Personal development is such a nebulous topic. In reality, every single book on this (now 200+ title) list is a great personal development book.
For the sake of this list, my choices for this section all revolve around books that are more about igniting passion and giving ideas rather than a step-by-step action plan. This list includes the grandfathers of all self-help books, and it also has some of the modern masters of inspiration, education and self-empowerment.
Think And Grow Rich has earned itself the reputation of being considered a textbook for actionable techniques that can help one get better at doing anything, not just by rich and wealthy, but also by people doing wonderful work in their respective fields. There are hundreds and thousands of successful people in the world who can vouch for the contents of this book. At the time of author’s death, about 20 million copies had already been sold. Numerous revisions have been made in the book, from time to time, to make the book more readable and comprehensible to the readers.
The book details out the most fundamental questions that once bothered the author, Napoleon Hill. The author once set out on a personal quest to find out what really made some people so successful. Why is it that some people manage to remain healthy, happy and financially independent, all at the same time? Why, after all, do some end up being called as lucky? The answers, no wonder, had to be no less than revelations.
For more than a decade, the author interviewed some of the wealthiest and most successful people in the world. It was based on what author learnt in the process from all these people, when asked about how they achieved not just great riches but also personal wellbeing. The author formulated hundreds and thousands of answers, into concise principles which when acted upon, many claim, can help one achieve unprecedented success.
2. The Success Principles By Jack Canfield
The Success Principles is a motivational piece of literature. The author of this book tries to uncover some of the greatest secrets behind success. offering solutions to problems with the help of rules that help one achieve success in life, this book can be read a wide range of people.
The author believes that high performance and success is attainable by all and the right kind of approach is necessary in order to achieve it. In this book, the author has discussed various golden principles and step-by-step action plans, which if followed with commitment would lead to both personal as well as professional success.
Through this book, the author shares 64 simple, yet extraordinary principles. These are the secrets behind the author’s success in life and have led him to write more than 50 bestselling books. This book teaches us the necessity to change our perception and understand what we need in life. The author advises the reader to gather the courage necessary in order to lead a successful life.
3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People By R. Stephen Covey
An ideal guide to building your personality by altering your habits
It is rightly said that habits make or break a man. If you want to know why you are not doing something right, sometimes all you need is to perform an analysis of your habits and consider altering them. Because sometimes it’s not about what you do, but more about how you do it! And that’s where your habits play a very important role.
‘The 7 habits of Highly Effective People’ is a book that aims at providing its readers with the importance of character ethics and personality ethics. The author talks about the values of integrity, courage, a sense of justice and most importantly, honesty. The book is a discussion about the seven most essential habits that every individual must adopt to in order to live a life which is more fulfilling.
4. Rich Dad Poor Dad By Robert T. Kiyosaki
In the 20th anniversary edition of this classic, Robert offers an update on what we’ve seen over the past 20 years related to money, investing and the global economy. Sidebars throughout the book will take readers “fast forward” from 1997 to today as Robert assesses how the principles taught by his rich dad have stood the test of time. In many ways, the messages of rich dad poor dad, messages that were criticized and challenged two decades ago, are more meaningful, relevant and important today than they were 20 years ago. As always, readers can expect that Robert will be candid, insightful and continue to rock more than a few boats in his retrospective. Will there be a few surprises? Count on it. Rich dad poor dad
1. Explodes the myth that you need to earn a high income to become rich
2. Challenges the belief that your house is an asset
3. Shows parents why they can’t rely on the school system to teach their kids about money
4. Defines once and for all an asset and a liability
Teaches you what to teach your kids about money for their future financial success.
5. The One Minute Manager By Kenneth Blanchard
The book is written for managers who have to supervise and control their employees as well as complete certain essential office tasks. It covers certain techniques that could help its readers in improving their productivity, job satisfaction and personal prosperity. This is because individual satisfaction can gradually lead to the growth of any organisation.
The authors of the book Kenneth Hartley Blanchard and Spencer Johnson have briefly explained few methods of management that are based on few studies in medicine and behavioural sciences. The book talks about three practical management techniques such as one-minute goal setting, one minute praising and one minute reprimand. These three simple yet effective techniques could do wonders for both individual and organisational growth.
The one-minute goal setting technique says that each member of a team is essential to fulfilling the set goals. For instance, in order to complete daily, weekly, monthly or yearly tasks, the team effort is needed, and for that, individual effort matters a lot.
One minute praising technique is all about appreciation. According to this technique, a manager must reward a team member for completing a specific task efficiently. Plus, a manager could spend a minute to acknowledge a hardworking employee.
The last technique is one-minute reprimand that says that the manager has to give feedback to few members who committed mistakes in their tasks. But the feedback must be given in a polite manner so that their interpersonal relations are not affected.
By following these three effective techniques, a manager may grow individually as well as lead to organisational growth in the long term. Written in simple, easy-to-understand language, the book can help the readers understand how simple changes can actually work in real management situations.
