of which failed, two of which thrive—and countless creative projects, some of them award-winning.

The War of Art Changed My Life. Here Are Four Other Books That Did Too:

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Ok, here are the other four books that forever transformed my professional journey.