“People don’t realize how a man’s whole life can be changed by one book.”

— Malcolm X  

One of the first books that changed my life was Way of The Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. I read it first when I was 19 years old, the summer before my sophomore year of college.  

I had just been betrayed by some people who I thought were my friends, and rather than be upset about it, I turned to reading. 

I had been a lone wolf anyway, so letting go of people I thought were friends wasn’t that difficult anyway. (But I did feel a sort of sting for a week or two).

I learned early to love myself and not seek approval or love from people outside of myself. 

And this book helped me love myself more. 

It helped expand my perspective on the world and universe. 

I wrote a summary of the book here, but some of the messages in the book are: 

“Be happy now, without reason.”  

“You are much more than you think.”  

And “Life is much more than what any one of us can think.” .. there’s a lot more to life than our thoughts about it. 

And “Actions are more important than thoughts.” 

Anyway, I’ve read in the hundreds of books at this point. Sometimes it takes reading 15 to 20 books to find the one that I really connect with. 

Do you have a book that has changed your life?