Book Recommendation: How to Win Friends and Influence People

I don’t often recommend books, but I was just so impressed by Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” that I had to share some of my perspectives on it.

First off, for years I misjudged this book by its title. I think many if not most of us have heard of it before and I personally always thought that it was one of those ‘self help’ books for introverted people with no friends. A family member read the book and recommended it; this was enough to pique my interest.

I am pleased to say that I highly enjoyed this read and only regret not having read it much earlier in my life. I was impressed by the years and years of research that Mr. Carnegie put into discovering the principles of human interaction and formulating simple ways to apply true principles to our every day lives easily.

I purchased the audio version of the book and listened once through and enjoyed it so much that I’m going through it again so the principles can stick more firmly in my mind.

I found the book a wonderful treasure-trove of easy to understand concepts that anyone can put into practice to live in greater peace and happiness with those around them. The ideas are not new, they have been taught through time immemorial, you’ll read them in the scriptures and hear them preached over the pulpit. The book is full of valuable encounters of human situations that vividly illustrate certain principles that we can apply in our own interactions with people.

Now this is a book ‘recommendation’ and not a review. I personally don’t feel that I could do the book justice by trying to break it down for you, so I will simply leave an open invitation to read the book for yourself.

I have already noticed a huge change in the way that I deal with people. I have been surprised at how my relationships with virtually everyone I have come in contact with, from old friends, to family to strangers has been enhanced and improved. I look forward more to interacting with people and how the power of kindness can win over just about anyone.

So there you have it. Pick up a copy and give it a read, it’s fun and almost addicting putting these principles in practice and immediately reaping the rewards.