My Favorite Personal Improvement Books
Since friends occasionally ask for book recommendations, which makes me all happy and tingly inside, here are some unsolicited books that I pull off the shelf when motivation dips low.
#7 The Alchemist
The story of a young sheepherder who longs for more than just taking care of his flock but is scared to leave the known behind. A powerful tale rife with metaphor and inspiring moments. Worth noting, this is the only book on the list I have read only once. It is still worth picking up however.
#6 The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Probably the greatest book ever written about getting you over your creative hurdles. The voice in the back of your mind that tells you to not bother with meeting your goals has a name and it is The Resistance. Find more about this subtle beast and how to tame it here.
#5 Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
The seminal classic on how to stop wasting your time on being busy and how to get things done. The book always manages to guilt me into actually doing the stuff I need to be doing, rather than working on fun but meaningless garbage (like email sorting).
#4 Get Off Your “But”: How to End Self-Sabotage and Stand Up for Yourself
Sean Stephensen is an amazing person, there really is no other way to describe it. The first chapter is powerful because it walks you through the tale of his childhood and youth living with a crippling illness. He has lived his life in a wheelchair but he can remember the exact moment he decided to make that his blessing and not his curse. One of the most moving speakers (look him up on youtube) he will quickly cut out any reason you have for limiting yourself.
#3 4 hour work week
While this is technically a business book, people around the world love or hate it. This was probably the first book I ever read that truly got me so pumped up I had to stop reading and go work on some of the activities. I had to start something right then and there! There are flaws in his business plans and no, you probably can’t work just a few hours a week and make a full time income. However it is on this list for it’s motivational purposes and for me personally it does a great job at that.
#2 Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives
I cannot write well enough to describe how deeply this book has impacted my life. It follows the story of the author, Dan Millman, as a college student who has a great social life, a promising gymnastic future and everything most people would be jealous of. And yet he is deeply unhappy and unaware of it. It eats at him without a voice, like a shadow in the night sucking away at his soul until he meets a strange old man who works nights at a gas station. The old man, who later is called Socrates by Dan, becomes Dan’s mentor in life and starts him on the true path to inner peace. While the more skeptical of you will poo-poo the pseudo-magic parts it is still an amazing story.
#1 Linchpin
Linchpin, more than any other book of the probably thousands I have read, gets me excited about life. Indeed my copy is riddled with notes, underlines, comments and the spine is starting to wear out. It is so hard to read this book and not get so into the stuff you could be doing that it is a constant struggle to keep reading. But it is worth it. Seriously the book gets me so enthusiastic about how I can make a difference that I have to stop and work on something for a few minutes before continuing reading. For reference, I normally read books beginning to end, often in one sitting. This is also one of the few books I have gifted to other people and not one has had anything bad to say about it.
That’s All, Now Get Reading!
That is it for me for today. If you have any other books along these lines feel free to mention them in the comments. Also I am an Amazon Affiliate so buying the books from one of the links above does give me some money and it doesn’t cost you any extra. So if you are getting them anyways that would be appreciated.
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Have fun reading!
