A habit that can put you in the top 1%

“Formal education gets you a job, self education gets you rich.” - Jim Rohn

As you know, I'm kind of a big fan of formal education. However, a college degree alone is not enough. Those who succeed are always learning. 

Self-education is a habit, and the earlier you start the more successful you will be. Period. 

(Sometimes I think back to what an odd kid I was - when I was a teenager I asked for 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens for Christmas (I know, nerd-alert). Self-learning always seemed a natural companion to formal learning to me.)

But how do you fit in extra learning while you're also getting formally educated? Well, you just do it. 

It's also helpful to set goals. For example, how about reading one book per month? I recently read in The Charge that people who read one book per month are in the top 1% of intellectuals. Not a bad payoff. 

A core concept in my book is how to find and learn from mentors - which is vital to college success. However, some of my favorite mentors also live in books. 

Lately I've had a lot of (awesome) readers e-mail me asking for my favorite non-fiction books about success, so I thought I would share them below. 

This is just a list to get you started - if you have any recommendations please share them in the comments section or on the Facebook page. 

And while I believe there is no better investment than in your formal and self-education, never underestimate the power of libraries when money is tight. 

The 10 books that have helped me reach my dreams these past few years (in no particular order):

1. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 
2. The Compound Effect 
3. The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth 
4. Outliers 
5. So Good They Can't Ignore You 
6. How to Be Like Walt 
7. What Should I do with my Life? 
8. Making Good 
9. Good to Great 
10. Never Eat Alone

And if you're looking to improve your college performance, some of my favorites include How to Win at College, How to Become a Straight-A Student, Say This, NOT That to your Professor, and a little diddy called Community College Success. ;)