Best Books for Self-Development

Have you ever read a book that changed the way you think?

Books can be instrumental in changing your life for the better. They’re a great place to start your self-development journey. You can learn so much from another person's experience and the lessons they have to share. However, with so many books out there it can be difficult to know where to start.

We’ve narrowed down a long list of books to bring you the absolute best to help you change your way of thinking and transform your life.

The image is covered with open books.

Image Credit: Gülfer ERGİN

The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Martin Manson

A well-known book to all, Martin Mason’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck was a life and game changer for many readers. This isn’t your typical self-help book because Manson essentially goes against the usual positivity mindset. The book focuses on his life experiences and how he learned not to care about the things he can’t control or things that aren’t important to him. This book helps you to find meaning in your experiences and everyday struggles. This is a great book to open your mind and to help you think differently to find joy in the present moment.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

How to Win Friends and Influence People is a classic self-improvement book. This book has helped so many people to be better communicators and accelerate their relationships, whether that be with colleagues or friends. You might think you already have friends and can influence them, but this book really teaches you how to value other people and show them that you care. This is a great book for someone who wants to improve their relationships with others.

The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck Book Cover on top of other books.

Image Credit: Varad Parulekar

Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

By the same author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie came back with another lesser-known but equally amazing book. Stop Worry and Start Living does exactly what it says on the tin, it helps you to enjoy your life without the fear of worry. This book is perfect for anyone who often finds themselves worrying about situations before they have happened. It uses real-life examples of how worry affected people’s lives and how they overcame it. The book gives readers actionable ways to combat worry.

The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris

Transform your work and career with Tim Ferris’ The 4-Hour Work Week. This self-development book is really aimed at anyone who wants to change their career path and get out of the standard 9-5. It motivates you to actually start the company you might have been dreaming of, or finally quit the job you hate to start a digital nomad life of travelling. At the end of each chapter, this book gives you actional steps to take away so by the end of the book you could be travelling the world with your own company and be working a 4-hour work week. 

Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking by Matthew Syed

Matthew Syed, the author of the popular Black Box Thinking, brings another amazing self-development book called Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking. This book explains how diversity in decision-making can greatly impact reaching solutions to problems. Syed demonstrates how to have effective and successful results, they need to be born out of diverse minds and ideas. This book is essential for the workplace, teams, and groups of people to help them reach the best outcomes. You should read this if you are ready to start thinking differently and make a change in your decision-making, especially if you are a business owner.

A stack of books featuring 7 Habits of Highly Effective People with black headphones leaning on the books.

Image Credit: Delano Ramdas

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is the godfather of all self-development books. Dare I say this is where it all began. This book gives you 7 habits to transform your life and become that person you’ve always wanted to be. It starts with being proactive and going out to do what you want and ends with constant improvement and developing your skills. This one is great if you want to learn or develop your skills in something. It’s a great motivating tool to make the most out of you and your capabilities. Because this book is so highly rated, you can find all different kinds of training sessions online and other resources to help you put the 7 habits into your daily life.

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

This book will make you reevaluate your finances and how you think about money. Rich Dad Poor Dad explores the different attitudes to money and how to actually make it. It challenges the usual school of thought surrounding assets and outgoings and also work and how you utilize money. This book is great for anyone wanting to improve or learn about their finances. Be prepared to be open-minded and think differently.

The Secret by Ronda Bryne

Anyone who has read The Secret knows it is a mammoth of a book. Before you shy away it is well worth the read, or you can watch the film. The Secret introduces a concept called manifestation and the law of attraction. Which essentially means if you want something and believe you can get it, you will. This book shows examples of people who have believed and received and will tell you how to get anything you want in your life if you let it. Go into this with an open mind and you will not be disappointed, this book and all it has to give will blow your mind.

The book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne sits on a table.

Image Credit: Umar Ben

Hopefully, those book recommendations give you plenty of choices on how to start or accelerate your self-development journey. Whatever it is you want to learn or improve on, there is something out there for everyone.

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