Recommended by Sara Steele sarasteele.com

Sara says:
The thing that grabbed my imagination was how powerfully he (Leon Hammer) synthesizes the allopathic medical view, which in my opinion is very constricted oriented as it is to diagnosing and curing a symptom, with his deep psychiatric experience and Five Elements knowledge. We are holographic, and there are so many ways into understanding ourselves and others. I lean toward a metaphorical take on symptoms, and am very interested in how language and color can be used as needles. We express our imbalances in such fascinating ways. He really taps into that in this book.

From Amazon’s description:
Behind the acupuncture, herbal remedies and sophisticated diagnostics of Chinese medicine lies a “congenial system of healing that embodies unification of body and mind, spirit and matter, nature and man, philosophy and reality.” In this comprehensive and ground-breaking presentation, based on long experience as physician, psychiatrist, and practitioner of Chinese medicine, Leon Hammer offers a new model for appreciating the traditional healer’s effective and profound respect for individual integrity and energetic balance. Explaining, and moving beyond, the five phase (element) system, he shows that this Eastern practice is as much a spiritual science as a physical one. Accessible to the layman, yet a resource for the professional in any healing art, this book examines the natural energy functions of the human organism as a key to mental, emotional and spiritual health. It offers new insight into disease, showing how it is not merely an invasion from the outside, but rather a byproduct of a person’s unsuccessful attempt to restore one’s own balance.

Recommended by Catherine Mulvihill of My Happy Insides

Catherine mentioned, not this book in particular, but the concept of the Enneagram and how she’s used it to understand herself, her partner, and others she works with.

There are a number of other books on Amazon on the Enneagram topic which you will probably see when you follow the Amazon link.  There is also a Enneagram Institute created in 1997 by the authors Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson.  There are also Enneagram tests online that you can take for free to determine your type.

Models like this help to understand one’s self as well as others.  Where there is understanding, there is better communication, better relationships, better lives.  This is one of many models; the ones we have experienced have all proven helpful.

From Amazon’s description:

The first definitive guide to using the wisdom of the enneagram for spiritual and psychological growth

The ancient symbol of the Enneagram has become one of today’s most popular systems for self-understanding, based on nine distinct personality types. Now, two of the world’s foremost Enneagram authorities introduce a powerful new way to use the Enneagram as a tool for personal transformation and development. Whatever your spiritual background, the Enneagram shows how you can overcome your inner barriers, realize your unique gifts and strengths, and discover your deepest direction in life.

The Wisdom of the Enneagram includes:

Two highly accurate questionnaires for determining your type
Vivid individual profiles focused on maximizing each type’s potential and minimizing predictable pitfalls
Spiritual Jump Starts, Wake-Up Calls, and Red Flags for each type
Dozens of individualized exercises and practical strategies for letting go of troublesome habits, improving relationships, and increasing inner freedom
Revealing insights into the deepest motivations, fears, and desires of each type

Highly accessible, yet filled with sophisticated concepts and techniques found nowhere else, The Wisdom of the Enneagram is a strikingly new fusion of psychology and spirituality. It offers an exciting vision of human possibility and a clear map of the nine paths to our highest self-expression.

This book was recommended by Bradley Hill of Foothill Irrigation.

The first Amazon link is I believe the first edition, which is also available as a Kindle e-Book.  The  main image for this post is for this edition.

The second link is the Second edition which is apparently not available in Kindle. Neither is available as an Audible book.  The image at left is the cover of the Second edition.

Amazon description:
Have you ever wondered how to make a six-figure income in only 40 hours per week? If so, then this book is for you! Six Secrets of Sales Magnets shares with you proven and powerful ways to attract more sales, get more referrals and earn more money.

Based on their work with thousands of salespeople and small business owners, the authors have uncovered the true differentiators between successful and super-successful performers. Learn what separates the top 5% from the rest of the pack and how you can break into the top 5% too! Best of all, what you’ll learn is a completely honest, ethical and truth-based approach to selling in the 21st century.

Recommended by Brian Mininger of Bear Creek Outdoor Living: “We build cool stuff, but more importantly we build people.” Decks, Porches, Sunrooms & Backyard Structures built by craftsmen in the Shenandoah valley.

Brian says: “This book radically transformed our small business finance.”

From the Amazon description:

Conventional accounting uses the logical (albeit, flawed) formula: Sales – Expenses = Profit. The problem is, businesses are run by humans, and humans aren’t always logical. Serial entrepreneur Mike Michalowicz has developed a behavioral approach to accounting to flip the formula: Sales – Profit = Expenses. Just as the most effective weight loss strategy is to limit portions by using smaller plates, Michalowicz shows that by taking profit first and apportioning only what remains for expenses, entrepreneurs will transform their businesses from cash-eating monsters to profitable cash cows. Using Michalowicz’s Profit First system, readers will learn that:

· Following 4 simple principles can simplify accounting and make it easier to manage a profitable business by looking at bank account balances.
· A small, profitable business can be worth much more than a large business surviving on its top line.
· Businesses that attain early and sustained profitability have a better shot at achieving long-term growth.

With dozens of case studies, practical, step-by-step advice, and his signature sense of humor, Michalowicz has the game-changing roadmap for any entrepreneur to make money they always dreamed of.

This book is on Paul’s reading list.

From Amazons description:

With the words, “Do not try to change people; they are only messengers telling you who you are. Revalue yourself and they will confirm the change,” Goddard invites us to resist the temptation toward judgment and to look at ourselves for the change we want to see in the world an in others. “God’s promise is unconditional; God’s law is conditional, and comes in its own good time. If you do not experience it in this life,” he said, “You pass through a door, that’s all that death is, and you are restored to life instantly in a world like this, and you go on there with the same problems you had here with no loss of identity.”