Change your life could be a stretch but each of the Personal Development books mentioned here genuinely had a positive impact on my life either by a shift in mindset or perspective.
Myself and books have had a checkered relationship for sure. My mother, Carmel, is an avid reader and was one of the original Kindle owners back in 2007/2008. Naturally, she believes this gives her huge street credit and can’t fathom the idea that I still buy physical books!
From a young age Carmel encouraged reading but I was more taken with playing Barbies or WWE style wrestling with my brother! This is what happens when your brother is a mere 15 months older, a strong bond and plenty of violence!
I’ve dipped in and out of reading over the years but it was always fiction, always upbeat and rarely anything other than a lovely feel good ending!
All that aside, my love of reading really took off out of sheer boredom (if we are to be completely honest!). I worked as a nanny for a few years in California and I was fortunate enough to have nap times to do as I pleased (with the baby monitor in close proximity, obviously). It took me a long time to realise that spending two hours moving from Whatsapp to Snapchat to Instagram wasn’t doing much for my mental health.
A very special and wise person in my life encouraged me to read some personal development books to help with the amount of alone time my job afford me.
…and the rest, as they say, is history.
Unknowingly, I had discovered a new world, a world that would become my career. I was absolutely fascinated by what I was learning but that’s for another post, another day.
Now that I have done significant rambling, I will, eventually, get the point. The point being books. Books that have had a significant impact on how I see the world, more specifically, how I see my world.
So here they are…
(in no particular order btw)
1. The Chimp Paradox by Steve Peters
Steve Peters absolutely nails simplifying the brain being divided into three teams. More importantly, how to use this to your advantage. Click here to purchase or click here to buy and listen on Audible
2. Emotional Resilience by Dr. Harry Barry
Dr. Harry Barry has packed this book full of practical and easy to manage tools that are game changers. Click here to purchase or click here to buy and listen on Audible
3. Atomic Habits by James Clear
I listened to this on Audible and I must have book marked it via the app at least a thousand times 🙂 Click here to purchase or or click here to buy and listen on Audible
4. The Choice by Edith Eger
This book is something you might not expect to find under ‘personal development’ books but wow! It is a must read, I cried, I was inspired and I did excessive highlighting and I will probably reread this time and time again. Click here to purchase
5. Daring Greatly : How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
Another book that I was heavy handed with the highlighter. If you’re not familiar with Brené Brown, I highly recommend watching her Ted Talk on The Power of Vulnerability. Once you’ve watched the Ted Talk, I think recommend Clicking here to buy any of her books and a pack of highlighters! If you prefer an audiobook, click here to buy and listen on Audible
6. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
A short and digestible guide to keep you on track. Simple and effective. Click here to buy or click here to buy and listen on Audible
7. Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy
If anyone knows me, they know that I’m all about eating the frog – in short it’s my answer to procrastination. Click here to buy or click here to buy and listen on Audible
8. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
The title sums it up pretty nicely I feel…click here to buy or click here to buy and listen on Audible