Reading books has always been one of my favorite things to do, not just as a hobby, but also as a way of personal development... that's why my favorite books tor read are books that add value to me. In my field as a designer who focuses on branding, my collection of books are mostly books related to business, marketing, branding, motivation, and self-help.
Today, I will be bring to you all one of my favorite books, and not only me, a lot of people also consider this book as one of their favorite books as well. The numbers says a lot as this book is one of the best selling books of its time... a considerable small and easy to read book, (about 112 pages) but packed with a lot of value.
The book I will be giving my own opinion about and what I think of the book is titled "The greatest salesman in the world" by Og Mandino.
So many people consider this book as one of the most inspiring books in the world till date. Some even say that their lives changed for the better after they read the book... For me, I would have to agree because the book is packed with so many valuable life lessons that anyone can benefit from.
The good thing about this book is that even though it's kinda a related to business, it's not like every other business-related books that is about make money tactics, strategies for increasing sales, business model... Instead, the book is mainly about personal development and principles to success that can be beneficial to life in general not just in business. What this means is that anyone that wants to improve themselves can pick this book up and read.
For me, The greatest salesman in the world by Og Mandino is one of those books that you read over and over again to fully memorize every single teachings in the book. The book is basically about a Hafid who is a camel boy... in the book, Hafid aspires to be a rich merchant so that it will give him the ability and passage to marry the woman of his dreams. Because of this great ambition and drive, he goes to his master and ask that his master teaches him the principles that will help him win in life (to become a great salesman and be rich)...
The master accepts the request of Hafid to teach him the principle of the 10 scrolls... However, for Hafid to win in life and become the master of sales and become wealthy, he must practice the secrets of the 10 scrolls.
He is then given the 10 scrolls. In the book, the 10 scrolls represent the 10 life lessons that Hafid must learn and abide by in other to achieve his dreams and winning in life and becoming wealthy.
The first scroll teaches about the power of habit. Letting go of old bad habits and starting a new and good habit, and beginning a new and positive life.
The second scroll teaches about love. It basically means, letting love lead... don't be grumpy and always spread love and kindness.
The third scroll teaches about the importance of persistence. It means that persistence is key to success... not given up even when things are not going as planned.
The fourth scroll teaches that we humans are nature's greatest miracle. This is basically accepting your uniqueness as a person and your self-worth. It teaches you how to believe in yourself and your abilities.
The fifth scroll teaches to live everyday like the last day. Like it says, you don't need to worry about the past, instead, focus on the present and try to make the most out of it.
The sixth scroll teaches mastering emotions. This simply means that as humans, we should always be in charge of out emotions and don't let our emotions take advantage of us and detect our decisions and actions.
The seventh scroll teaches laughing at the world and our self too. This is basically saying that as a person, you should not take life too seriously and always maintain a sense of humor... and no matter the situation, you should always find joy and laughter.
The eight scroll teaches multiplying value. This means always seeking to improve and become better. Strive for growth and always try to be valuable.
The ninth scroll teaches taking action. It emphasizes that taking action is key and that no matter the plans or dreams you have, if you don't take action, they are all worthless. Acting now without procrastination is really important... even though you fail in the process, it is still better than not taking any action as you will learn valuable lessons from it
The tenth scroll teaches the power of prayer. This is basically praying and seeking guidance. It teaches that as humans, we all need help and guidance to stay on the right path, and this can be achieved through faith and prayer.
Looking at the lessons contained in the 10 scrolls, you can see why many consider this book as one of the greatest books to be written. For me, it is truly one of the best books because all the lessons are something that when put into practice can transform a person life for the better. The lessons are incredibly valuable. For me, this is a must-read and I recommend it for anyone who wants to learn some valuable life lessons and win.
If I am to rate this book, I will rate it a solid 10/10 because of quite a number of factors. It is really a small book, which means that anyone can pick this book up and finish reading it from start to finish on about an hour or an hour, thirty minutes depending on the reading speed. Also, the book is packed with almost every lessons that can change a person life for the better if put into use. And lastly, I like the writing style of the book which makes it a great book to read.