Looking for a powerful personal growth experience?

Books deliver insight, new ideas and a fresh perspective.  Books lead people to new heights of personal development and achievement.  Books enlighten us.

Sadly, “One in four adults read no books at all”, over the course of an entire year, according to an AP-Ispos poll conducted in 2007.  The numbers drop like a rock if you only count non-fiction or personal development books.

“When you sell a man a book you don’t sell him just 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue – you sell him a whole new life”, says Christopher Morley, an American journalist, novelist, essayist, and poet. 

To put it bluntly, you cheat yourself out of a better life, if you don’t read high-quality personal growth books.  It is that simple.

Five Must-Read Personal Growth Books

Why not start out the new year on the right foot?  If you want inspiration, if you want motivation, if you want new hope for a better life, then pick up one of these powerful personal growth books.

No matter what you desire to do – get a promotion, launch a business, lose weight, eat healthier, break a bad habit, start a new habit, revive your marriage, get back on your feet or just feel better about life in general – these books will boost you to success.

1.  Linchpin by Seth Godin

You must read Linchpin to increase your value to the world.  Seth Godin teaches, “The only way to get what you’re worth is to stand out, to exert emotional labor, to be seen as indispensable, and to produce interactions that organizations and people care deeply about.”  In this economy, linchpins survive and even thrive while the rest fall by the wayside.  This book impressed me more than anything else that I’ve read recently.  It is a fantastic way to kick start your mind and your year.

2.  Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Think and Grow Rich inspired me to start this site.  The success wisdom shared is timeless and priceless.  Napoleon Hill interviewed and analyzed 500 of the most successful men and women in America.  He documents, in this book, the attitudes they embraced that led to their success.  This is the classic when it comes to personal success literature.  It will enlighten you and inspire you to new heights in your life.  I’ve read it numerous times and I never cease to draw more from it on each pass.

3.  One Small Step Can Change Your Life by Robert Mauer

Fear and procrastination freeze us.  This book dispenses a simple strategy to overcome these obstacles and accomplish anything you desire.  One Small Step Can Change Your Life is only 182 pages, but in it, Robert Mauer teaches the most profound technique available for getting yourself off high-center and headed directly toward achieving your goals.  I’ve used what’s in this book on numerous occasions to stop procrastinating and to start going.  If you’ve got 30 seconds to get started, then Mauer’s got a solution to help you get so much more of what you want.

4.  The How of Happiness: A Whole New Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky

True happiness seems elusive.  “What we believe would make a huge difference in our lives actually, according to scientific research, makes only a small difference, while we overlook the true sources of personal happiness and well-being”, this according to Sonja Lyubomirsky in The How of Happiness.  If you want to be happier (and who doesn’t??), then spend some time with this book.  We think we know what will make us happy, but the research tells a different story.  We go about pursuing happiness in all the wrong places.  Learn the truth and you will be thankful you did.

5.  Feel the Fear…and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers

I’ll admit, I usually shy away from books written by people with “Ph.D.” after their name on the front cover.  Often, these books are full of theory, but short on practical advice.  Feel the Fear is different.  Susan Jeffers provides real insight and tools designed to help you push through the fear.  Change is scary.  I think we can all agree on that.  However, change is necessary to move from where we are right now, to where we want to be.  That’s why this book is so valuable.  If you want to move to a new level of achievement, then learn what Susan Jeffers has to say.  It has helped me

Get Your Growth On With These Books

There you have it.  Five incredible books that will enlighten, inspire and enable you to grow like you’ve never grown before.  The only thing that’s left is the reading.  Ah, but that’s the fun part.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get a jump on the crowd.  Grab one (or more) of these powerful personal growth books from Amazon or your local library and get your growth on!

Photo: Copyright PhotoXpress.com

This is a guest post by Melissa.

Whether one’s career preparation occurs at a traditional college, community college, or through online education, reading books not included on a class syllabus can provide much needed inspiration.

Here is a list of 10 informative, entertaining, and mind-expanding page turners to widen job seekers perspectives and encourage them on their way to an exciting career path.

1. Cry of the Kalahari by Mark and Delia Owens

Biology students Mark and Delia Owens sell everything they own to finance a self-funded research project in Botswana’s Kalahari Desert. The two spend seven years alone in the desert studying a pride of lions, facing incredible hardships, and eventually bringing worldwide attention to the plight of Africa’s lions.

2. Rules for Renegades by Christine Comaford-Lynch

This examination of a self-taught woman’s experiences in the West Coast high tech industry is part autobiography, part career manual, and 100 percent fascinating.

3. Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White

A staple of high school, university, and online education English classes, Elements of Style deserves a second and third look from anyone who wants to write clearly in English.

4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This hilarious novel about aliens, England, and the importance of always bringing a towel follows protagonist Arthur Dent as he learns to keep his chin up and stay loose in the face of some very unexpected events.

5.  The Way to Cook by Julia Child

This accessible guide to classic European cooking inspires self-confidence and teaches important skills such as multi-tasking, improvising, and accepting defeat gracefully.

6.  The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

The Tipping Point explores how, in Gladwell’s own words, “ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread like viruses do." This study of social phenomena is excellent reading for anyone interested in consumer trends, political movements, and how group mentality functions.

7.  The Color Purple by Alice Walker

In the first half of this outstanding novel set in Africa and rural Georgia in the 1930s, main character Celie loses her family, is married off to a monster of a husband, and becomes a local object of pity and disdain. In the second half, she realizes her strength, finds her place in the world, and in the end, flourishes.

8.  The Seventeen Traditions by Ralph Nader

The way family traditions shape personality and character is the focus of this short but pithy autobiography.

9.  The Practical Dreamer’s Handbook by Paul and Sarah Edwards

The Edward’s have created a straightforward guide to blazing one’s own career path and finding work that does more than just pay the bills. This book doesn’t provide easy answers, but it does give sound advice for building a career one can be proud of.

10.  Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin

Written by an autistic woman with a PhD in animal behavior, this fascinating read explains Grandin’s theories about the similarities of autistic people’s brains to animal’s brains, and how those with autism can give unique insight into animal behavior.

Melissa has recently completed her first year of online education, which affords her extra time to blog and read books that may otherwise not be on her curriculum.

Photo: Copyright PhotoXpress.com

We are either moving forward or backwards in life.  There is no standing still.  In order to move forward, you must be a continual learner.  You must find positive inputs that grow and expand your thinking.

For me, one of the primary inputs I use to grow is reading books.  I love to read.  Mostly, I love non-fiction books that give me new ideas and help me to improve some facet of my life.

The trouble is there are literally millions of books out there.  Which ones are worth your time?  Which ones will make a real difference?  Which one should you read next?  Well, pick any one of these five and you can’t go wrong.

The Five Books That Have Changed My Life

You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read. ~ Charles “Tremendous” Jones

These five books have all changed my life for the better.  They are practical and powerful.  They are simple and clear.  They are literally life-changing.

I am listing them in no particular order.  The one you choose to read first really depends on your situation and what might make the most positive difference in your life right now.

1.  Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

I kind of hesitated to put this one on the list because if you are unfamiliar with it, the title might make you think I’m a snake oil salesman.  Also, I think some people have taken some of Hill’s concepts like the Law of Attraction and twisted them beyond the original intent.

Nevertheless, this book has had a profound impact on my life.  Forget about getting rich for a moment.  If you want to be more successful in any part of your life, most especially your career, then I’d recommend this book to you.

I have read this book several times and I still pick it up on occasion when I need a pick me up.  It has an incredible way of stimulating you to action.  This alone is life-changing.  It is largely responsible for motivating me to start this blog!  If you want to achieve new heights in your life, then read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

2.  The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey is making me wealthy!  I have been following the financial baby steps in his book for about three years now and I am definitely prospering from them.  It is not by any means a get-rich-quick scheme!  As Dave puts it, “This is the financial advice that your grandma would give you.”  All I know is that it works!

As a result of reading this book, I am now debt-free except for my house and using the money I was paying on loans to invest in my future.  Dave’s plan is simple and easy to follow.  It really makes sense to me and that’s why it changed my life.

If you struggle with money and feel overwhelmed.  If you and your spouse argue all the time about money.  If your net worth is less than nothing or if you don’t even know what net worth means, then read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.

3.  The Exceptional Seven Percent by Gregory Popcak

This is absolutely the best book I have ever read about improving a marriage.  Only seven percent of all marriages are truly exceptional and this book tells the secrets of these couples.

My wife discovered this book and we have both been reading it together.  I can already see how it has helped us to improve our marriage and I believe that by continuing to follow the recommendations that we can enjoy an even more satisfying marriage!  Now that’s truly life-changing!

Most marriage books are focused on rescuing bad marriages.  That’s what I like so much about this book.  It is focused on taking the good and making them great!  If you have a good marriage, but want it to be even better, then you should get a copy of The Exceptional Seven Percent: The Nine Secrets of The World’s Happiest Couples today!

4.  Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

I love C. S. Lewis!  His books have helped me grow in my faith in so many ways.  I recently wrote about how pursuing my faith is an integral part of my life purpose.  Therefore, it only makes sense that I would add what I consider to be one of the absolute best books about Christianity to this list.

Mere Christianity starts at the beginning and really builds the basic tenets of Christianity from the ground up.  This helped me to clarify what I believe and to have a solid way to share my faith with others when the opportunity arises.

If you are a Christian and have never read Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, then I’d highly encourage you to do so.  It will help you to grow and strengthen your faith in so many ways.  If you are not a Christian, then this book might be just what you need to read to help you develop your faith.

5.  The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Creativity is the cornerstone of great achievement.  However, most adults have stifled their creativity to the point that it is almost dormant.  The Artist’s Way will reawaken your creativity and help you to explore a side of yourself that you might not even know is there.

I found that the exercises in this book really helped me to rediscover my creativity.  We all live with blocks that hold us back from truly doing and being all we were meant to be.  Cameron has perfected a methodology that really unlocks all we have lost.  I have never read any other book that handled this so well.

If you want to be more creative or if you are suffering from a loss of motivation or inspiration to engage in your artistic endeavors, then you need to read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.

Any One of These Five Books Could Change Your Life

These books have truly made a significant impact on my life.  They have propelled me to newer heights and greater success.  I wholeheartedly endorse each one of them.  I hope you’ll select one and give it a read.  What have you got to lose?

What book has made the most impact on your life?

Photo by alexkon