12 Great Books on Personal Development
Let’s face it, books on personal development are not hard to come by. But how do you know if they are actually any good? No one wants to waste time reading a book to get the same tired-out advice they have seen on social media and all of those Youtube videos. Right?
Well luckily for you, I have done some of the grunt work here and sorted through some of the best and worst personal development books I have read (so far) and successfully applied to my life.
No “Wish it, Dream it, Do it”s by Brian Griffin around here!
If you are ready to take your life and business to the next level, check out some of my favorite reads that helped me do just that.
12 Books on Personal Development every entrepreneur should read
In order for a book to have made this list, I have to have read it myself, have gotten value from it, and actually been able to use that information to make an improvement in my life.
Check out some of my favorite personal developments books that helped me elevate my thinking, my work, and my life.
1. Great books on personal development: David and Goliath
You’re going to see a lot of Malcolm Gladwell on this list. I absolutely love his writings, and I am sure that you will, too.
This book explores the advantages of being an underdog or misfit and lit a fire in my soul that propelled me to finish writing my book and take on a business that changed my life.
This book was integral in helping me adjust my perspective and see the things that I had always been told were my weaknesses as what they actually are: the strengths that I must lean into to fulfill my purpose and make a lasting impact on this world!
2. Best Books on Personal Development: Atomic Habits
This book was recommended to me by my brother, and it was another life changer for me. We understand as entrepreneurs that consistency is vital to our businesses. But how exactly does one build up that consistency?
By creating tiny habits!
Tiny habits lead to quantum leaps.
This was an idea that I had that I couldn’t quite quantify until after reading this book. If you are ready to really make changes in your world, this is the book for you. Don’t care what it is- from quitting smoking to building a business, your habits will make or break you. Learn to use them intentionally and wisely.
3. Personal Development Book Must Haves: The Gifts of Imperfection
Brene Brown. Dr. Brene Brown. If you can get your hands on anything by her, do it. Devour it. This woman is incredible! She is a shame researcher and in doing that helps people live more joyful and fulfilled lives. Sounds weird right? Look order here book and while you are waiting for it to arrive, go watch her special on Netflix.
4. Great Books for Freelancers: The 4-Hour Work Week
Another perspective Changer. The big secret? Outsourcing. If you are a freelancer one of the big goals I assume you have is building a business that gives you freedom of time and money. You don’t want to build a job for yourself.
Understanding how I could easily outsource so many different areas of my life to open up space for important things helped me better understand how to pave the road for my future workforce. There’s almost nothing you can’t outsource, and if you don’t believe me, read the book.
5. Self Improvement Books: Developing the Leader Within You
I really enjoyed reading this book by John Maxwell. I actually quoted this book in my own book as so many of the points presented were “aha” moments for me. As entrepreneurs, we are leaders. Leaders in our families, our companies (even if when we are just leading ourselves), and our communities.
It wasn’t until I embraced this idea that I was able to arm myself with the tools that could help me be successful. This book was a huge stepping stone in the journey for me, and I recommend that you check it out when you get a chance to.
6. Entrepreneurship Personal Development Book: Use What You’ve Got
This book is by Barbara Cochran, one of the ladies from the Shark Tank show, and I have to say that the book is fantastic. I didn’t know anything about her other than she was one of the sharks.
I picked up this book as part of my effort to include more female authors in my reading, and I’m so glad that I did! She is endearing, shares the up and downs in her journey, and gives really good business and life advice.
It was so refreshing to finally read something about business and leadership from a female’s point of view! And I love how she focused on the stories of her life that translated into business lessons. She really does show you how she was able to use what she had to create the life of her dreams!
7. Personal Mindset Development Book: The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck
This book was amazing. I went into it skeptical. As someone who has lived with anxiety for a long time, the idea of not giving a fuck scared the shit out of me. However, this was recommended by Esther’s brother so I decided to give it a shot.
The advice is so dead on.
Learn to not give a fuck about what’s not important so you can dedicate all your fucks to things that do. It’s not that simple, but it is that simple, you know?
8. Top Books for Personal Development: Optimisfit: Igniting A Fierce Rebellion Against Hopelessness
This book was written by a pastor. A pastor who was brave enough to admit that although he is saved, he still suffered from depression. He runs an organization to spread hope. That’s his whole mission. Suicide prevention, spreading hope.
There is life beyond depression! A
nd this book is him detailing this journey. He is raw and real. He talks about the Bible, he talks about quantum physics, he talks about everything in between. This is a great read, especially if you are working through depression or anxiety or a hard moment in life.
9. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
I’m a Gladwell girl 🙂 I love this dude’s writing. It’s weird, it’s quirky, it’s thoroughly researched. Blink is about learning to trust yourself, in a sense. Learning to listen to yourself.
When we become experts at things, we can look at something and know something about it, but not really know how we know it. Malcolm Gladwell explores this phenomenon and dives into how we can learn to lean into this almost subconscious knowledge.
10. The Tipping Point
Yes, Gladwell again. Almost done I promise. But these books are good! If you are into marketing, social media, or you know, trying to sell your product, the Tipping Point is for you!
Gladwell explores how ideas travel through society and the important roles that connectors, mavericks, and closers have in society. Which one are you, and how are you using that power to affect society?
11. Outliers
Have you ever heard of the 10,000-hour rule? You know, if you want to become an expert at something, you master it by practicing for 10,000 hours. Yea, that came from Malcolm Gladwell’s research, published in this book. This was the first book that I read from Gladwell and I was hooked.
12. Incredible book for personal development for women: The Confidence Code
Has anyone ever told you that confidence is more important than competence? As women, we tend to hold ourselves back from opportunities because we “don’t know enough”. We then discount the ability that we have to figure it out. Like when we stop ourselves from applying for a job or promotion at work.
After reading this book, I watched Legally Blonde and realized that we have to have Elle’s attitude from when she decided she was going to apply to Harvard. When she was talking to her counselor, she was told that she would have to take the LSATs. Although the look on her face said “I have no idea what that even is”, she paused and then said, “if I could judge the contest at that fraternity, I can do anything!”
You have literally survived everything you’ve been through so far. You got this.
12 Great Personal Development books
There you have it! 10 of my favorite self-development books (so far). These books have helped me adjust my perspective, and by applying what I learned, change my life! I hope that some of these suggestions are helpful to you, too!