I am a picky reader! Sometimes it can be frustrating trying to find something that will hold my attention AND provide me valuable information! The personal development books listed here are resources that I will listen to again and again on Audible. For reference, I also keep a paperback version for many for the books as well.
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Atomic Habits by James Clear
Developing great habits and breaking bad ones don’t have to begin with dramatic changes. In fact, this book explains how just making small changes each day over time can result in outstanding outcomes! Whatever your future goal is, I do believe that developing the right habits now will help you achieve that goal sooner than you may think!
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
Every little thing we do influences a future habit. This book helped explain how to change and develop habits that will lead to more productivity and better living. The best part is that it all starts with small changes that’ll lead to big results!
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Bad habits can lead to dangerous situations just as good habits can lead to amazing opportunities. If you enjoy psychological explorations of how our long-term memory works, then this will be an interesting analysis to explore!
Check out our article “Developing Good Habits to Reach our Goals” to see why Atomic Habits, The Compound Effect, and The Power of Habit are amazing books to read back-to-back!
The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman and Paul White
Everyone views appreciation a different way. One person might enjoy a public announcement while another might be horrified over this gesture. As a leader, it’s important to understand how to effectively let your team know that you understand their wants and needs. This book helps identify certain characteristics to help make sure you are giving (and hopefully receiving) the right type of appreciation.
Answering Why by Mark C. Perna
Education is important, but how much is truly needed? Why do so many people go to college before knowing what they want to do with their degree? Why is there now a skills gap in certain fields? For years, we have fallen into a financial and employment ditch. This book is here to answer why that is and how we can fix it.
Click here to view the book review for Answering Why by Mark C. Perna
Influencer by Brittany Hennessy
Let’s face it: Social Media is taking over, and if we want to find new customers or clients for our businesses, we NEED to have an online presence! This book is all about building a brand, establishing a targeted audience, discovering collaborative opportunities, and so much more!
The Art of Social Media by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick
Yes, I too needed help managing my social media pages. If fact, this book was recommended to me in a Professional Development course back in college, and it’s been 100 times more helpful than most of the books I had to buy (looking at you Art History classes)! If you’re interested in tips on how to organize your platforms, schedule posts, and increase engagement, then this will be a great reference book to keep on your desk!
You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
I love the witty humor that Jen Sincero adds to her books! It’s like reading a motivational comedy! And she keeps it real! If you don’t mind a bit of a reality check to help you realize your potential, then I believe this book will be great for you!
You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
We all grow up with various beliefs about money. Some associate it with evil, others with greed. Yet, we desire more of it to cover bills or to help get out of debt or even just to go on a vacation. With this flip-floppy mentality, it’s no wonder we struggle to make ends meet. Jen Sincero brings her witty humor into explaining how we can customize our mindsets to earn what we need to live the life we want.
You Are a Badass Every Day by Jen Sincero
Sometimes, we just need a quick boost of motivation whenever we’re against the wall trying to figure out our next steps. This third part of Jen Sincero’s series is to help us remember to be grateful for all of our learning opportunities, good or bad. Growth comes from many resources, so every day know that you are getting better from this book!
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Shoutout to Coach Sam Carter at Savannah College of Art and Design for encouraging me to read this one! I realized from this goldmine of a guidebook how important “people skills” are to networking and success, so I recommend this book if you’re interested in better communication and negotiation skills!
The Creative Curve by Allen Gannett
One excuse that some use to avoid pursuing a passion is that “I’m not creative enough to do that.” Really!? Our brains’ right side was creative enough to think of the idea! Now it’s the left side’s time to figure out the “how”! I recommend this book for helping to identify key attributes to put your creative ideas to good use!
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
In this Information Age, many things are moving towards automation and time is saved through delegation. We run with the excuse of “not having enough time” to do what we want throughout the majority of our life (if not all of it total). This book explains how to enjoy life now instead of waiting for that illusion “retirement” age.
Stories that Stick by Kindra Hall
Effective storytelling is a highly underrated skill. Have you ever gone to a presentation with data overload and a speaker that had you ready to fall asleep within ten minutes? Yeah, we want to avoid that. One thing we share as humans is the desire to hear a good story. Believe it or not, you have plenty of them, and many can be used both in your personal and professional life!
Master Your Code by Darren C. Gold
Have you ever stopped to question why you believe that something should be done a specific way? Where did those beliefs come from? Do certain beliefs help us grow or hold us back? Throughout life, we develop “codes” to live by without even realizing it. This personal development book helps to identify those codes and determine whether they are beneficial or harmful to your unique situations.
Click here to view the book review for “Master Your Code” by Darren C. Gold
Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success by Steve Harvey
Success is never paved on a smooth path, and Steve Harvey shares the struggles he had to go through in order to make it to where he is now. With advice on finances, getting priorities together, dealing with haters, and much more, this book is filled with comical advice to ensure you have the mindset to succeed!
The Infographic Guide for Entrepreneurs by Carissa Lytle and Jara Kern
Who doesn’t like fun images in a book? These helpful infographics break down key components to creating your own brand and business. If you are a visual learner, then these simplified lessons will make it fun to learn the beginner steps of becoming a well-rounded entrepreneur!
One Million Followers by Brendan Kane
Anyone who has tried to grow their audience on social media can agree that there is a challenge to it. How do you attract your targeted audience? How do you boost their engagement with your brand? Like it or not, this evolves a lot of testing and analyzing. Although seeing the huge results from this book may require a larger marketing budget for many, it is possible to still achieve smaller results with a tiny budget from the tips within these pages.
88 Money-Making Writing Jobs by Robert Bly
Interested in writing but not sure where to put your skills to good use? This book is filled with many creative ways to get paid to write! It’s amazing the wide variety of writing skills that people are looking for nowadays! This book is sure to give you some ideas on how to expand your portfolio as well!
And Jen Sincero’s You’re A Badass at Making Money. Changed my perspective on SOOOO many levels.
I will make sure to add all these of these books to the list! I listened to the Making Money on Audible and it hit so hard to the heart my relationship with money since I grew up in a household that was extremely budget centered. On one end, it helped me manage money in college, but on the other, I have to force myself to understand that investing in my growth is important too!
These look great! I also love “Find Your Why” by Simon Sinek.
Thank you, Nan, for the recommendation! I found it on Audible and added it to the wish-list!
Some good reads here. I think i’ll pass this list along to my millennial daughter show is studying all this in school…
I definitely believe that these books will help her. If I had to choose a starting point from this list, I would recommend “How to Win Friends & Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. Although I enjoyed some of the “classical” reading assignments from school, I wish they had at least mixed in some of these personal development books so that I could have used the lessons in everyday life!
I loved Rich Dad Poor Dad. I’m going to check out the Badass books. I’ve seen them around. There’s lots of great-looking titles here. Thxo
If you have Audible, I HIGHLY recommend listening to Jen Sincero narrate these books! I never thought that I would find self-help books to be hilarious, but she does it with her witty storytelling! I especially love her heavy sarcasm when drilling in the critical lessons!
Several of these of read, but there are some on your list that I haven’t and I think I need too! I stay so busy these days between my day job and my side job that I forget I need to stop sometimes and just have a cup of coffee and a good read!
Audible has been my saving grace! I still read paperback if I find the time, but I agree that it can be a challenge to just sit down in a comfortable spot and relax with a good book nowadays. The main reason I’ve been able to add this many books this year is because of this Orlando traffic to and from work! ?
Most of these books I have read and you are right they will change the way you look at things!
Thank you, Holly! It’s great to have some witnesses in here! ?
Great recommendations. I want to check out atomic habits.
I believe it was Atomic Habits that taught me to set mini-checkpoints for my blog to decrease the chances of me giving up due to “no progress.” The exercise definitely helped me stay more positive during extremely low engagement periods! ?
Thanks for sharing. I’ve read a few on your list bit not all and I’m always looking for the next great read!
Thank you for visiting, Adrienne! The list will continue to grow throughout the year!