Books will change your life even in the most unusual way.

In 2002 I was part of an Anti-Terrorism unit on Camp Pendleton as a U.S. Marine. By then I’d figured out I liked reading and was into spy novels and saving the world adventure books.

When my unit was activated and placed on alert as part of an Anti-Terrorism unit after September 11th I started reading everything on weapons and tactics I could get my hands on. At the time Marines could do MCIs (Marine Corps Institute) as a way to earn credits and advance in rank. I’d already done all the ones I could by the time we settled into strip alert.

Once we started training more I had access to libraries of different units and areas. I got more books on combat, terrorism, and war. Most of the books were from the Vietnam era and World War II. Not much new had been written. So I actually ordered books on terrorism from outside the Marine Corps. And people, agencies, and other services sent them to me. And I read them all.

Consequently, I always had a book on hand and would read a lot in my downtime. One of my academically challenged leaders asked me why I always had a book. So I told the truth, I was trying to learn. He said what do you think you are ”some kind of brain?” as a snipe meant to tear me down in front of my Marines. It didn’t work. My Marines gave me my nickname and call sign right then and there, Brain. I’ve been that ever since.

Even in other units I went to and eventually as a contractor that continued to fight terrorism years later, my call sign went with me. It’s actually an honor to get a call sign assigned to you. And in conventional forces, not everyone gets one. In the contracting world, you get a call sign for some stupid thing you do. So I enjoyed walking in with one and not getting a horrible nickname.

But my love for books continued. I can’t tell you there is one book that changed my life, I just know that books over time make me more motivated, better mentally, and better physically. I still read, or actually, listen to, a lot of books now, anything that looks interesting that could improve me.

Books will change your life, but not in the way most people want them to. It takes a long time. And a lot of them.

I wish I could give you one book that would change your life and put you on the path to being the best person you could be. I can give you a couple about combat and leadership that changed the way I thought, but most of the books I read take years to work.

It could be me. You might be able to read a book once and change your entire world. I hope that works for you. My experience is it is painful, hard, and takes way more time than I want it to. I guess that is the painful lesson I’ve gotten from every book I’ve ever read, it takes time. It takes lots of time.

Yes I will give you a list of books that could change your life (in a minute). I want to let you know it is okay that it takes time. I want you to be patient. Life change takes a while. Keep working on it, you can do it.

Ben Branam

My Favorite “change-your-life” books:

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker can teach you what fear actually is and how to use it. In today’s world, we don’t deal with real fear (something is going to kill you right now fear) as much as we use to. So w don’t understand it. Read the book and see how you can use it and why we have it.

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink is one of the best leadership books ever. Whether you are leading a team, your family, or just yourself. If you put the concept of Extreme Ownership into your life it will help you be a better person. It’s a simple concept, but it sure as hell isn’t easy.

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz is the best book on business accounting for a business leader. It flips traditional accounting practices on their head to give you a way to think about accounting in a business fashion to help you make money and keep your expenses in check.

Take Charge of You by David Novak is what I’m currently reading and hoping it will change my life. I’m going through this one slowly and doing all the exercises and answering all the questions. I want to coach myself to make myself better and learn something along the way.

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