When Jim Rohn said, “All the information you need to succeed already exists; the problem is you haven’t exposed yourself to it,” it was one of the most challenging and eye-opening statements I had ever heard. I immediately made a lifelong goal to read a thousand books.

I have not reached that goal yet, but I’m eating away at it. I love the hardbound vintage book, but I’m finding that reading on my iPad’s Kindle app provides the perfect strategy to increase my desire to read in spare moments.

Here’s my list of must-read books:

1. “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill is at the top of everyone’s list. Written 75 years ago, it’s still the benchmark book for attitude, goal setting and achievement. Get an original copy (pre-1960), not one of the altered, newly minted, “after the copyright expired” versions.

2. “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. The all-time gem of gems for engaging with self-confidence and connecting with sincerity that contains timeless rules of success.

3. “He Can Who Thinks He Can” by Orison Swett Marden. One of the original “self-thought” and self-help books containing thought gems such as “Every child should be taught to expect success” and “The world makes way for the man with an idea.”

4. “Swim With the Sharks” by Harvey Mackay. A benchmark and game-changing book for me and millions of other people in business. It’s full of applicable ideas to make you think and strategies to implement immediately.

5. “Small Is the New Big” by Seth Godin. One of many Godin books that should be in your library. Not just for the information – he’s much more than that. I don’t just marvel at what Seth writes; I marvel at how he thinks.

6. “Thinkertoys” by Michael Michalko. Short lessons, tools and exercises you can easily understand and apply immediately. It recharged my brain and opened my eyes to a new way to see creativity – by example.

7. “What Would Google Do?” by Jeff Jarvis. A compelling work that centers around Google Inc. as it relates to other businesses. Jarvis compares what Google would do to diverse industries such as hotels, restaurants, schools and the media. Amazingly insightful and thought provoking, especially if you relate it to your business (as I did).

8. “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell tells stories of how, why and when people became successful entrepreneurs, and how standards were set in the 19th century that are still in place today. But it’s his concept of “10,000 hours” that makes this book an absolute insightful treasure.

9. “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson. Jobs had vision, foresight, character, uncompromising ideals and shrewdness. He was inspirational to all who came within his domain. This is a great story and important to read in order to understand where we are today.

10. “The Pursuit of Prime” by Ichak Adizes. This book addresses the stages every growing business goes through, and what to expect and do in each stage. Compelling because it’s both a game plan for what to do and a pie in the face for what you haven’t done.

11. “Social BOOM!” by Jeffrey Gitomer (hey, that’s me!) and several other social media experts. Business social media is not an option, and this book is the ultimate “how to” and “why.” Yes, I have 10 other books I hope you buy, read and implement the lessons from, but “Social BOOM!” is my best book for this moment.

12. “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. A book that has been canonized by every cross section of the political and business landscape EXCEPT the politician trying to grow government and give handouts. It’s an amazing, compelling read and has a happy ending for entrepreneurs. Maybe my favorite of all time.

Invest your time reading. It will pay lifelong dividends.