T
he Fundamental Four are so named because they are the four books I recommended to aspiring
lifestyle designers prior to writing The 4-Hour Workweek. Still well worth reading, here is the sequence I suggest: The Magic of Thinking Big (192 pages) BY DAVID SCHWARTZ
This book was first recommended to me by Stephen Key, an ultrasuccessful inventor who has made millions licensing products to companies, including Disney, Nestlé, and Coca-Cola. It is the favorite book of many superperformers worldwide, ranging from legendary football coaches to famous CEOs, and has more than 100 5-star ratings on Amazon. The main message is don’t overestimate others and underestimate yourself. I still read the first two chapters of this book whenever doubt creeps in. How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur’s Guide (272 pages) BY DAN S. KENNEDY
This is a menu of options for converting ideas into millions. I read this when I was in high school and have read it five times since. It is like steroids for your entrepreneurship cortex. The case studies, from Domino’s Pizza to casinos and mail-order products, are outstanding, even if outdated in a few instances. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It (288 pages) BY MICHAEL E. GERBER
Gerber is a masterful storyteller and his classic of automation discusses how to use a franchise mind-set to create scalable businesses that are based on rules and not outstanding employees. It is an excellent road map—told in parable—for becoming an owner instead of constant micromanager. If you’re stuck in your own business, this book will get you unstuck in no time. Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (224 pages) BY ROLF POTTS
Rolf is the man. This is the book that got me to stop making excuses and pack for an extended hiatus. It covers bits of everything but is particularly helpful for determining your destination, adjusting to life on the road, and re-assimilating back into ordinary life. It includes great little excerpts from famous vagabonds, philosophers, and explorers, as well as anecdotes from ordinary travelers. This is the first of two books (the other was Walden, below) that I took with me on my first 15-month mini-retirement.
Reducing Emotional and Material Baggage Walden (384 pages) BY HENRY DAVID THOREAU
This is considered by many to be the masterpiece of reflective simple living. Thoreau lived on the edge of a small lake in rural Massachusetts for two years, building his own shelter and living alone, as an experiment in self-reliance and minimalism. It was both a huge success and a failure, which is what makes this book such a compelling read.