Let’s just call it a Stephen Covey Classic. Whether for your own professional and emotional development or to help you understand where your colleagues (and their mystifying behavior) are, this is a “must read.”

I just picked it up again and was struck by the intro concept of dependence, independence, and interdependence. The entrepreneur tends to be independent. As such, our goal is to make that transformation to interdependence. This book provides heartfelt understanding and compassion to keep us on this path.

Amy Tan’s novel that evolved from her short story, Immortal Heart.

For those who like a little more structure and prompting when being led through exercises suggested in Shakti Gawain’s book, Creative Visualization. As is the case with many introspection oriented books (and life, really) the more you give, the more you get out of it. Shakti’s book is not one to just read straight through. Savor, ponder, imagine, explore. You are in control of your experience.

Shakti Gawain wrote Creative Visualization, subtitled: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life, back in 1978. The world was ready for her easy to read, compassionate, effective book. 6 million copies have sold, half of which were through 35 foreign editions.

Back in 2000, I ran across this book by Lynne Franks. The full title/subtitle is The Seed Handbook, the feminine way to create business. [btw, SEED here is an acronym for Sustainable Enterprise and Empowerment Dynamics.] It was illustrated by Ann Field which I mention because every page is visually beautiful and fun to read. [You can see what I mean by clicking on the book image. This takes you to the Amazon.com store where you click the link that reads, “Look inside this book” under the book image.]

Although I wasn’t ready to start a business when I first read the book, it gave me inspiration and confidence in the belief that business could be done differently than how I saw it around me and what I read about in the newspapers. While the book is about starting a business, I feel the book’s strength is in encouraging, supporting, and providing tools for the reader to get in touch with and trust her Self. My reaction was, and still is, a big “Right On!”

This is also an excellent resource for Biz Chicks, an idea and support group for women business owners and self-employed types.

Stephen A. Covey wrote First Things First with A. Roger Merrill and Rebecca Merrill in 1994. Time managers, organizers, and goal setters have been referring to it extensively since then. It’s a bit dense and wordy, but, wow, is it rich with ideas and understandings of how we humans function in the mental capacity. This is the same Covey that joined forces with Franklin to form FranklinCovey, the developers of scheduling systems and other personal effectiveness management tools.