you want to change your life, one of the fastest ways to do that is with the right ideas from the right books.

 But I'm sure you know not all of them are created equal.

 Cuz there's some you can read in a single weekend, completely rewire your thinking, where others it's kind of a marketing tool for the author.

 Now, I've personally read over 300, yes, 300 non-fiction self-improvement style books.

 And today I want to rank order the 15 most popular ones on a tier list so you can just go straight to the A and the S tier and kind of skip over some and save some time.

 They might be asking, "Well, Clark, how did you choose these books?" Three things.

 The first, it sold over 5 million copies or had over 10,000 Amazon reviews.

 The second, I have personally read it cover to cover so I can have a fair opinion on it.

 And the third, it's a book you would definitely know about or have heard of.

 and a bonus criteria cuz we did this video 3 years ago.

 I chose half new books, half returners, so we can update a few hot takes along the way.

 This first book is all about something I know you have, your habits.

 It's estimated up to 46% of everything you do is habitual.

 From the time you get up to the place you work to the clothes you wear.

 And even in today's age, habits are now digital.

 You have algorithms.

 And so if you want to change your life, it makes sense to look at your habits, right? None other James Clear's Atomic Habits.

 So where are we ranking this bad boy? To kick us off, you know what? I got to go with the A tier.

 This is one of the most practical books I have ever read on habit change, which can be kind of a dry subject.

 James Clear, very talented writer, and makes it not that very enjoyable for sure.

 Our next book tackles two problems that I know you have cuz we all do in the modern world.

 Number one, we're more distracted than ever.

 Average screen time is up to 4 to 6 hours.

 Pretty crazy cuz that's 2 to 3 months of your life every single year.

 I'm right there with you.

 So much so, there's an entire movie industry now making movies assuming you're going to be scrolling when you're watching the movie called dual viewing.

 If we're more distracted than ever, it means focus is becoming increasingly valuable.

 cuz when things are rare, they go up in value.

 But the second is that a lot of the work we do on a day-to-day is what is known as shallow work.

 Responding to emails, checking boxes on a to-do list, and attending meetings that should have been an email.

 Zoom is just sucking your soul.

 Your results will come from what is known as deep work.

 Cal Newport.

 All right.

 So, where are we putting this book on the tier list here? I'm going to give it the B tier.

 distracted, brain rotted, you can't focus, this book is totally for you.

 Only reason it's not higher for me is I believe the core idea can be summed up relatively quickly.

 Solid read though, definitely worth picking up and checking out if you're in a phase of your life where you need some deep work.

 Psychology of money, Morgan Hel.

 You've seen this one on New York Times bestsellers, maybe at airports.

 I think that's where I picked this one up.

 Talks all about the behavior with money because everyone knows they should invest.

 You've likely heard that.

 Maybe you've read a few books on it.

 Maybe you've already started.

 But did you know up to 45% of Americans have zero dollars saved, not even in a 401k? And up to 60% in 2023 when they surveyed people, they were living paycheck to paycheck.

 And I'm not saying that from a judgmental place, like how dare they.

 No, it's hinting at the fact that knowing and doing are two different things.

 And finances can be intimidating and tough.

 Some people think, well, you know, it's easy to start investing if you're making a lot of money or you have six figures.

 But I'm sure you've met people or know people who have made tons of money and then lost it because the behavior is not there, which is what this book talks about.

 And then there's the flip side, crazy stories that are outliers of people like Theodore Ted Johnson who worked for UPS.

 He never made over $14,000 a year and he retired.

 You want to know how much he retired with? Let me look.

 Over $70 million.

 That's crazy.

 Well, how did he do it? Using what little money he had and being super disciplined in putting money away and behaving the right way.

 So, where we rank in this book, I'm giving it the A tier.

 Um, I couldn't put it down.

 Like, this dude has a gift for making anything interesting.

 I think Doge should hire him to rewrite our tax code and he'd make it just like a page turner.

 A lot of the information out there can feel intimidating with finances, right? And then you feel bad that you haven't started or maybe it's too late.

 But books like this really make the topic approachable.

 In my humble opinion, this book is a great preface to all the other financial advice out there because it tackles the behavior.

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 All right, this next book is all about the voice inside your head.

 What does it say? Does it encourage you and cheer you on? Or is it like most and it's this raging inner critic that when you want to create something, it tells you, "Dude, you're going to fail.

 Dude, you look pretty cringe.

 12-year-old nephew can probably do better than you.

" The biggest realization is if you have that, you're not broken.

 Okay? There's nothing wrong with you.

 In fact, this is something we all have.

 And if you want to put anything out into the world, you need to go to war in order to create your art.

 Steven Presfield labels that voice resistance and that it's a force outside of you that's trying to self-sabotage and hold you back.

 And this book is all about how to beat procrastination and create your art to put out into the world.

 All right, so where are we putting the war of arts? You know what? This should be no surprise if you've seen other videos where I'm talking about it.

 this thing is going on the S tier.

 You know, one thing I love about this book is it's written with you, not like above you.

 Okay, so he talks about how he has resistance even while writing the book.

 And that resistance doesn't go away.

 The point isn't to get rid of it.

 The point is to level up with it.

 I'd go so far as to say this channel, this video, uh, wouldn't exist without it.

 And they're super short chapters.

 So, I need short chapters.

 I need bullet points.

 maybe some pictures.

 How do you stop caring what other people think of you? This book argues you need to develop one thing, the courage to be disliked.

 It's backed up in what is known as Adleran psychology.

 Now, if you've heard of Sigman Freud and Carl Yung, Alfred Adler was like the third musketeer of that trio there.

 without getting into a whole history lesson.

 Alfred Adler was like, "Dude, you guys are really obsessed with childhood and, you know, people's past and trauma and like, is everything we're doing today always stemming back to what happened to us or can we ever escape?" And so, he had this different approach where maybe we're not running away from our past and our trauma, but maybe we're drawn to goals we set.

 And in some way, even our negative actions are trying to meet a positive intent, a goal.

 It's even got a few hot takes in there like trauma doesn't exist and that all your problems are interpersonal relationship problems.

 Got money issues? That's a relationship problem.

 Well, sometimes it is.

 Some guy in the comments is like it damn sure is.

 Divorce is expensive.

 Look, I'm giving this Where are we ranking this bad boy? I'm giving it the A tier.

 I love that it's got a few hot takes and it's not afraid to draw a line in the sand and, you know, back it up with its opinion.

 You do not have to agree with everything in here, but I think even if you agree with 30%, 40%, there's enough in here to challenge your thinking and grow from.

 Got a book breakdown series coming on it uh later this month or next month, but be on the lookout for that.

 Speaking of hot takes, this next guy is a polarizing figure.

 Some of you love him, maybe some of you aren't a fan of his political views.

 Regardless, I think you can push that aside and learn a lot from 12 Rules for Life.

 Now, this book is, you guessed it, 12 rules for meaningful existence that you can live and also a lot about lobsters.

 Rules like focusing on your higher purpose, telling the truth, or at least don't lie.

 And then my personal favorite, how does he say it? He says, "Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping.

" Love that.

 Think about your friend going through a hard time.

 You'd probably clear your schedule.

 Dude, I'm so sorry that happened.

 You know, you didn't deserve that.

 Yet, when it's us, okay, time to roll up the sleeves and you know, we deserved it.

 It's our fault.

 We don't have that same self-compassion.

 Where are we putting 12 rules for life? We are putting it on the B tier for Jordan B.

 Peterson.

 Jokes are pretty rough today, huh? My personal opinion on this is I love that he's reaching a demographic of young men that need guidance.

 A lot of the advice out there, let's be real, can feel shallow, like it's talking about the same three things.

 You got to make money.

 You got to get jacked so you can get laid.

 I'm not making those wrong cuz who doesn't go through that and want that especially in your 20s? But if you're looking for something deeper, you're looking for values and guidance.

 I think these are good rules to growing and maturing as a person.

 Rich dad poor dad.

 The premise he had two dads growing up.

 One was rich, one was poor.

 He compares what rich people did that poor people didn't.

 I'm going fast with this one because I'm going to put it guys on the C tier.

 Uh I believe there's other books that are more practical and sure like the high level helps, but I'm thinking in terms of like your ROI of your time.

 You know, if you're going to invest 5 hours into something, I think there's different books now on the topic that maybe are more enlightening.

 All right, this next one you've probably heard of cuz it's a classic.

 It's old school.

 Napoleon Hill interviewed the top successful people of his time and identified the key habits that made them a success.

 Not like modern influencers.

 I mean, this was written in the 30s, so we're talking people in the 1900s and before.

 What did they have in common? Well, he identifies habits and talks about them in the book.

 Desire, faith, persistence, and even nofap.

 What was that conversation like? So, uh you you uh like couple times a week.

 What are we talking about here? He's just like obsessed with it, and it's how he starts every interview.

 Where are we ranking Think and Grow Rich? You know, I'm giving it the C tier.

 And here's why.

 Rumor has it Napoleon Hill died penniless.

 Despite knowing everything about success and interviewing people, he couldn't apply it himself.

 You're thinking, "Welcome to the internet.

 Someone talking about something they haven't done.

" Does that instantly discredit his ideas? I don't think so.

 You got to understand it was written in the 30s.

 And then also there have been successful people who credit these ideas in Napoleon Hill as part of their success.

 So maybe the ideas didn't work for him, but they worked for other people.

 That ripple effect is why it's not uh lower.

 Speaking of rumors, there's a rumor this was banned in prisons because it's all about the 48 laws of power.

 Robert Green goes over 48 laws that people can use to manipulate you.

 Okay, think about old school Hollywood and sch smoozing and networking.

 And he says that you can read this as a defense mechanism.

 So when you see those, you know what's happening.

 Never outshine the master.

 That's a great one that you if you're working under someone, sometimes they have a fragile ego.

 So if you're better than them, they are intimidated by it and they want to punish you for that.

 See that in the workplace quite a bit, unfortunately.

 Pose as a friend, work as a spy.

 Crush your enemy entirely.

 Know who you're dealing with.

 Don't offend the wrong person, stuff like that.

 Now, where are we rank in 48 Laws of Power? I am going to put this on the B tier.

 I like Robert Green and this is a really well-ritten book.

 Uh he's very talented and I like a lot of the podcast tours he's been doing where he's sharing his ideas.

 The only reason this isn't higher, I think about the person it attracts and like a 21-year-old dude who's already struggling with his place in the workforce, um, his confidence, maybe dating.

 And if you're not careful, you can read this as gospel, like, well, this is how the world works, and if you can't beat them, join them.

 He's using law number 23 on me, which the more you go looking for something, the more you'll see it.

 And that can totally mess up relationships, not just romantic ones, but friendships and other interpersonal ones.

 Truth is somewhere in the middle.

 So accept that people are going to manipulate you.

 And no amount of knowing what's going to happen can prevent it.

 But there are good people in the world who aren't operating with a manual like that.

 So maybe taking some of these ideas with a pinch of salt and not as gospel for how the world works.

 That's a good preface, I think, to this book and using it so they don't get used on you.

 Next up is a productivity book that is anti-hustle culture without saying that it is.

 We have been sold a lie with hustle culture that the secret to your success is you doing more.

 You work longer hours.

 You sell more products.

 You try more things.

 Some of that's true at the early stages, but when you're ready to go to the top, the biggest companies don't do everything.

 They do one thing.

 Starbucks does coffee.

 Google does search.

 KFC got big off one recipe.

 Kentucky Fried Chicken, Intel, microprocessors, and interestingly enough, Star Wars, their one thing, merchandise, it's what makes them all the money.

 So, when you're ready to reach the top, you got to focus and go all in on the one thing.

 How do you find yours? That's what this book is all about.

 So, where we rank in the one thing, I am giving it the A tier.

 Life-changing.

 What I love about this book is it talks about focusing instead of productivity.

 one thing, one thing you're going to hone in on and focus.

 And like a personal story here real quick.

 I had a time in my career where I was told to be everywhere.

 That's the secret.

 So, you got to post on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn.

 Uh you got to have funnels, email, and YouTube.

 I was so burnt out.

 I was so overwhelmed and scattered.

 And the only thing that made it successful and made the channel blow up is when I went all in on one platform, YouTube.

 So, I've lived and breathed the one thing.

 It's worked very well for my career and I think the value for time you get out of this is unmatched.

 Like you can get the big ideas in a couple hours and really have an impact on you and your productivity.

 Next book is based in advice that's over 2,000 years old.

 Challenges and obstacles are there to make you better, but humans are obsessed with comfort, and it's hard to level up if that's our life.

 Another way of saying what if the obstacle standing in your path doesn't mean go around.

 It's there to help you level up.

 The obstacles away Ryan Holiday.

 Where are we ranking this? This is going straight to B tier.

 I think it's a great introduction to Stoic philosophy.

 Um, super well written.

 Ryan Holidayiday is talented as well.

 And I think he gets a lot of credit for popularizing stoicism.

 Some would argue it's so popular now you could call it broism.

 And stoicism in a nutshell boils down to focusing on what you can control, not what you can't.

 In my opinion, that is so needed in today's world that is obsessed with giving you labels for why you can't.

 I mean, we pathize even normal feelings that everyone feels on a day-to-day.

 You know, you're a little anxious in a group of people.

 All of a sudden, it's social anxiety and you isolate yourself because you have a problem.

 But actually, feeling anxious is completely normal.

 And the way you get over it, the obstacle is by interacting more, not less.

 How do you get over your fear of rejection? You get rejected more.

 Realize you're still alive.

 It didn't kill you.

 What's next? In the same way you go to the gym, you lift weights.

 Resistance to help grow your muscles and get stronger.

 Obstacles work in your life the same exact way.

 They're there to help you level up, not give you a label and confirm reasons for why you can't.

 Obstacles away.

 Good on that one.

 Moving on.

 By the time I hold up this book, you probably know what it is based on the cover.

 And that's because it's dominated the best-selling charts for over, well, not over almost 10 years now.

 Uh, the art of not giving a Mark Manson.

 The big idea here, confidence doesn't come from people validating you and telling you how great you are.

 That's what most people think, like, well, if I just had reassurance from everyone, then I could be confident cuz I know it's safe.

 It comes from you accepting yourself.

 And once you operate from that place, you stop caring what other people think because you don't need their approval and validation as much.

 Well, how do you do that? You develop better values, aka what you give about.

 So, if your values are, I need to be cool.

 I need to be funny.

 I need to be liked by everyone, it's going to be really hard for you to stop caring what people think.

 But if your values are, I just want to authentically connect with people.

 Um, I want to be myself in that situation.

 I want to feel excited and grounded in who I am as a person.

 Ironically, those will probably get you what you want because it's easy for you to win.

 And when you're winning, you're confident.

 Anyway, I'm rambling.

 Where are we ranking this book? You know what? I'm giving it the same ranking as last time.

 Going on the A tier.

 I think Mark has a gift for taking really complex philosophical ideas that are deep and distilling them down to where they're approachable and accessible to the masses without watering down the core message.

 I think it still deserves a lot of the hype and if you haven't read it, still holds up today.

 All right, this next book is so old you could probably find your grandpa's copy.

 Whether you want to have better conversations, whether you want to stop feeling socially awkward, or whether you want to be a leader and be seen as that, this next book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, is all of that.

 You know what? Where are we ranking this? 100% S tier material.

 In fact, Warren Buffett credits his best investments as being a Dale Carnegie course way back in the day.

 It's because this works.

 And yeah, like you don't have to use everything like a tactic.

 I get that can feel a little fake or manipulative, but I think frameworks are really important.

 We can't be entitled to good conversations or relationships without effort.

 And books like this show you where to put your effort in and how to build more rapport and get what you want, which ultimately is more connections with people.

 I think if you're tired of small talk, um if you're tired of feeling like you're putting so much in and not getting anything back, or feeling like awkward in conversations, maybe you don't know where to go with it, a couple hours reading this book can pay off massively over the course of your lifetime.

 S tier material for sure.

 All right, the next book, if you're willing to invest a little time into, I think can change your worldview and how you see yourself because it did for me.

 Letting go, David Hawkings.

 The big idea is that negative emotions stem from the same source, suppression.

 Easy way to illustrate it, think of a trash can in your house.

 You throw trash in there all the time, but instead of taking it out when it's full, most people grab a cardboard box and we shove it down so we can fill a little more trash on there.

 The problem is that if you never take it out, it's going to stink up your whole house.

 And eventually you do and all the problems are solved.

 That is the same thing we do with our emotions is instead of going to what hurts or what's uncomfortable, we shove it down deeper and it starts stinking up our emotional state.

 He says the way we suppress is through projecting onto other people.

 So someone snaps at them or someone cuts them off and they let it out.

 Or this can be escaping from them.

 Like we feel it and oh we don't want to go there.

 So we pull out the phone and we doom scroll.

 We escape to video games, we escape to drugs, alcohol, etc.

 Or we're conscious of it and we just don't go there.

 We just ignore it.

 He argues ignorance is not bliss because what you resist persists and that true liberation comes from surrendering to these negative emotions and letting go of them.

 So taking out the emotional trash, changing your state, I got to give letting go the A tier gives an amazing breakdown of your basic emotions and kind of like where each one is, what you would feel, and how to let go of it.

 And then also I think the first third of it I got so much out of.

 And yeah, for that reason, A tier for sure.

 Now, what do you think? Are any of these books out of order? Would you rank them higher, lower? Let me know in the comments below.

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 Remember, you can get your free sample pack with purchase in the link below.

 Link right here to our first edition of this tier list video with over a million views.

 Perfect follow-up to this.

 Remember to bet on yourself, do hard things, and make your future self proud.

 Peace.