The 101 Best Personal Development Classics PDF Free Download

Name: The 101 Best Personal Development Classics PDF
Author: haley_upload

1 / 114

2 views•114 pages

The 101 Best Personal Development Classics PDF Free Download

The 101 Best Personal Development Classics PDF free Download. Think more deeply and widely.

SELFHELPBOOKS:

The101BestPersonalDevelopmentClassics

VicJohnson

****

Publishedby:

LaurenzanaPress

POBox1220

Melrose,FL32666USA

www.LaurenzanaPress.com

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorby

anymeanswithoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthePublisher.

TableofContents
Introduction
AcresofDiamonds
AsAManThinketh
AtlasShrugged
AwakentheGiantWithin
ChickenSoupfortheSoul
Don’tSweattheSmallStuff
EvenEaglesNeedaPush
FailingForward:TurningMistakesintoSteppingStonesforSuccess
FeeltheFearandDoItAnyway
FirstThingsFirst
FiveMajorPiecestotheLifePuzzle
GettingThingsDone
HowIRaisedMyselffromFailuretoSuccessinSelling
HowtoGetWhatYouWant
HowtoHaveConfidenceandPowerinDealingwithPeople
HowtoReadaBook
HowtoStopWorryingandStartLiving
HowtoWinFriendsandInfluencePeople
HungBytheTongue
IDareYou
InTuneWithTheInfinite
ItWorks!
LearnedOptimism

LifeisTremendous
LiveYourDreams
MakeYourLifeWorthwhile
Man’sSearchforHimself
Man’sSearchforMeaning
MaximumAchievement
MenarefromMars,WomenarefromVenus
MessageofaMaster
MessageToGarcia
OverTheTop
PowerofYourSupermind
PowerThroughConstructiveThinking
Prosperity
Psycho-Cybernetics
ScienceofMind
SecretoftheAges
SeeYouatTheTop
SeedsofGreatness
SelfHelp
SelfMasteryThroughConsciousAutosuggestion
Self-Reliance
7StrategiesforWealth&Happiness
Success!TheGlennBlandMethod
The21IrrefutableLawsofLeadership
The7HabitsofHighlyEffectivePeople
The80/20Principle:TheSecrettoAchievingMorewithLess
TheAladdinFactor

TheAutobiographyofAndrewCarnegieandTheGospelofWealth
TheCommonDenominatorofSuccess
TheDynamicLawsofProsperity
TheEdinburghandDoreLecturesonMentalScience
TheFiveLoveLanguages
TheGameofLifeandHowtoPlayIt
TheGoGetter
TheGreatestSalesmanintheWorld
TheLawofSuccessin16Lessons
TheMagicofBelieving
TheMagicofThinkingBig
TheMagicStory
TheMajestyofCalmness
TheMasterKeySystem
TheMasteryofDestiny
TheMillionaireNextDoor
TheMiracleofRightThought
TheOneMinuteManager
ThePowerofConcentration
ThePowerofPostiveThinking
ThePowerofYourSubconsciousMind
ThePurposeDrivenLife
TheRichestManinBabylon
TheRoadLessTraveled
TheScienceofBeingGreat
TheScienceofGettingRich
TheScienceofMind

TheSevenSpiritualLawsofSuccess
TheStrangestSecret
TheSuccessSystemThatNeverFails
TheUltimateGift
TheUniversityofSuccess
TheWilltoBelieve
ThinkandGrowRich
ThinkLikeaWinner!
ThoughtsAreThings
ThreeMagicWords:TheKeytoPower,PeaceandPlenty
ToughTimesNeverLastButToughPeopleDo
Unstoppable
WakeUpandLive
Walden
WhattoSayWhenYouTalktoYourself
WhenBadThingsHappentoGoodPeople
WhoMovedMyCheese
Wooden:ALifetimeofObservationsandReflectionsonandOfftheCourt
WorkingWithTheLaw
YouCanIfYouThinkYouCan
YouWereBornRich
You’llSeeItWhenYouBelieveIt:TheWaytoYourPersonalTransformation
You2(YouSquared)
YourInvisiblePower
DaybyDayWithJamesAllen
NowWhat?

Introduction

Whenmyyoungestsonturnedtwentywehadapartyatourhousetocelebrate

theoccasion.Mostoftheguestswerefriendsofhiswhowereinhisagegroup.

LateintheafternoonIwentdownstairsandfoundmysonhuddledupwith

severalofhisfriendsandhisfootballcoachfromhighschool.Theyweresitting

ontheporchinfrontofmylibrarythathasanincredibleviewoverlookingthe

lakeandloadsofwildlifethathangoutthere.

Theconversationveryquicklyturnedto“wealth”andwhatitmusthavetakento

acquire“suchaplace.”

WhenIaskedtheyoungtwenty-somethingwhoposedthequestionifhe’dlike

toseewhatcreatedallthatwealth,anincredulousandeagerlookcameoverhis

faceashenoddedaffirmingly.

Ithenpointedtowardtheglasstodirecttheirattentiontomylibrarybehindthem

andsaid,“Thosebooksboughtthishouseandeverythinginit.”ThenIshared

oneofmyfavoriteJimRohnquoteswiththem,“PoorpeoplehavebigTV’sin

theirhomes.Richpeoplehavebiglibrariesintheirs.”

Whereuponthequestionerinstantlyrecognizedthesimplicityofthatwisdom,

butinamomentseemedperplexedwhenhesaid,“ButMr.Jyou’vegotseven

televisionsinyourhouse.”TowhichIreplied,“Andeveryoneofthemwere

boughtwiththosebooks,andnottheotherwayaround.”

Thushasbeentheimpactofbooksonmylife,especiallypersonaldevelopment

books,andespeciallythepersonaldevelopmentbooksyou’reabouttoread

about.

Theyliterally“savedmylife.”EvenduringthedayswhenmyfamilyandIwere

evictedfromourhome,lostthelastautomobilewehadandqualifiedbelowthe

federalpovertylevel.Eventhen,IhadthefaiththatIwouldfindtheanswersI

neededtoovercomethatinthesebooks.AndindeedIdid.

NowIcallthesethe101BestPersonalDevelopmentClassicsandI’msuresome

willdisagreewithme.Andthat’sfine.Partofpersonalgrowthisrealizingthat

othersmaybeonadifferentpartoftheirpaththanyou’reon.Becauseofthat,

theirperspectivewillcertainlybedifferentthanyours.

Sonodoubttherewillbebooksthatsomepeoplethinkshouldhavemadethe

list.Andsomethatdidn’tmakeitthatsomewillinsistshouldbelisted.ButI

don’tbelievethere’sasinglebookonmylistthatsomeonewouldn’tgetsome

benefitfrom.AndIbelievemostpeoplewillhavesomemajor“aha”moments

frommostofthesebooksifthey’veneverreadthem.

NowsomepeoplewillbequicktosaythattheBibleisthebestpersonal

developmentbookandshouldhavemadethelist.Andthey’recorrect.Andsois

theTorahandtheKoranandotherreligioustexts.Theprinciplesofpersonal

developmentarenotnew.Theyareasoldashumansandthat’swhyyoufindthe

principlesinthewrittenworksfromtheverybeginning.

ButIhavechosentofocusonsomemore“contemporary”but“classic”works.

TheoldestbookIreferencewasfirstpublishedin1854(HenryDavidThoreau’s

Walden)andthereareseveralbooksasrecentas2001-2002.Inallcasesthese

arebooksthathavestoodthetestoftimeashumansovertheyearshavesought

themforanswers.

Iknowsomepeoplewillwanttoknowwheretostartandthat’sareasonable

questionthoughthetruthisitreallydependsonwhereyou’reatonyourpath

rightnow.IreadThinkandGrowRichthefirsttimewhenIwasinmytwenties

andIcouldn’tfigureoutwhyeverybodymadesuchabigfussaboutthebook.

WhenIreadittwentyyearslaterIwouldhaveswornthatthebookhadbeen

changedsinceIfirstreadit.InmyfortiesIwasreadyforthewisdomthatI

couldn’tseewhenIwasinmytwenties.

Sowheretostart?Chooseoneofmytopfiveclassicsandreadthefirsttwo

chapters.Ifit’snotresonatingwithyou,putitdownandpickupanother.And

that’sawonderfulthingaboutmostpersonaldevelopmentclassics.Youcanpick

oneup,readachapterandputitdownformonths.Whenyoupickitupagain

it’snotdifficulttoresumereadingbecausethere’sseldomaplottoworryabout

following.Here’sthelisttochoosefrom:

AsAManThinketh

HowToWinFriendsandInfluencePeople

MakeYourLifeWorthwhile

TheMagicofThinkingBig

ThinkandGrowRich

Italsowouldn’tbeabadmovetoputMortimerAdler’sfamousHowToReada

Booknearthetopofyourlist.It’llmaketherestofyourreadingmanytimes

morevaluable.

Ifyou’veneverbeenareaderletmegiveyouasimpleexercisethatwillturnyou

intoone.Inthebeginningspendfifteenminutesaday,everyday,reading.Some

peopledoitfirstthinguponrisinginthemorning,othersdoitjustbeforeretiring

intheevening.Iknowofpeoplewhobuyusedpaperbacksandeverydaytearout

afewpages,stickitintheirlunchboxandreadontheirlunchbreak.

TheimportantthingistoDOIT!Afterafewweeksitbecomeshabitjustlike

brushingyourteeth.Themoreyoureadthemoreyou’llwanttoextendyour

readingtime.Eventuallyyou’llbereadingthirtyminutestoanhouraday.When

you’redoingthatEVERYday,someamazingthingswillbeginhappeningin

yourlife.

Sowithoutfurtheradieu,let’sgetstartedwiththe101BestPersonal

DevelopmentClassics!

AttentionAllEagleEyes:We’vehadanumberofpeopleproofthisbook

beforewereleasedittoyou,butthereisachanceyoumightspotsomethingthat

wasmissed.Ifyoufindatypoorotherobviouserrorpleasesendittous.Andif

you’rethefirstonetoreportit,we’llsendyouafreegift!Sendto:

corrections@laurenzanapress.com

AcresOfDiamonds(1890)

RussellH.Conwell

MajorTheme:Spiritualityandhappiness

AcresofDiamondsactuallystartedasaspeechgivenbyRussellH.Conwellin

ordertoraisemoneyforthenewlyformedTempleUniversity.Beforehewas

finished,Conwellwoulddeliverthetalkmorethan6,000times.Iteventually

madeitswayintoprintwhereithasbecomeaclassicwiththetimelessmessage

thatyoucanfindwealth,happiness,andsuccessrightwithinyourowncurrent

circumstances.

Foranyonewhofeelslikethey’restuckintheratrace,constantlychasingthe

nextbiggestitemontheirto-buylist,thisbookcanhelpyoure-evaluateyour

life’sgoalsandteachyouthathappinesstrulydoescomefromwithin.

Thisisaverysmallbookandaquickreadandmakesawonderfulselectionfora

weekendwhenweatherkeepsyouin.

AsManThinketh(1902)

JamesAllen

MajorTheme:Personalfulfillmentandthepowerofthemind

ThisbookbyJamesAllenisbasedonthepremisethatyourlife,andeverything

init,isentirelyshapedbyyourperceptionofitandyourthoughtsasyougo

aboutyourday.Thus,oneoftheprimarygoalsofthisbookistoteachthereader

howtotrainthemindtothinkinpatternsthatbringaboutsuccess,health,

happiness,andjoy.

Thisisthelittlebookthat’smostresponsibleforyoureadingtheoneyou’re

currentlyreading.HadInotreadAsAManThinkethImightnothavegoneonto

thesuccessI’vehad,whichledtomebecominganauthor.

In2001Icreatedawebsitewiththespecificpurposeofgivingthisbookaway.

AsIwritethiswe’reclosinginonmorethanahalfmillioncopiesdistributed.If

you’dlikeafreecopy(wegiveyouthreedifferentversionssoyoucanreadona

Kindle,iPad,NookandmostothereBookreaders)youcandownloadonehere:

http://www.AsAManThinketh.net

MillionsofpeoplehavebeeninfluencedbyJamesAllen’sworkandmost

personaldevelopmentteachersquoteextensivelyfromthebook.MarkVictor

Hansen,co-authoroftheChickenSoupbooks,sayshe’sreaditmorethan25

times.ThelegendaryOgMandinocalleditoneofthetoptenbooksofalltime.

Verydefinitelyshouldbeonyourshortlisttoreadifyou’veneverreaditbefore.

AtlasShrugged(1957)

AynRand

MajorTheme:Theroleofman’smindinexistence

Inthisworld-renownedbook,AynRandtakesacloserlookintotheprimary

drivesandmotivesofsocietyandhowtheseareslowlyleadingtoitscollapse.

Thebookoffershopetothosewhofeelstuckintheircurrentlifesituationand

showsthemhowtocreatechangebyreshapingthewaytheylookattheir

situationandmakingchangefromwithin.

Thisbookisbasedaroundtheconceptthatfactsarefactsbutitisreasonthat

determinesyoursuccessandhappiness.Youcanbeinanysituationandstill

achieveasenseofinnerjoyandpeaceprovidedyoulookatyourcircumstancein

thecorrectmannerandaresearchingforfulfillmentfromwithinratherthanfrom

outwardlypossessionsorfactors.

Unlikemostofthepersonaldevelopmentclassics,thisisafictionbookand

muchlongerthanmost.Iwouldn’tmakethisoneofmyfirstchoices.Waituntil

you’vebecomeamoreaccomplishedreaderandyou’vegotsomeoftheseother

volumesunderyourbelt.You’llappreciateAtlasShruggedalotmore.

AwakenTheGiantWithin(1992)

AnthonyRobbins

MajorTheme:Self-thoughtanditsimpactonhealth,happiness,andsuccess.

Inthisbook,AnthonyRobbinstakesacloserlookathowyoucangoabout

masteringyouremotionstoensurethatyouaremakingthemostofyour

existenceandcreatingalifethatisfilledwithhappiness,joy,andself-

confidence.

Hetakesalookatkeystrategiesthatyoucanusetoenhanceyourrelationships,

turnyourfinancialsituationaround,andhowtoimproveyourhealthsothatyou

feelbetteronadailybasis.He’sabigbelieverthatimprovedphysicalenergy

makesyoufarmoreeffectiveinallyoudo.

Thisbookishighlyfocusedontheconceptofself-masteryandspecial

techniquesyoucanuseto“empoweryourself.”

ChickenSoupForTheSoul(1993)

MarkVictorHansenandJackCanfield

MajorTheme:HappinessandInspiration

Perhapsthemostsuccessfulbookseriesever,ChickenSoupForTheSoulis

well-knownbymany.And,ifyouhaven’treadtheoriginalversion,there’sa

goodchancethatyoumayhavereadanothervarietyintheseriesasover200

furthereditionshavecomeoutsinceoriginalpublicationtargetingreadersofall

audiences.

Thefirstbookintheseriesprovidespowerfulessaysandstoriesofhappiness,

motivation,andselflessdeedsthatothershavecontributed,astoldby

motivationalspeakersMarkVictorHansenandJackCanfield.Byreading

throughityou’llgainahighersenseofhumanityandhelptoseethathappiness

isreallypossibleacrosssomanysituations.

Justasthenameimplies,thisbook,andtheothersintheseriesarelike“chicken

soup”whenyou’reailingontheinside.Thisisagreatbooktokeeponthe

nightstandwhereyoucanpickitup,readastoryandfallasleepwiththecomfort

ofknowingtomorrowwillbeabetterday.

Don’tSweatTheSmallStuff(1997)

RichardCarlson

MajorTheme:Stressreductionandappreciation

Ifyou’resomeonewhoconstantlyfindsyourselfstressedouteachandevery

day,Don’tSweattheSmallStuffisaterrificbooktoexploretohelpputyouina

morepeacefulstateofmindandlearntoletgoofthelittlethingsthatyoufeel

‘driveyoucrazy’.

Verymanyofusoftengetwrappedupinthemundaneeventsofthedaywhich

candampenthespiritandkillyourinnerjoy.RichardCarlsonteachesyouhow

toquietthoseinnerstressfulvoicesthatshowupafterlittleeventscausingyou

thisfeelingofsadnesssoyoucanfreeyourselftofocusonthemoreimportant

mattersinyourlife–whatdoesbringyouhappinessandfulfillment.

Thisbookwillteachyoutoliveyourlifewithmoregratitudeandappreciation

whilelearningtoplacemoreemphasisongenerosityandnon-materialthings.

EvenEaglesNeedAPush(1990)

DavidMcNally

MajorTheme:Selfchangeandlearningthetruevalueofhappiness

Inthisbook,DavidMcNallytakesadeeperlookintowhatitreallymeanstobe

happyandhowyoucanshapeyourrealitytohelpfostergreaterfeelingsofjoy,

self-esteemandconfidence,andbecomethebestyouthatyoucanbe.

Heshareswithyouhowtoassesswhereyouaretodayincomparisonwithwhere

youwanttobegoingandthenhelpsyoulearnthekeystrategiesthatyoushould

befocusingonputtingintoplacetoshapeyourexistence.

He’llteachyoutolookcarefullyatwhatreallymattersmosttoyouandgain

insightonhowtoplacemorefocusontheseareasofyourlifewhilenotletting

otherelementsthattakeawayfromyourjoyandhappinessshapewhoyouare

comingtobe.

FailingForward:TurningMistakesInto

SteppingStonesForSuccess(2000)

JohnMaxwell

MajorTheme:SelfBeliefandmindset

Inthispowerfulbook,JohnMaxwellillustratestoyouthattruesuccessdoesnot

comefromallthevariousachievementsthatyou’vemadeinlife,butrather

comesfrombeingabletolearnfromyourpastmistakesandmoveforwardfrom

them,usingtheexperiencetoshapeyourfuture.

Thosewhohavetheabilitytoputtheirfailuresbehindthemandovercometheir

fearssothattheycanfacethefuturewiththerightmindframeanddesireto

succeedaregoingtobetheoneswhoobtainoptimalsuccessintheirlife.

Johnprovidesanumberofdifferentexercisesthatcanbedonetohelpyoulearn

thesecrettobeingabletomovebeyondproblemsthatyouencounteranddirect

yourfocusforwardontousingtheexperiencetofuelfuturechange.

I’vereadanumberofMaxwell’sbooksandseenhimspeakseveraltimes.This

isoneofhisbestworksandIoftenrecommendittoothersbecauseIthink

failureissuchabigobstacletomostpeople.

There’snoquestionthatsuccessfulpeopleviewfailuredifferentlythan

unsuccessfulpeople.Ieventeachthatsuccessfulpeoplearebiggerfailuresand

it’strue.It’showtheybecomesuccessful–bycontinuingtopersistevenwhen

thingsdon’tgoaccordingtoplan.Thisisagreatbooktoconvinceyouofthat

logicalargument!

FeelTheFearAndDoItAnyway(1987)

SusanJeffers

MajorTheme:Self-beliefandmastery

FrommyownpersonalexperienceIbelievethatfearhaskilledmoredreamsand

ambitionsandsentencedmorepeopletoamiserablelifethananyothersingle

cause.Icouldeasilycallunmanagedfearthenumberoneenemyofmankind.

Inthisbook,SusanJeffersteachesyouhowtounearthwhatitisthatyoufearin

lifeandhowtoovercomethosefearssothatyoucanenhanceyourexistence,

achievingallthesuccessanddreamsthatyou’vesetoutto.

Eachofushasourownuniquefearsthatpreventusfrombecomingwhowe

trulywanttobe.It’sonlythosewhoareabletoidentifythesefearsandtake

powerfulstepstogetbeyondthemthatwillseethechangesinlifethattheywant

tocreate.

Jeffersprovidesyouwitha10-stepprocessforretrainingyourmindtobecome

morepositiveandfaceyourfearsheadonsothattheydon’tpreventyoufrom

tryingnewexperiencesinlifeandachievingastateofcompletehappiness.

FirstThingsFirst(1994)

StephenCovey

MajorTheme:Timemanagement

Ifyou’reconstantlyharriedbytime,seemingalwaystofeelthatyou’rerunning

atfullspeedjusttokeepup,FirstThingsFirstshouldbeatthetopofyourlistto

read.

Coveyhelpsyoulearnhowtoproperlymanageyourtimeinthisbooksothat

youcanputmorefocusandemphasisonthethingsthatreallymattermostto

you.Themagicisinaquadrantthathedescribesinaverysimpleandeasyto

understandway.Youcanimmediatelygraspwhyyou’restrugglingnowand

you’lleasilyseethechangesyouneedtomake.

Inthequadrantexerciseyoucarefullyidentifydifferentelementsofyourlifeto

determinewhethertheyareimportantandurgent,importantandnoturgent,

urgentbutnotimportant,alongwithnoturgentandnotimportantsothatyou

knowpreciselywhereyourtimeisbestspent.

I’vehadalotofpeoplereportbackwithverypositiveresultsafterI

recommendedthistothemforreading.

FiveMajorPiecesToTheLifePuzzle(1991)

JimRohn

MajorTheme:Attitudeandself-beliefcorrections

Inhisbook,FiveMajorPiecesToTheLifePuzzle,JimRohnlooksatwhysome

peoplearemorehappyandsuccessfulthanothers–namely,theyhavefivekey

areasoftheirlifeworkingfortheminawaythatestablishesaproperframeof

mindthatbreedsfurthersuccess.

ThisisclassicRohnandifyou’veneverreadorheardofJimbefore,thisisa

greatintroduction.Hediscussesthefactthatourpersonalphilosophyiswhat

willguideourownattitudeabouteverythingthathappensonadailybasisand

it’sthisattitudethatshapesourfutureactions.

Healsotalksaboutstrategiesthatyoucandotohelpimproveyourattitudeso

thatyouperceiveyourenvironmentdifferentlyandareabletofindthesuccess

andinnerjoythatyou’restrivingforallwhilestrikingabetterbalanceinyour

day-to-daylife.

AnotherbookofJim’sthatfocusesontheimportanceofhavingapersonal

philosophyisMyPhilosophyforSuccessfulLiving.Itdidn’tmakethislist

becauseit’samorerecentbook.ButittooisclassicRohnandagreatquickread.

GettingThingsDone(2001)

DavidAllen

MajorTheme:TimeManagement

ThisistheonlyotherTimeManagementbookIconsidertobeinthesameclass

asCovey’sFirstThingsFirst.Perhapsabitmoretechniqueoriented,you’ll

definitelybemakingchangesafterthisread.

Allenwalksyouthroughtipsandtechniquestoreassessyourgoalsandstay

focusedsothatyouavoidtakingtoolongtocompleteataskyou’reworkingon

aswellasshowsyouhowtoovercomefeelingsofconfusion,anxiety,andbeing

overwhelmed.

Foranyonewhoisoftenstressedbecausetheydon’thaveenoughtime,thisis

thebookforyou.

HowIRaisedMyselfFromFailureTo

SuccessInSelling(1947)

FrankBettger

MajorTheme:Salestechniquesandinspiration

Inthisbook,you’lllearnthepersonalstoryofFrankBettgerandhowhe

transformedhimselfintoatopsalesman,creatingthecareerhehaddreamedof.

He’llteachyouhowtoharnessthepowerofenthusiasm,overcomeyourfearsso

youcanfaceobstaclesheadon,andhowtowinconfidenceinthosewhoyouare

attemptingtosellto.

Inadditiontothis,he’llalsogooverhissevengoldenrulesforclosingasaleso

youhavesomestrongactionablestepstotaketoachievesuccessinthisfield.If

yousellanything(anddon’tweallsellsomething)thisshouldbeatthetopof

yourlist.

HowToGetWhatYouWant(1917)

OrisonSwettMarden

MajorTheme:PersonalDevelopmentandfulfillment

OrisonSwettMardenwasaprolificpersonaldevelopmentwriterandafterIwas

introducedtohisworksIquicklybecameconvincedheisoneofthetopfive

writersofthelast150years.

MardenwasthefounderoftheoriginalSuccessmagazineandgrewitto500,000

subscribersinthelate19thcentury,anincrediblenumberforthattime.Inthis

bookheillustratesthekeystofinallyrealizinghappinessandsuccessinyourlife

bytakingcontroloverthefactorsthatyouhaveavailabletoyourightnowand

usingthemtoyouradvantagetoachievethegoalsyou’vesetforyourself.

You’lllearnhowtoovercomeobstaclesthatcrossyourpathandremainpositive

despiteanysetbacksthatyoumightencountersothatyoucanpushonwardsto

theresultsthatyoudesire.

HowToHaveConfidenceAndPowerIn

DealingWithPeople(1956)

LesGiblin

MajorTheme:Confidenceandinfluence

MosteveryonereadingthisbookwillprobablyhaveheardofDaleCarnegie’s

HowToWinFriendsandInfluencePeople.It’soneofthetopsellingbooksof

alltimeandit’slistedelsewhereinthisbook.Buttotellyouthetruth,Iprobably

learnedasmuchfromGiblin’sbookasIdidfromCarnegie’s.Itseemstobea

littlesimplertounderstandandIfounditeasiertorelateto.

Giblinteachesyouhowtogainaninnersenseofself-confidencethatyouthen

revealtoothers,helpingtoinfluencetheminthewaythatyouarehopingfor.

Thisbookwillhelpyoucometounderstandwhyupto90percentofpeoplefail

intheirlifeandwhattherealkeystohappinessare.

Inadditiontothat,he’llalsoexplainthebasicsecretthatyoumustknowfor

influencingotherssothatyoucanmakeandkeepfriends,succeedinbusiness

andyourcareer,andbecomewell-likedbyyourpeers.

He’llfinishupbyteachingyousomequicktechniquesforwinningarguments,

howtoimproveyourbrainpowerandhowtocriticizeotherswithoutoffending

them.Makethisoneofthefirsttwentybooksorsothatyouread.

HowToReadABook(1940)

MortimerJ.Adler

MajorTheme:Readingandcomprehension

Foranyonewholovesthewrittenword,thisbookwillguideyouthroughhowto

makethemostofyourreadingexperienceandtakehomealltheinformationthat

anybookistryingtogiveyou.

Whetheryou’rereadingfiction,educationalmaterial,personaldevelopmentor

referencebooks,thisbookwillguideyouthroughtechniquesthatyoucanuseto

mastertheskillofreading.

You’llalsogaintipsonhowtoincreasethespeedinwhichyoureadsothatyou

cancovermoregroundquicklyandincreaseyourknowledgebase.Inadditionto

that,you’llfindouthowtoenhanceyourreadingcomprehensionsothatyou

retainmoreofwhatyou’veread,reallygainingfromthelearningexperience.

AsInotedintheintroduction,itwouldn’tbeabadideatomakethisoneofyour

earlyreadsasitwillhelpyoutremendouslywithreadingandcomprehendingthe

others.

HowToStopWorryAndStartLiving(1944)

DaleCarnegie

MajorTheme:Stressandworryreduction

ThenexttwobooksarethebestbookswrittenbyDaleCarnegie,ahugely

successfulauthorwhoIdon’tthinkeverwroteabadbook.

Ifyouoftenfindyourselfhighlystressedoutandworriedabouteventstaking

placeinyourlife,thisbookbyCarnegiecanhelpyouputthingsinto

perspective.Initherevealsanumberofpersonalstoriestoldbyhistorical

figuresandbusinessleadersonhowtoovercomeworryandmoveforwardwith

yourlife.

Heprovidesyouwithpracticalinformationforescapingtheworrytrapand

gettingbeyondyourfearstoaccomplishwhatitisthatistrulymeaningfulto

you.Inadditiontothis,healsoillustrateshowyoucanavoidfatigueandhow

youcanaddonehourtoeachandeverydaysimplybyreducingworryandusing

effectivetimemanagementstrategies.

You’reofferedapracticalformulatofollowsoregardlessofyoursituation,you

canbenefitfromthisbook.

HowToWinFriendsAndInfluencePeople

(1936)

DaleCarnegie

MajorTheme:Interpersonalrelationships

Ifyoufeelasthoughyoursociallifeoryourcareerconnectionscoulduseabit

ofaboost,HowToWinFriendsAndInfluencePeopleisagreatbooktoventure

into.Thisbookisoneofthetoppersonaldevelopmentbooksofalltimeandhas

soldover15millioncopiesworldwide.Thousandsofpeoplehaveputthe

strategiesdescribedinthisbooktogoodusetogainpowerovertheirlivesand

breedahigherlevelofconfidenceandsuccessindealingwithothers.

Itiswidelyregardedasthegoldstandardamongbooksteachingpeoplehowto

createandimproveinterpersonalrelationships.Carnegieteachesyouhowto

influencethoseyoucomeintocontactwithwithouthavingthemfeel

manipulatedsothatyoucanachievethedesiredresultsyou’relookingforand

formstrongersocialbonds.

Foranyonewhoislookingtoimproveinteractionswithothers,thisisamust-

read.

HungByTheTongue(1979)

FrancisP.Martin

MajorTheme:Faithandpersonaldevelopment

There’sonepersonintheworldwholistenstoeverywordyousay–whether

yousaythemoutloudortoyourself(selftalk).It’syoursub-consciousofcourse

andtheresultofhearingallthosewordscanbeamazing.

InHungByTheTongueMartinteachesusthepowerofourwordsandillustrates

theconnectionbetweenhowyouspeakandwhatyoufeelandhowthisallwill

influencethetypeoflifeyou’llendupwith.

Hetalksaboutthefactthatyoursuccessesorfailuresarereallypre-determined

byyourmindandcomeoutthroughthewordsandactionsyoutake,motivating

youtoseethatthepowerofchangeispossiblewiththerightstepsforward.

ThisbookhasstrongChristianfaithreferencessoforanyonewhoisspiritual

andlookingtoimprovetheirqualityoflifeandframeofmindwillbenefitfrom

it.

IDareYou(1931)

WilliamH.Danforth

MajorTheme:PersonalGrowthAndDevelopment

Veryfewofuseverchallengethestatusquoanddaretostepoutofourcomfort

zonesandrealizeallthatwearecapableof.Thisbook,IDareYou,byWilliam

H.Danforth,willchangeyourthinking,inspireyoutocreatechange,and

possiblyalterthecourseofyourlife.

Danforthtalksaboutpushingyourboundariesinallelementsofyourlife

includingyoursenseofadventure,yourmotivationtotakeactioninyourlife

ratherthanbeapassivebystander,yourdesiretobestrongandcreative,aswell

asyourabilitytobuildamagneticpersonalityandstrongcharacter.

Thecenterpieceofhistrainingisthefourquadrantsofyourlifethatheproposed

neededtobeinbalancetoliveahappyandproductivelife.Hewouldillustrate

thisinacheckerboardfashionandthecheckerboardeventuallybecamethelogo

ofthecompanyhefounded,RalstonPurina(nowNestlePurina).

InTuneWithTheInfinite(1910)

RalphWaldoTrine

MajorTheme:Personalachievementanddevelopment

Ifyou’relookingforhappinessinmaterialpossessionsandinsteadhavefound

frustration,discouragementanddepression,you’rereadyforInTuneWithThe

Infinite.

Trinewillguideyouthroughyourownself-reflectiononwhatmattersmostin

theworld,allowingyoutoidentifywhereyoushouldbedevotingyourtimeand

effortsforachievingthegreatestdegreeofsuccess.

Thisbookwillteachyouhowtoobtaininnerpeaceandclarityasyoumove

throughthehecticpaceofyourbusylifeandhowtovaluethepoweroflifetoa

largerextent.

ItWorks!(1926)

R.H.Jarrett

MajorTheme:SelfImprovement

Itdoesn’talwaystakealotofwordstogetthepointacross!Ifyouwantalight

andfastreadthatwillmakeadifferenceinyourlife,ItWorks!ByR.H.Jarrett

hasalreadydoneitformillions.Thisbook,nothingmorethanapamphletreally,

willhelpyoulearnaveryfirmsetofrulestofollowforobtainingallofyour

desiresinlifeandmakingthemostofyourcurrentsituation.

Itdoesn’tmatterwhereyoucurrentlyare,Jarrettfirmlybelievesthatwiththe

rightactionablestepsyoucanovercomeyourcurrentcircumstanceandcreate

thelifethatyouwanttolive.

IfyouwantsomeQUICKinspiration,motivation,andalittlebitofextra

courage,thisisthebookforyou.

LearnedOptimism(1990)

MartinSeligman

MajorTheme:Self-Improvementandthepowerofthought

InLearnedOptimismSeligmanteachesthattherearebasicallytwowaysthat

youcanlookatlifeandthewayinwhichyoucurrentlyseeyourworldwillhave

animmediateinfluenceonhowyouliveandthesuccessthatyousee.

Hetalksaboutwhatitmeanstofeelhelplessandhowyoucanovercomethese

feelingsandtakebackcontrolandpowerinyourownlife.

Healsotalksaboutseeingsuccessatwork,school,sports,maintaininggood

health,andhowtofosterahigherlevelofoptimisminchildrenforanyreaders

whoalsohappentobeparents.

Ifyou’retiredoffeelinglikeyou’restuckinarutandnothingisgoingyourway,

thisbookcanhelpyoubreakfreefromthisandgiveyouanentirelynewlookat

life.

LifeIsTremendous(1968)

Charlie“Tremendous”Jones

MajorTheme:SelfImprovementandviewpoint

Inthisbook,TremendousJonesshareswithyouhispersonalstoryand

techniquesforchangingthewaythatyouviewlifeandeverythingthathappens

toyousothatyoucanfosterahigherlevelofsuccess,happiness,andsenseof

accomplishment.

Thisisnotabigbooksoit’saquickread.WhenIreaditthefirsttimeIloved

everypagesomuchthatIwasdisappointedwhenitwasoversoquickly.But

Charlie(whowasoneofmymentors),andthisbook,ledmetomakemany

changesinmylife.

Thereisabigfocusondevelopingafewkeycharactertraitsthathelptoimprove

anindividual’sstateofhappinessandhelpthembecomeanaturalleaderthat

fostershigherlevelsofsuccessintheworkenvironment.Theenthusiasmwith

whichhewritesissocontagiousitwillhaveyouboundingoutofbedonthe

morningsafteryoureadthis.

You’llloveCharlie’sstoriesandthesimplicityofhismessage.Ifyou’rea

Christianyou’llalsoappreciatehisFaithwhichheconstantlysharedthroughout

hislifeandisapparentinhiswriting.

LiveYourDreams(1992)

LesBrown

MajorTheme:Self-PowerandFulfillment

IsawLesspeakduringsomereallydowntimesinmylifeandIstillhavethe

notesIwrotethatkeptmegoingfromdaytoday.Thisbookisanexpansionof

thoseideasandaperfectifyou’vehitthatplacewhereyou’rewonderingif

anythinggoodisevergoingtohappeninyourlife.

Lesillustrateshowyoucanfindthepowertochangefromwithinandhowyour

motivationcanpropelyouforwardtoachievethegreatnessthatyouseek.He

alsoprovidesyouwithfouractionablestepsthatyoucantakeimmediatelyupon

readingthemtostartmakinggreaterimprovementsinyourlifeandwell-being

whilereachingallthegoalsthatyouhavesetforyourself.

Inadditiontothat,italsoshowsyouhowyoucanchangeyourfocusofyour

dailyeventssotheybetteralignwiththeachievementsthatyouhopetoreach

whilealsoovercomingfearsthatstandinyourway.

Finally,hegoesoverhowyoucanridyourselfofanytoxicthoughtsthatare

limitingyoursuccessandholdingyouback.You’lllovehisteachingandyou’ll

beinspiredbyhisownstoryofovercoming.

MakeYourLifeWorthwhile(1942)

EmmetFox

MajorTheme:Self-DevelopmentandImprovement

AtagaragesalemyformerwifepurchasedacopyofMakeYourLife

Worthwhile,bythelateEmmetFox,because“itlookedlikeabookyou’dbe

interestedin.”IcannotimaginewhereIwouldbetodayifshehadn’tgonetothat

garagesale.Iwasatthelowestpointinmylife,depressedbeyonddescription.

Likeapersonwhohasn’thadwaterinseveraldays,Idrankinpageafterpage,

almostreadingtheentirebookinonesitting.

Thechangewasn’tinstantaneousbutthebookbecameoneofmycrutchesfor

“thetripback.”Ireadfromitdailyformorethantwoyearsanditsimpactonmy

lifeisimmeasurable.

Thisbookposessomekeyquestionsthatyoucanaskyourselftodeterminehow

youarecurrentlylivingandwherethereisroomforimprovement.You’llcome

tolearnthemanyliesthatpeopletellthemselvesandhowthishinderstheirown

personalgrowthanddevelopmentsothatthesewon’tinfluenceyouinasimilar

manner.

FoxwasaNewThoughtminister,withahugefollowinginNewYorkCity,so

allofhisworkshavestrongspiritualmessages,whichIfoundtobevery

powerful.Interestingly,Fox’ssecretaryhadtiestotheearlyleadershipof

AlcoholicsAnonymous.HisworkswereembracedbyAACo-FounderBillW.

andtothisdayareusedbymanyintheorganization.

Man’sSearchForHimself,(1953)

RolloMay

MajorTheme:Self-Discovery

Inthisbook,RolloMayshareswithyouthepathyouneedtotaketogainan

innersenseofdiscoverywhileyoulearnexactlywhoyouareandwhatyouhave

tooffertheworld.

Mayexplainsthatoneoftheprimaryneedsofmanistofeelasthoughheisa

contributiontosociety,butyetveryfewofusreallyhaveidentifiedourtrue

reasonforbeing.Asaresult,thisleadstofeelingsofloneliness,boredom,as

wellasemptinessthatneverseemtoletup.

Afterreadingthisbookandperformingsomeself-reflection,you’llhelptorid

yourselfofthesefeelingsandfeelmorecompleteasanindividual.

Man’sSearchForMeaning(1959)

VictorFrankl

MajorTheme:Purposefulliving

VictorFranklwasinaNaziconcentrationcampforfiveyearsandwatchedall

thoseheknew,alongwithmanyothers,dierightbeforehiseyes.Duringthat

experiencehedevelopedanincredibleunderstandingoflifeandhowtodeal

withit.

Heshareshisexperiencesandsomeofhisowninnermostthoughts,needs,and

desiresduringhisconfinementtohelpyoulearnhowtomakethemostofyour

ownlife.

Hethengoesontodescribewhathebelievesaretheprimaryforcesthatdriveus

tocontinuelivingintoday’sworldandhowyoucanmakethemostofyourown

lifetoachievefulfillmentandhappiness.

Ifyou’reafanofinspirationalautobiographiesthisoneshouldbenearthetopof

yourlist.

MaximumAchievement(1993)

BrianTracy

MajorTheme:PersonalAchievementandPower

Ifyou’resomeonewhoislookingtomastermanydifferentareasofyourlife,

thiswillbeagoodbooktoreadtohelpyoudoso.BrianTracyisgoingtotake

youthroughthesevenlawsofmentalmasterysothatyoucanlearnwhatyou

needtodoinordertocreatethelifethatyouwant.

He’llbediscussinghowtomasteryourmind,yourskills,howtogainpowerin

yourlife,aswellashowtomakeanydecisionasyougoaboutyourlife.

He’llalsoprovideyouwithsoundadviceonhowtomasterhumanrelationships,

aswellaspersonalrelationshipswiththosewhoyouholdnearanddear.Finally,

he’llgivesomegreatadviceonmasteringtheartofparenting,teachingyouhow

toraisehealthyandconfidentchildren.

Brianhaslongbeenanardentstudentofsuccesssoheownteachingsarealways

veryinstructive.MaximumAchievementisoneofhisbestexamplesofthat.

MenAreFromMars,WomenAreFrom

Venus(1992)

JohnGray

MajorTheme:Relationshipdevelopment

Ifyoueverfeelasthoughyoucan’tunderstandmembersoftheoppositesex,

especiallythoseclosesttoyou,thisbookisforyou.Inthisrelationship-building

book,you’lllearnthemaindifferencesbetweenmalesandfemalesthatmake

themuniqueandhowyoucanusethesedifferencestofosterahealthier

relationship.

You’llseehowtheneeds,wants,anddesiresofthetwogendersdifferandhow

thiscancometostronglyinfluencethestateofanyinterpersonalrelationships

thatyouhave.

You’llbetaughtkeytechniquesforunderstandingyourpartnerbettersothatyou

canfosterafulfillingrelationshipthatisfilledwithunderstandingandrespect.

Thisbookassessesboththefemaleandmaleviewpoints,soisagoodreadfor

bothgenderstostrengthenyourrelationships.

Wouldn’tbeabadideatobuyyoursignificantothertheirowncopywhenyou

getyours.

MessageOfAMaster(1929)

JohnMcDonald

MajorTheme:PersonalGrowthAndDevelopment

ThisisnotaverywellknownbookandIjusthappenedtobumpintoseveral

mentionsofitontheweb.WhenIreaditthefirsttimeIwasmesmerized.The

firsthalfofthebookisaninterestingstorythatpullsyouintotheultimate

messageofthisbook.

Thesecondhalfofthebookthenbreaksdownthemessagesofthestoryandhow

toimplementthoseprinciplesintoyourlife.Thisisaquickreadbutitisvery

muchfocusedonahandfulofprinciplesthatensuresuccess.

MessageToGarcia(1914)

ElbertHubbard

MajorTheme:PersonalInitiativeandInspiration

Thisbook,whichisreallyjustapamphlet,isoneofpureinspirationasyou’ll

readaboutapersonalessaywrittenbyasoldierwhoisdoingeverythinghecan

toaccomplishhisassignedmissionduringtheSpanish-AmericanWar.

Thisessayoutlineshowhefeelsandthinksthroughouthisjourneythatbrings

himtoachieveahighstateofsuccess.Hedoesn’taskanyquestionsormakeany

objectionstothetasksthatareaskedofhim–hesimplycarriesthroughwith

whatheissupposedtodo.

MessagetoGarciashowsyouhowinitiativeandperseverancecanhelpyou

attainsuccessineventhemosttryingoflife’ssituationsandwillgiveyoua

senseofself-controlandpowertotakechargeofyourownlifeandaccomplish

yourownpersonalmissions.Amazinglythislittlepamphlethassoldmorethan

40millioncopiesyetremainsunknowntomost.

OverTheTop(1994)

ZigZiglar

MajorTheme:SelfDevelopmentandsuccess

IfirstheardaboutandreadoneofZig’sbookswhenIwasinmyearlytwenties

andithadaremarkableimpactonmylife.ThatbookisnowcalledSeeYouAt

TheTopandwashisfirstbigbest-seller(describedlaterinthisbook).

OverTheTopispureZigasonlyZigcanteach.You’lllearnhowtheright

attitudeandskillsetcanhelpyouattainahigherlevelofpersonalsuccessinall

elementsofyourlife.

Thosewhoacceptthattheyarethecreatorsoftheirowndestinyfeelfarmore

self-empoweredtocreatethechangesthatthey’relookingforandcangoonto

buildand“overthetop”life.

ManyoftheprinciplesI’velearned,useandteachaboutachievinggoalsI

learnedfromZig.Andyou’regoingtogetthatgreatteachinginthisbook.

Finally,you’lllearnkeystrategiesandtechniquesfordealingwithdifficulttimes

toensurethatyoustayonyourpathtomaximumpersonaldevelopment.

PowerOfYourSupermind(1967)

VernonHoward

MajorTheme:Personalgrowth

BobProctorfirstintroducedmetoVernonHowardabout1999whenhesentme

PowerofYourSupermind.Howarddiscusseshisownpersonaljourneythrough

improvinghislifeandbecomingthepersonthathewantedtobe.Heillustrates

toyouhowpowerfulyourmindcanbewhenlookingtocreatethesuccessand

happinessyou’restrivingforandteachesyouhowtoharnessyourownthoughts

andtiltthemtoworkinyourfavor.

You’llcometolearnthatanyhumanproblemthatyoumaybefacingcanbe

overcomewiththerightmindsetandactionplan,makingthisavery

empoweringbookthatcangetyouthroughanydifficulttimesthatyoumaybe

facing.

Howardhassomewhatofa“cult”followingbutI’msurealotofitresultsfrom

hisexcellentabilitytocommunicategreatideastoreadersofhisbooks!

PowerOfConstructiveThinking(1932)

EmmetFox

MajorTheme:Positivethought

Here’sanotherEmmetFoxbook.InmyopinionnotquiteasgoodasMakeYour

LifeWorthwhilebutstillalife-changingbookthatshouldbeonyourlistbecause

it’sclassicFoxteaching.

Inthisbookheillustrateshowyourthoughtpatternsandreallifeexistencealign

andinfluenceeachother.Heproclaimsthatitisimpossibletothinkonething

andproduceanother;thereforeinordertoleadthemostsuccessfuland

harmoniouslifeyou’reseeking,youneedtogetyourthoughtsinlinewithyour

desiredresults.

Hediscusseshowlieswilleatawayatyourpersonaltruthandcausefeelingsof

unhappinesstodevelopasyouwon’tfeelinunitywithyourlifeasawhole.

Thebookhasalargespiritualbasisashetalksabouthowyoucanchangeyour

lifethroughprayerandhowconnectingyourmindandbodythroughtheregular

practiceofyogawillhelptoenhanceyouroverallwell-being.AsImentioned

earlierinwritingaboutMakeYourLifeWorthwhile,FoxwasaNewThought

minister,sothat’swhyyouseethespiritualemphasis.Idon’tseeitasan

obstaclebutactuallyispartofwhatmakesthisbookamust-read.

Prosperity(1936)

CharlesFillmore

MajorTheme:Spiritualityandabundance

Inthisbook,Prosperity,CharlesFillmorewalksyouthroughaspiritualjourney

thatshowsyouhowfaithcandeliveryouthelifethatyouwanttobeleading.

Fillmore,anotherNewThoughtproponent,discussesthefaithintheinvisible

substanceandhowGodhasprovidedabundanceineachandeveryhome.

Hecovershowkeepingfaithcanhelpyoufeelmorefulfilledandwantless

materialistpossessions,leadingtoagreatersenseofachievementinlifeandless

desireforthecommongoodsthatsomanypeoplearechasingafter.

Thisbookwillhelptobringoutyourspiritualsideandhelpyouhavefaithin

knowingthatyourfutureiswelltakencareof.

Psycho-Cybernetics(1960)

MaxwellMaltz

MajorTheme:Self-ImprovementandSelf-Image

InPsycho-CyberneticsMaxwellMaltzisgoingtoshowyouthatyouhavethe

powertocreatethelifethatyouwanttobeleadingbyshiftingyourviewpointof

yourselfaswellasothersaroundyou.

Hegoesintodetailsabouthowyourself-imageisthekeytoleadingabetterlife

andhowyoucangainclarityanddeterminationthroughimageryofwhatitis

thatyouhopetoachieve.Inadditiontothat,healsogoesintodetailsofhowyou

canuserationalthinkingtohelpbringbetterfocusintoyourlifeandhowto

allowyourselftorelaxandletyournaturaltendenciesworkforyouratherthan

againstyou.

Maltzwasahighlysuccessfulplasticsurgeonandheuseshisexperiencesinthat

roletoclearlyillustratethepowerofhowweseeourselvesasbeingamain

determinantinwhetherwesucceedornot.

Finally,healsoshowsyouhowyoucanturnacrisissituationaroundandmake

itworkinapositivemannertohelpbringyoutoastateofhigherhealthand

happiness.

ScienceOfMind(1938)

ErnestHolmes

MajorTheme:MentalEnrichmentandPower

InScienceOfMind,ErnestHolmesdiscusseshowthemindworksinmany

differentways,allowingyoutogaininsightandclarityintomanyoftheevents

andoccurrencesthatshapeyourexistence.

Helooksatwhatweconsidertobe‘man’andwhatweconsidertobe‘God’and

howyourspiritwillguideyouthroughlife,impactingeverythingthatyoudo.

Inthesecondsectionofthebookhetalksabouthowthepowerofthoughtcan

completelychangeyourlife,turningaroundnegativecircumstancesand

allowingyoutoseeclearlyandhowtomakethemostofthecircumstances,

movingforwardtocreatethelifethatyoudesire.

Heprovidesanoverviewofhowtouseprayerasaformoftreatmentduringthe

difficulttimesandtalksaboutfaithandhowthiscankeepyoustrongduring

timesofdifficulty.

SecretOfTheAges(1926)

RobertCollier

MajorTheme:Self-Empowerment

RobertCollierwasfirstknownandbestknownintheearly20thCenturyasa

highlysuccessfuldirectmailcopywriter.TheRobertCollierLetterBook,which

includesexamplesofsomeofCollier’sbestsalesletters,isstillinprintanda

valuableresourcetomoderndaycopywriters.

Afterbeingstruckwithaveryseriousillness,Collierbegantoreadandstudy

extensivelyaboutthepowerofthemind,especiallyitspowertohealthebody.

AfterovercominghisillnessCollier’sattentionturnedtowritingbooksthat

focusedonthepowerofthoughtandmind.

Inthisbook,hetakesyouthroughajourneythatwillgiveyouastrongsenseof

self-empowermentasyourealizethatyouarethemasterofyourownuniverse.

Heteachesyouthatyouaretheoneandonlypersonwhoisresponsibleforyour

happinessanditisthedaytodaychoicesanddecisionsthatyoumakethatshape

thelifethatyouchoosetolead.

Ifyoudon’tcurrentlylikewhereyouareinlife,youhavethepowertochange

that.Throughyourinnerbeing,youcanalterthewayyoureacttoanygiven

circumstance,learningtoalterthewayyouviewitsimpactsonyouandlearn

fromeverysetbackthatyouface.

Heteachesyouthementaloutlookthatyouneedtobeadoptingifyouwantto

achievealifeoffulfillmentandhappinesssoyouknowexactlywhattodoin

ordertogettowhereyouwanttobe.

SecretoftheAgeswasoriginallypublishedinsevendifferentsmallleather-

boundeditions.Ipresumetheseveneditionswerereleasedovertimeinaserial

versionwhichwasaverypopularwayofsellingbooksinthosedays.Ionce

giftedoneofmymentors,BobProctor,anautographedsetoftheoriginalsand

lovedthemsomuchmyselfIhadtogogetasetformylibrary.

SeeYouAtTheTop(1975)

ZigZiglar

MajorTheme:SelfImprovement

ThiswaseitherthesecondorthirdpersonaldevelopmentbookIreadasayoung

twenty-something.WhenIfirstboughtitthebookwasactuallytitledFleas,

BiscuitsandPumpHandles.I’mnotsurewhomadethedecisiontochangeitto

SeeYouAtTheTop,butthat’samuchmoreappropriatetitleforaverypowerful

book.

Zigcoversallthemainareaswhereyoucouldbenefitfromsomekeyself-

improvementstrategiestoleadahealthierandmorefulfillinglifestyle.It’s

importanttorealizethatself-improvementdoesn’tcomefromjustoneareaof

yourlifeandrather,anumberofareasmustalignforbestresults.

Likeallofhisworks,thisbooktalksaboutadoptingtherighttypeofattitudethat

willbringaboutresults.Thiswasmyfirstexposuretohow“stinkin’thinkin’”

candestroyyourlife.Zigalsoteacheshowdesirecanplayaroleinthedecisions

thatyoumakeonadaytodaybasis,whygoalsettingiscriticaltosuccess,how

toformahealthierself-image,andhowtofosterthestrongestrelationshipswith

others.

Perhapsthebiggestimpactthisbookhadonmylifewasfirstlearningthat“you

canhaveanythingyouwantinlifeifyouhelpenoughotherpeoplegetwhatthey

want.”Incrediblewisdomthathasshapedmythoughtsandactionseversince

thosedayslongagowhenIfirstreadthosewords.

SeedsOfGreatness(1983)

DenisWaitley

MajorTheme:Self-ImprovementandSelf-Esteem

IbelieveDenisWaitleyisthemosteffectiveauthorIknowofwhenitcomesto

communicatingideasthatwillimproveyourself-esteem.AfterIhadachanceto

meetandgettoknowDenishetoldmethathefirstwroteaboutthesetopicsto

helpHIMSELF,whenhewasgoingthroughsomechallengingtimesinhislife.

SeedsofGreatnessisabookthatisgoingtohaveyouevaluatinghowyouview

yourselfandthelifethatyou’vecreatedandthentakeactionablestepsto

improvewhatyou’rethinkingaboutyourselfsothatyoucanachievewhatitis

youdesire.

Thebookisgoingtowalkyouthroughdiscussionsonhowtoformulateastrong

feelingofself-lovewhichwillthentranslatetogreaterfeelingsofself-worthand

howyoucanreleaseyournaturalcreativeenergytogetmoreaccomplishedin

everythingthatyoudo.You’llalsolearnhowtoharnessthepowerofgoal

setting,thebestwaytofosterstrongerinterpersonalrelationships,aswellasthe

powerthatself-beliefscanhaveoveryou.

FormanyyearsIcarriedextracopiesofthisbookinmytrunksothatwhenImet

someonewhowassufferingfromlowself-esteemIcouldgivethemapersonal

copy.Ifyouhaveanydoubtsaboutwhetheryoudeservetobesuccessful,ifyour

selfworthisn’twhatitshouldbe,thenputthisonyourshortlistofbooksto

read.

SelfHelp(1859)

SamuelSmiles

MajorTheme:Self-Improvement

Thisisoneoftheoldestbookonthelist,publishedinthemiddleofthe19th

century.It’salittlemoredifficulttoreadthanmoderndaybooksbutwellworth

theeffort.

Smilestalksaboutlearningyourownpersonalstrengthssothatyoucanuse

themtoyouradvantage,howtostopstressingoutoverthemundaneeventsof

everydaylife,howtobustthrougharutandotherhardtimes,aswellashowto

betruetoyourselfandgainahigherlevelofself-respect.

Thisbookwillalsowalkyouthroughaseriesofstepsthatyoucantakeifyou

wanttogetfurtherhelpbeyondwhatismentionedinthebodyandshowyou

howtomakesurethatyou’relivingeverymomenttothefullestinyour

everydaylife.

SelfMasteryThroughConscious

Autosuggestion(1922)

EmileCoue

MajorTheme:Autosuggestion

Thiswasahugelypopularbookinthe1920’sandCoue,aFrenchPsychologist,

hadahugefollowingasaresultofit.Inthisbookheoffersanumberof

suggestionsthatarebothpracticalandapplicabletoyourreallifeworldthatyou

canputtouseimmediatelytoimproveyourdaytodaylivingandbecomethe

personyouwanttobe.

Hiscentralthemeisaboutthepowerofautosuggestionwhichothers,like

NapoleonHillinThinkandGrowRich,alsothoughtwasanimportantpartof

succeeding.

Couegoesintodiscussionsregardingboththeconsciousselfaswellasthe

unconsciousselfareandhowtheseinteracttoshapetheworldaroundyou.In

additiontothis,he’salsogoingtoprovidecluesastowhyyoumaybewhere

youaretodayandwhatyoucandomovingforwardtochangethatsothatyou

canleadthehappierlifethatyoudesire.

Oneofthemainautosuggestionsheisfamousfor,“Everyday,ineveryway,I’m

gettingbetterandbetter”,isstillutilizedbymany.

Self-Reliance(1841)

RalphWaldoEmerson

MajorTheme:Self-changeandimprovement

LikeSamuelSmiles’SelfHelp,thisbookisfromthemid-19thcentury.Andit’s

reallynotabookbutacollectionofessaysthatEmersonwrotetoteachyouthe

conceptofself-relianceandwhatitmeanstoleadafullandhappylife.The

essaysremainpopularbecausetheyareinspirationalandmotivationalandwill

encourageyoutotakechargeofyourownlife.

Foranyonelookingforagoodreadthatwillsoothetheirspiritandmind,it’sa

perfectbooktocheckout.

7StrategiesForWealth&Happiness(1985)

JimRohn

MajorTheme:Achievingpersonalsuccess

Inthisbookoncreatinglastingchangewithinyourself,JimRohnoutlinesthat

successisnotdependentoneitherwealthorhappiness,butratherthetwogo

handinhandandarebothperfectlyachievablewiththerightframeofmind.

ThisisaclassicRohnbookthatisconciseandclearaboutthesimpleuniversal

principlesthathesoeloquentlywrote,spokeandtaughtinhislegendarycareer.

Success!TheGlennBlandMethod(1983)

GlennBland

MajorTheme:Goalsettingandself-improvement

Ifyou’veeverfeltthatyou‘can’t’,thisbookisforyou.GlennBlandisgoingto

illustratetoyouhowtoachieveahigherlevelofself-confidenceandbeliefin

yourabilitytochangeyourlifeandaccomplishallthatyouhavesetoutto.

Fartoomanypeoplenevergoaftertheirgoalssimplybecausetheydon’tbelieve

thattheywillevercometoobtainthemandthisiswhatpreventsthemfromeven

trying.

Usingthetechniquesandstrategiesoutlinedinthisbook,youcanfinallyget

yourselfputtingforththeeffortthatyouneedtobeinordertolivethelifethat

you’vealwaysdreamedof.Notaverywell-knownbookbutapersonal

developmentclassicineveryway!

The21IrrefutableLawsOfLeadership

(1998)

JohnMaxwell

MajorTheme:Leadershipandsocialrelationships

JohnMaxwellisaprolificwriterandhaswrittenanumberofinternationalbest-

sellers.Inmyopinionthisisoneofhistwoorthreebestbooksandvery

definitelytheverybestleadershipbookperiod.

Foranyonewhoisinvolvedinaleadershippositionorwhosimplywantsto

learnhowtomanagepeoplebetter,thisbookwillhelpyoudoso.Maxwell

discussesanumberofleadershipstoriestogiveyouinspirationforyourownlife

andallowsyoutolookinsideyourselftofindtraitsthatyoucandevelopto

becomeamoreeffectiveleader.

Thisbookwillalsoprovideyouwithexercisesthatyoucanuseasyougo

throughittohelppinpointfurtherareasyouneedtoworkonthatwillhelp

improveyourskillsandcommunicationabilities.

Finally,you’lllearnhowtoinfluencepeopleandcommandrespect.

The7HabitsOfHighlyEffectivePeople

(1989)

StephenCovey

MajorTheme:Self-ImprovementandSuccess

Fromitsdebutthishasbeennearthetopofbusinessbest-sellersandremainsas

populartodayasitwasmorethantwentyyearsago.Coveygoesoverseven

differenthabitsthatarecharacteristicamongallofthosewhoachievegreat

successinboththeirpersonalandcareerlives.Thebooktalksabouthavingthe

propermindsetthatbreedssuccessandhowyoucanbestgoaboutyour

interactionswithotherstoachievetheendresultsyoudesire.

ThisisverysimpleandstraightforwardteachingasCoveyisknownfor.Fullof

practicalwaystoimplementthe7Habits,you’llpickthisbookupmanytimes

overtheyears.

The80/20Principle:TheSecretToAchieving

MoreWithLess(1998)

RichardKoch

MajorTheme:Productivityandself-improvement

Pareto’sprinciple,alsoknownasthe80-20rule,wasidentifiedmorethan100

yearsago.Inthisbook,RichardKochbreaksthatprincipledownandhowtouse

ittobringaboutrapidandlong-lastingchangeinyourlife.Hedemonstrateshow

only20%ofwhatwedoandwherewespendourtimeisresponsiblefor80%of

ourresults.Ontheotherhand,80%ofourtimeiswastedornon-productive.

Readingthisbookwillhelplearntofocusyoureffortsonthe20%while

eliminatingthoseactivitiesinthe80%.

Thisbookwillhelpyouputintoperspectivehowmuchwhatyoudoonadayto

daybasisreallymattersinthegrandschemeofthingsandhelpyouturnyour

focustomoreimportantareasofyourlife.Averygoodreadandonceyou

understandPareto’sprincipleyoucanapplyitinmanyways.Forinstance,20%

ofyourcustomersproduce80%ofyourrevenue.Bettertofocusonthose20%

thanonthe80%.

TheAladdinFactor(1995)

MarkVictorHansenandJackCanfield

MajorTheme:Self-Improvementandaccomplishment

Thepremiseofthisbookisthatoneofthebiggestreasonsfewofuseverattain

thesuccessthatwedesireissimplybecausewedon’taskforwhatwewant.We

keepourdeepestdesireshidden,thinkingthatmakingrequeststhatwouldmove

usclosertoourgoalsareunreasonableandwillnotbeperceivedwellbyothers.

Inthisbooktheauthorsteachyouhowtoidentifywhatitisthatyouwantand

whatthepowerofaskingcando.Ifyoustopandthinkaboutitlogically,the

moreyouaskforwhatyourwant,themoreyourdesireiscastoutintothe

Universewheresomeoneelsemayresonatewithyourrequest.

TheAutobiographyOfAndrewCarnegieAnd

TheGospelOfWealth(1889)

AndrewCarnegie

MajorTheme:Inspirational/Autobiography

Inthisautobiography,AndrewCarnegieoffersinspirationandmotivationto

anyonewhowantstopositivelychangetheirlife,fosteringahigherlevelof

success,happiness,andself-fulfillment.

Ienjoyedthebookimmenselybecausehegoesintogreatdetailabouthislife

beginningwithhisearliestmemoriesasachild.Hechroniclesallthechoices

thathemadefromaveryearlyagerightupuntilhebecameoneoftherichest

peopleintheworld.Hetalksabouttheinfluencethathisparentsandpeershad

onhimandotherforcesthatcametoshapewhohebecamelateroninlife.

Lotsofgreatsuccesslessonstobelearnedfromthisbook.Foranyonewho

enjoysreadingautobiographiesandwantsalittleextrainspirationfor

achievementintheirownlives,thiswillbeamust-read.

TheCommonDenominatorOfSuccess(1940)

AlbertE.N.Gray

MajorTheme:Self-Improvementandsuccess

InthisbookAlbertGraylooksatwhatmakessuccessfulpeoplesuccessful.He

assessesthecommontraitsthatthosewhoaremostsuccessfuloftenpossessso

thatyoucancomparetoyourowncharacteristicsanddecidewhatitisthatyou

needtobeworkingoninordertomoveforwardandreachthegoalsthatyou

havesetforyourself.

Gray,whowasanexecutivewithPrudentialLifeInsurancecompany,first

deliveredthemessageasamajoraddresstothe1940NALU(National

AssociationofLifeUnderwriters)annualconventioninPhiladelphia.

Thepremisebehindthisbookisthatyoursuccessisshapedandinfluencedby

eachandeverydecisionthatyoumakeonaday-to-daybasisandonlybymaking

theright,results-producingdecisionswillyoumovetowardsthepaththatyou

hopeto.

Thisbookisbothinspirationalandencouragingandisaveryquickread.

TheDynamicLawsOfProsperity(1962)

CatherinePonder

MajorTheme:Abundancethinking

InTheDynamicLawsOfProsperityCatherinePonderrevealsallthemany

secretsthatshe’slearnedoverthecourseofherlifethatdrivelove,wealth,

happiness,andsuccess.

Sheisaministerofthenon-denominationalUnityfaithandhasbeendescribed

as“theNormanVincentPealeamongladyministers.”Soherwritingsnaturally

carryaverystrongspiritualslant.

Anyonewhohaseverfeltstuckinarutwilldefinitelyappreciatewhatthisbook

willdofortheirmindset.

TheEdinburghAndDoreLecturesOn

MentalScience(1904)

ThomasTroward

MajorTheme:Scienceofmind

IheardBobProctorteachingonthisbookonenightonatele-seminaryearsago

whenIwasamemberofhismentoringprogram.Itisbasedaroundaseriesof

lecturesthatweregivenregardingtheconnectionbetweenthemindandthe

worldwecreatearoundus.

Trowardwasajudgeandhighlyeducatedsohiswritingismoreformalthan

most.Itwasalittlemoredifficulttoreadbuthiswayofdescribingimportant

principleshasabigimpactonyourpresentthinking.Manywell-knownfigures

oftheNewThoughtmovementlikeEmmetFox,ErnestHolmesandJoseph

MurphyweregreatlyinfluencedbyTroward.

Throughoutthebookyou’lllearnaboutthebody,soul,andspiritandhowthe

mindplaysacriticalpartinthedevelopmentofeachoftheseelements.

TheFiveLoveLanguages(1992)

GaryChapman

MajorTheme:Romanticrelationshipimprovement

Thisisoneoftheverybest“relationshipbooks”I’veeverread.Itcoverswhat

happenstoloveaftertheweddingtakesplaceandwhatyoucanbedoingtohelp

improveyourconnection,deepeningyourloveforeachotherastimegoeson.

Thisbookalsooffersadviceoneverydaythingsthatyoucandowithyour

partnertohelpkeepyourbondstrongandreducetheriskthatlifemovesyouin

differentdirections.

Youwillimmediatelygraspthewholeideabehindthisbookwhenyouidentify

yourlovelanguageaswellasyourpartner’s,anditwillgiveyouanew

perspectiveofyourrelationship.Chapmanfinishesthebookbytalkingaboutthe

factthatlovingisachoiceandhowyoucansustainlovethroughdifficulttimes.

TheGameOfLifeAndHowToPlayIt(1925)

FlorenceScovelShinn

MajorTheme:SelfImprovement

Thisbookisaquickandsimplereadthatofferssomegreatinsightsintospiritual

lawsoftheuniverse.Herwritingissimpleanddirectandhasbeenpopularover

theyearswithUnitychurchmembers.

Whilereadingthisbookyou’llcometogainadeepersenseofmeaningforboth

yourownlifeaswellastheroleyouplayinothersandcomeawayfeelinga

greatersenseofbeingfulfilledandlivingonpurpose.

Thebookleavesyouwithasetofaffirmationsthatyoucanuseonadailybasis

thatwillhelptokeepyouinamorepositiveframeofmindandfeelinggreat

aboutyourselfandthedirectionthatyou’reheaded.

TheGoGetter(1921)

PeterKyne

MajorTheme:Inspirationalandself-development

Thisbookwillsurpriseyou!

Firstofall,you’llprobablyreaditinonesittingbecauseit’saveryshortbook

butmostlybecauseyou’llgetcaughtupinagreatstory.

TheGoGetterre-enforcesthefactthatfartoomanypeoplejustsitaroundand

letlifehappentothem,hopingthatitworksoutforthebestintheend.Inreality

though,theonlypersonwhoisresponsibleforyourownhappinessisyourself,

sowithoutthetenacitytogoafterwhatitisyoudesire,thechancesofattaining

thishappinesswillbeslim.

PersistenceistheonetraitthatI’veseenineverysuccessfulpersonI’veever

knownoreverstudied.Andthisbookwillgiveyousomenewlessonsin

persistencethatwillcauseyoutochuckle.Thisisafun,fastread!

TheGreatestSalesmanInTheWorld(1968)

OgMandino

MajorTheme:Salestechniquesandpersuasion

Recentlymydaughtertoldmethathersignificantotherwasstartinginasales

jobandwonderedwhatIwouldrecommendtohelphim.Afterthinkingaboutit

abitIflashedbacktomyearlytwentiesandtheimpactthislittlebookofOg’s

hadonme

Whetheryou’reinasalespositionornot,thisbookwillhelpyoulearnthetop

habitsyouneedtodeveloptohelpyou“closethedeal.”Thisbookwillprovide

insightsintopersuasionandwhatittakestounderstandthepersonyouare

sellingto,tappingintotheirinnermostdesires,wants,andneeds.

You’lllovethestoryofHafid,apoorcamelboywhoachievesalifeof

abundance.The“TenScrolls”hadalifetimeimpactonmeandcontinuestoplay

abigroleinmysuccess.AndIwanttoreiteratethatthisbookisnotjustfor

salespeople.ActorMatthewMcConaugheycitedthisbookashavingchanged

hislifeandhasgivenawaymanycopiesofit.

TheLawOfSuccessIn16Lessons(1928)

NapoleonHill

MajorTheme:Successandself-mastery

MostpeopleknowofNapoleonHillbecauseofhismulti-millionbest-selling

ThinkandGrowRich.Butwhatmostpeopledon’tknowisthatThinkandGrow

Richisinmanywaysjustasummaryofhismoremammothwork,TheLawof

Successin16Lessons,anall-encompassingencyclopaediaofsuccessthatis

morethan1,100pages.

ManypeopleknowthatHillmetAndrewCarnegiewhenhewasayoung

reporterandreceivedacommission(unpaid)towriteabookaboutthe

philosophyofsuccess.CarnegieintroducedHilltothegreatfinancialsuccesses

ofthedaylikeFirestone,Ford,Edisonandhundredsofothers.

OverthecourseoftwentyyearsHillinterviewedandstudiedthesesuccessful

peopleandanalyzedthecharacteristicsthathelpedthemsucceed.TheLawof

Successisthefruitofthatworkandisamustreadforanyseriousstudentof

success.

TheMagicOfBelieving(1948)

ClaudeBristol

MajorTheme:Self-beliefandcontrol

Thisbookwasmyfirstrealstudyofjustthepowerofbelief.Itwasagreat

introductionandinsightabouthowpowerfulyourbeliefisintheresultsyousee

inyourlife.Inmycaseitwasthelastpieceofthepuzzleforme.OnceIgotmy

self-beliefgoingIstartedrockin’androllin’.

Manypeoplearefasttolettheirenvironmentshapewhotheybecome,butthe

pointofthisbookistoteachyouthatitdoesn’thavetobethisway.Itwill

provideaseriesofmentalexperimentsyoucangothroughthatwillillustrate

howyoucurrentlyareviewingyourlifeandthepoweryouhavesothatyoucan

begintomakethenecessarychangesthatarerequiredtogetyoutowhereyou

wanttobe.

ThelegendarycomediennePhyllisDillerandentertainerLiberacebothcredit

thisbookforliftingthemfrommediocritytohugesuccess.

TheMagicOfThinkingBig(1959)

DavidSchwartz

MajorTheme:Self-Developmentandachievement

Inmanywaysthiswillalwaysbemynumberonepersonaldevelopmentbook.

Forsureitwasmyfirstone.Idon’trememberhowIcameacrossthebookbutI

stillhavethatfirstbookIreadinmyearlytwenties.

ItellpeoplethatIwasyoungenoughanddumbenoughtobelievewhatIread

andtoactonit.WithinsixmonthsofreadingitIwasbuyingmyfirstbusiness

eventhoughtheonlythingIownedatthetimewasacarpayment.

I’vereaditoverandoverinthelast35yearsanditstillamazesmehow

powerfulthiswritingis.Onelinefromthebookliterallychangedmylife,butI

didn’trememberitfromthebook.Iheardaspeakerquoteitfromstage:“The

sizeofyoursuccessisdeterminedbythesizeofyourbelief.”

WhenIheardthosewordsutteredithitmelikeatonofbricksandIwentto

workoverthenextninetydays,workingharderthanI’veeverworkedinmylife,

onstrengtheningmybelief.Mylifehasn’tbeenthesamesince.

Nomatterwhatelseyoudowiththeinformationyougetfromthisbook,Ihope

youwillstoprightnowandgobuyaneBookorpaperback,evenausedbookif

youmust,ofTheMagicofThinkingBig.

TheMagicStory(1900)

FredericVanRensselaerDay

MajorTheme:Inspirationandsuccess

Thisbook,whichisover100yearsold,isaclassicreadforanyonewhois

lookingforalittlemotivationandinspirationtoachievegreatnessintheirown

life.Itoffersanumberofwisepiecesofadvicethatyou’llfindapplicableto

yourownsituationandthatwillhelpyouachieveyourownpersonalgoals.

Don’tbefooledbytheshortpagecountofthisbook–whileitmaynothave

manypages,thepagesitcontainswillreallymakeadifferenceinyourlifeand

you’llenjoythe“story.”

TheMajestyOfCalmness(1898)

WilliamGeorgeJordan

MajorTheme:Practicingself-control

Thisbooktakesalookattheimpactofourcurrentdailylivesonthelevelof

happinessthatwe’reachieving.Thepremiseofthebookisthatfartoomanyof

usarerapidlyrushingofftoourmanyobligationswithouttakingtimetoreally

enjoylifeandallthatitoffers.

Thebooktouchesuponthepowerofpersonalinfluenceandself-relianceand

allowsyoutolookatfailureinadifferentlightandseeitasastepping-stoneto

greatness.

Eventhoughitwaswrittenwellover100yearsagothisbookcanbea

tremendoushelpinthetimeswecurrentlylive.

TheMasterKeySystem(1912)

CharlesF.Haanel

MajorTheme:Mind/Successdevelopment

TheMasterKeySystemisallaboutformingthecorrectframeofmindand

thinkingpatterntoyieldmaximumsuccessinyourdaytodaylife.Inthisbook,

Haanelwillgooverthebasicsofthemind,helpingyougainafirmer

understandingofhowthemindworksandinfluencestheeventsthatshapeyour

ownlife.

Inadditiontothishespeaksaboutrealizingthementalresourcesthatyouhave

availabletoyouandfreeingyourmindtothemostcreativestateitcanbein.

Forthosewhoenjoyintrospectionandlearningabouttheirownself-powerand

capabilities,thiswilldefinitelybeabookyou’llwanttotakein.NapoleonHill,

theauthorofThinkandGrowRichissaidtohavebeengreatlyinfluencedby

thisbook.

TheMasteryOfDestiny,(1909)

JamesAllen

MajorTheme:PersonalDevelopment

AfterIhadbegungivingawayeBookcopiesofAsAManThinketh,Ifounda

numberofotherAllenbooksandthisisoneofthebestones.Likeallofhis

booksitwaswrittentoteachyouhowtogaincontroloveryourmindandbuild

thefuturethatyouarelookingfor.Hegoesovertheconceptofself-controland

whatitmeanstoyourdaytodaylivingaswellashowyoucanimproveyour

concentrationlevelandremainfocusedregardlessofwhattaskyouhappentobe

workingon.

Healsooutlineshowgettinginvolvedinmeditationcanbringyoutoaplaceof

healthandwell-beingandthepoweroflivingonpurpose.Thisismoreofthe

classicstylethatAllenhasandmaybeabitdeeperthanAsAManThinketh.

TheMillionaireNextDoor(1996)

ThomasStanley

MajorTheme:Wealthdevelopmentandstrategy

Hollywoodandthemediahavegivenusanimageofwhatwealthrepresentsand

whatwealthypeopleactlikeand“looklike.”Dr.Stanleyblowsthatimageto

smithereenswithhisfamousstudythatresultedinTheMillionaireNextDoor.

Stanleysharesanumberoftruestoriesofhowthe‘guyandgalnextdoor’

achievedfinancialsuccessandthepersonalitytraitsthatallowedthemtodoso.

Andthey’rethe“saltoftheearth”typetraitsandprinciplesthathavealways

createdsuccess.

ThisbookinspiresandmotivatesyoutoTHINKwhenitcomestowealth

building.

TheMiracleOfRightThought(1910)

OrisonSwettMarden

MajorTheme:PersonalDevelopment

InmanywaysthisisalargerandexpandedversionofJamesAllen’sclassicAsA

ManThinketh.Ittalksaboutthepowerofthoughtandhowitcanshapeand

influencethepersonthatyoucometobe.

Eachandeverydayyouarecreatingtheexistencearoundyouandthisbook

helpsyouseethatyoudohavethepowertocontrolyourdestiny.Itoutlineshow

youcanusethepowerofthoughtandthewayyouperceiveyourdailyeventsto

breedahappierandhealthierlifethatisfilledwithjoyandsuccess.

ThereareseveralbooksbyMardenincludedinthisbookbuthewrotemany

morethatcouldqualify.IpersonallylovehiswritingandIknowmanyothers

whosharemybeliefsaboutMarden’swork.ThisismyfavoriteofMarden’s

bookbutyou’llbenefitfromanythathavehisnameonthem.

TheOneMinuteManager(1981)

KenBlanchard

MajorTheme:PeopleManagementandleadership

Inthisbook,KenBlancharddiscusseswhatittakestomakeagoodmanagerand

whatyoumustdotoachievesuccesswhenmanagingagroupsituation.

Hetalksaboutsimpleeverydaystrategiesthatwillonlytakeoneminutetostart

implementingthatwillproducenoticeabledifferencesinproductivity,

achievement,aswellasteamunity.Theseincludeone-minutegoals,one-minute

praisings,andone-minutereprimands.You’lllearnwhateachofthesemeans

andhowtousetheminyourownspecificscenario.

Thisbookisagreatreadforanyoneinamanagementpositionorwhoisina

leadershiprole.Ihadnoformalmanagementtrainingandfoundmyselfina

positionwithmorethantwentyemployeeswhenIcameacrossthisbook.Itwas

aneasytounderstandstrategyandonethatIknowproducedpositivebenefits.

ThePowerOfConcentration(1918)

TheronQ.Dumont

MajorTheme:Mentalandpersonaldevelopment

Thisbookisgoingtoteachyouhowgreatthepowerofthemindcanbeandhow

youcanuseitspowerstoharnessthelifethatyouwanttolead.You’llgetan

insideglimpseintohowconcentrationcanassistwithcareersuccess,personal

success,aswellasfinancialsuccess,andlearnstrategiesthatyoucanstartusing

immediatelytoimproveyourownconcentrationlevels.

Thisbooktalksabouthowconcentrationcanbringyoutoahigherlevelofbeing

andhowtouseittocapitalizealltheresourcesyouhaveavailabletoyouinthe

efforttomeetyourlong-termgoals.

ThePowerOfPositiveThinking(1952)

NormanVincentPeale

MajorTheme:PersonalDevelopment

IlikeZigZiglar’squoteabouttheideaofpositivethinking:“Positivethinking

won’tletyoudoanything,butitwillletyoudoeverythingbetterthannegative

thinkingwill.”Andinmyopinionnoonewritesaboutthepowerofpositive

thinkingbetterthanPealedoes.

You’lllearnhowyourcurrentframeofmindisshapingtherealitythatyoucall

yourexistenceandwhatyoucandotoenhancethisframeofmindtobreed

higherlevelsofsuccessandhappiness.Peale,whowasalong-timeandpopular

ministerinNewYork,alsowritesabouthowfaithcomesintoplaytokeepyou

goingduringthedifficulttimes.

Ifyoufeellikeyouneedacompletechangeofpaceandanewframeofmind,

thisbookwillhelptoprovideit.AndIcantellyoufromexperience,ifthingsare

goinggenerallynegativeinyourliferightnow,thisbookisalikealiferaft!

ThePowerOfYourSubconsciousMind

(1963)

JosephMurphy

MajorTheme:Mentaldevelopment

Theprimarypurposeofthisbookistogetyoudiggingdeeperintoyour

subconsciousmindsothatyoucanlearnhowit’sdrivingyourdecisionsona

dailybasis,shapingyourownreality.

Manyofusmakechoicesanddecisionsinoureverydaylifeautomatically

withoutthoughtandthisbookgetsyoulookingatthosechoicesandassessing

whethertheyareworkingforyouoragainstyouwiththegoalsthatyouhaveset.

Afterreadingthisbookyou’llhavegreaterinsightintowhysomeoftheevents

andpredicamentsofyourlifearethewaytheyareandwhatyoumaybeableto

dotochangethatmovingforward.

You’llgainpracticaltipsandtechniquestouseimmediatelyinallareasofyour

life.ThebookdoeshaveastrongspiritualslantbecauseMurphywasan

ordainedminister,somuchofwhatyoulearnaboutyoursubconsciousisas

muchspiritasscience.

ThePurposeDrivenLife(2002)

RickWarren

MajorTheme:Self-growthandspirituality

Ifyoufeelasthoughyouneedasenseofpurposeanddirectioninyourlife,

Warren’sbest-sellerisagreatbooktoinvestin.

Warren,anotherordainedministerwithahugefollowing,outlinesGod’smaster

planforyourlifeandhowyoucanbeallthatyoucanbeasyoumovethrough

theyears.You’llbetakenthrougha40-dayspiritualjourneythatwillhelpyou

answerimportantquestionsyouhaveaboutyourlifeandrealizewhereyouwant

toandshouldbegoingwithit.

You’llgainadeeperunderstandingforhumanityandhelptoseeyourlifeina

newlightthatyou’veneverconsideredbefore.

Foranyonelookingforaspiritualjourneyandtransformation,thisbookwill

helpprovideit.

TheRichestManInBabylon(1926)

GeorgeClason

MajorTheme:Financialprinciples

Inthisbook,GeorgeClasonsharesthepersonalstoryofoneofthemost

financiallysuccessfulmenofhistimeandoffersinspirationtoallthosewho

seekoutgreaterlevelsofwealth.

Throughoutthebookyou’lllearnwhatittakestoaccumulatelargersumsof

wealthandhowtocontrolyourspendingurgesduringtimeswhenyouneedto

besaving.

You’llgaininsightintowhatitmeanstobecomewealthyandhowthrough

determinationandcarefulplanning,achievingfinancialsuccessispossible.

Manypeopleconsiderthistobetheclassicbookforinstillingsoundfinancial

principlesanditcontinuestobeabest-seller.

TheRoadLessTraveled(1978)

M.ScottPeck

MajorTheme:Personalgrowthandproblemsolving

Inthisbook,psychiatristDr.ScottPecklooksatwhatyoushouldbedoingin

ordertoovercometheproblemsinyourlifeandcreatethechangesthatyou

desire.

Herecognizesthefactthatfartoomanypeopleshyawayfromtheirproblems

duetothefactthattheyaretoopainfultofaceandoffersinsightintotheways

thatyoucanovercomeyourfearsandtacklewhatwillhelptoenhanceyourlife

inthelongterm.

Thisbookwillhelpbringyoutoahigherunderstandingofyourselfandwhatit

meanstoleadinahealthyandfulfilledmanner,soisagoodreadforanyone

lookingforsomeself-improvement.Ipersonallyfavorthisbookforanytimein

yourlifewhenitseemsallthewheelshavecomeoffyourwagonandnothing’s

goingright.

TheScienceOfBeingGreat(1911)

WallaceWattles

MajorTheme:PersonalDevelopment

Thenexttwobooksarebyasomewhatenigmaticwriteroftheearlytwentieth

century.HisbestknowbookisTheScienceofGettingRich,whichachievedits

biggestexposureafteritwasfeaturedintheblockbusterDVD,TheSecret.

TheScienceofBeingGreatisreallyacompanionbookforSGR,withthisbook

focusingmoreondevelopingyourselfandespeciallyyourself-esteem.

TheScienceOfGettingRich(1910)

WallaceWattles

MajorTheme:FinancialDevelopment

MyfirstexposurecameviaaprogramthatBobProctordidaboutthisbook.That

program,likewisecalledtheScienceofGettingRich,radicallyalteredmy

thinkingaboutcreatingwealth.Theprogramincludedawordforwordstudy

guideofthebookthatBobtaughtfrom,soIhaveliterallytakenapartevery

singlewordofthisbookandpowerfulwordstheyare.

Theseconceptsareapttobeforeigntomostupontheirfirstreadingandthat’s

whytheimpactonyourresultscanbesobig.Thesearetrulyuniversalprinciples

thatdohavethepowertomovemountains.

LikeAsAManThinketh,andmanyoftheothergreatreadsonthislist,thisisnot

averylargebook.Sobesuretoincludeitonyourearlymust-readlist.Itwill

shapealotofyourthinkingafterthat.

TheScienceOfTheMind(1938)

ErnestHolmes

MajorTheme:Mentalandpersonaldevelopment

Inthisbookyou’llbeguidedthroughinformationabouthowthemindworks

andtheroleitplaysinshapingtherealitythatyouseetoday.You’lllearnhowto

bestuseyourmindtoachievegreatnessandhowtobetterbalanceyourmind,

spirit,soul,andbody.

HolmeswasaNewThoughtministerandfounderofaSpiritualmovement

knownasReligiousSciencesoallofhiswritingshaveastrongspiritualfocus.

You’lllearntheinfluencethatspiritualityplaysinyourday-to-dayexistenceand

howtomaintainasenseofselfwhilestillcarryingoutyourroleinGod’sworld.

You’llalsogaininsightintothepowerofprayeraswellashowfaithcanhelp

youthroughtryingtimes.

TheSevenSpiritualLawsofSuccess(1994)

DeepakChopra

MajorTheme:Spiritualityandself-growth

SpiritualandmotivationalspeakerDeepakChopradiscusseshissevenlawsof

spiritualityinthisbookthatwillgetyouthinkingaboutthewaythatyou’re

livingandchangesthatyoucouldbemakingtofosteragreaterexistence.

Thelawsthathe’llteachyouaboutincludethelowofpotentiality,thelawof

giving,thelawofkarma,thelawofleasteffort,thelawofintensionanddesire,

thelawofdetachment,aswellastheLawofDharma(purposeinlife).

Atthispointinthisbookyoumaybequestioningwhysomanyofthebooks

havespiritualmessages.AsBobProctorexplainedtomeandothers:“Weare

notbodieswithaspiritbutspiritswithabody.”Soifweoverlookourspiritwe

cannottrulybecomethepersonwewerecreatedtobe.

Ihavemadeitapointnottoletsomeone’sdogmagetinthewayofmelearning

allIcanabouthowthespiritfunctionsandhowtogrowmyspirituallife.That’s

whyIcaneasilyreadRickWarren(anevangelicalChristianminister)orDeepak

Chopra(EasternSpiritualphilosopher).AndIwouldencourageyoutodevelop

thesamepracticeinyourreading.

TheStrangestSecret(1956)

EarlNightingale

MajorTheme:PersonalGrowthanddevelopment

TheStrangestSecretwasarecordinthebeginning.That’sright,oneofthose

roundblackplatterswithaholeinthemiddleofit.Injustafewyearsafterit’s

introductionitbecamethefirstspokenwordalbumtowinaGoldRecordwith

morethanonemillionsold.

Themessagebecamesosuccessfulthatitliterallyusheredinthemodernday

personaldevelopmentindustry.Sincethenthefamousaudiorecordinghasbeen

convertedtoasmallbook(andeBook)andinthewrittenworditmaybeeven

morepowerfulthaninthespokenword.

EarlNightingaletalksaboutasecretthathediscoveredinhisownworldthat

leadtotheopeningofdoorsthatheneverthoughtpossibleandabrandnewway

oflivingthatwouldfostergreaterwealth,success,andhappiness.

Hecallsitthe“strangestsecret”andit’sthesixmostpowerfulwordsonthe

planet,“youbecomewhatyouthinkabout.”Putthisonyourearlymust-read

list!

TheSuccessSystemThatNeverFails(1962)

W.ClementStone

MajorTheme:Successandpersonalachievement

ThisisanotheroftheseclassicbooksthatIfirstreadinmytwenties.Atthetime

StonehadtakenoverSuccessMagazineandturneditaroundaswellashiring

andpartneringwithThinkandGrowRichauthorNapoleonHill.Stonehadmade

hisbillionsintheinsurancebusinessandwasatthestageofhislifewherehe

wasgivingbackthatknowledge.

TheSuccessSystemThatNeverFailsisabookthat’sdesignedtohelpyoulearn

whatittakestoachievesuccessandgreatnessalongwithallthestepsthatyou’ll

taketogetthere.Thebookoutlineshowtoprepareyourselfforsuccessthrough

keyactionsthatyoutaketodayandhowyoucanbeaself-builder,creatingyour

ownlevelofsuccess.Stoneincludesalotoflessonshelearnedalonghispath

fromanimpoverishedchildwhowenttoworkatsixtohelpsupporthismonthto

becomingoneofthewealthiestpeopleintheworld.AtrueHoratioAlgerstory.

TheUltimateGift(2001)

JimStovall

MajorTheme:Appreciationandself-growth

TheUltimateGiftisagreatbookforanyonewhocouldbenefitfrommore

gratitudeintheireverydaylife(whichisaboutallofus)andwhoneedstogain

appreciationforallthatlifehastooffer.Itisaveryentertainingstorythatwill

pullyouintoagreatplotwithasurpriseending.

ItwaswrittenbyJimStovallwhoIhadthegoodfortunetofeatureasakeynote

speakeratoneofoureventsafewyearsago.Jimwasapromisingyoungathlete

whenhebegantolosehissite,ultimatelybecomingtotallyblind.Thewayhe

handledthatobstacleisatremendousinspirationinandofitself,anditvery

definitelyhashadanimpactonallofJim’swritings.

TheUniversityOfSuccess(1982)

OgMandino

MajorTheme:Self-achievementandsuccess

Thisfive-hundredpluspagebookisacomplete“education”insuccessbroken

upintotensemestersoffivelessonseach.These50lessonsaretaughtbya

“faculty”ofsomeofthebiggestnamesinpersonaldevelopmentincludingJames

Allen,NapoleonHill,Dr.MaxwellMaltz,DaleCarnegieandothers.My

personalcopyhasunderlinedwisdomonalmosteverypage.

Eachlessonstandsalonesoyoucanreadonelessonandreflectuponitandact

uponitbeforemovingontothenextone.Iwasamazedatthechangeinmy

thinkingfromEVERYlesson---theywerethatpowerful!

Thebookwillalsoteachyouhowtoimproveyourself-esteemandmotivation

andtoeliminatebadhabitsfromyourlifethatareonlyholdingyoubackfrom

reachingyourgoals.

Allinall,you’lltrulyhaveaneducationafteryoufinishatthis“university!”

TheWillToBelieve(1896)

WilliamJames

MajorTheme:Personalgrowth

Onceyoubeginanin-depthstudyofpersonaldevelopmentyou’llseeWilliam

James’nameeverywhere.Hewasawell-knownpsychologistandphilosopherof

thelate19thandearly20thcenturies.

OneofmostfavoritequotescomesfromJames,“Thegreatestdiscoveryofmy

generationisthatahumanbeingcanalterhislifebyalteringhisattitudes.”That

wasarealeye-openertomewhenIfirstreadit.

ThiswasactuallyalecturethatJamesgavebeforeitbecameapopularbook.

Inityou’llbeguidedthroughyourownpersonaljourneyasyourecollectyour

pastexperiencesandlookatwhatyouwantforthefuture.You’llgaininsight

andclarityonthelifethatyou’relivingandwhereyou’reheaded.

Maybeforthefirsttimeyou’llbetestingyourownthoughtsandbeliefsthatare

takingyouonyourgreatself-growthjourney.

ThinkAndGrowRich(1937)

NapoleonHill

MajorTheme:Financialadviceanddevelopment

Nooneseemstoknowforsurebutperhapsasmanyas100hundredmillion

copiesofthisbookhavebeensoldsinceHillintroduceditduringthedepression

daysof1937.Manypeoplebelieveittobethegreatestpersonalgrowthbookof

alltimeandI’dcertainlyputitinthetopfive.

ThinkAndGrowRichshowsyoumoney-makingsecretsthatwillforeverchange

yourlife.Butmorethanjustaboutmakingmoney,thesearereallyuniversaland

soundsecretsofsuccessinanyendeavor,regardlessofhowmuchmoneymay

beinvolved.Afterreadingthisbookyou’llhaveanewviewpointonwhatit

meanstobecomesuccessfulandhowtogoaboutdoingsoinyourownpersonal

life.

You’lllearnconceptsthatyou’veneverconsideredregardingmoneybeforeand

seepreciselywhatittakestobecomewealthy.Andnotsomepie-in-the-sky

theories.ThesearetheEXACTprinciplesusedbyfivehundredofthemost

financiallysuccessfulAmericansever.

TherehavebeenanumberofrevisededitionsreleasedinlateryearsbutI

personallyprefertheoriginal1937edition.

ThinkLikeAWinner!(1991)

WalterDoyleStaples

MajorTheme:PersonalSuccess

ThinkLikeAWinner!Isagreatbookabouthumanbehaviourandpersonal

potential.Thisbookwilldiscusswhatmakespeoplesuccessfulandthe

influencesthatcanshapewhoyoubecome.You’llalsotakealookattheroleof

humanbehaviorinwhetherornotyouseethelevelofsuccessyou’reafterand

alsohowthemindworkstocreatetheyouthatyouare.

I’dneverheardofDr.StaplesbeforeIboughtthisbookandhaven’thearda

wholelotabouthimsince,butthisoneofthose“sleeper”booksthatwill

surpriseyou.

ThoughtsAreThings(1889)

PrenticeMulford

MajorTheme:Mentalgrowthanddevelopment

Thisbookwillleadyouthroughmentalgrowthanddevelopmentasyouconsider

thematerialmindversusthespiritualmind.Youwillassessyourcurrent

viewpointsandexperiencesanddiscoverhowthoseareshapingtherealityin

whichyoulivein.

You’llthendiscoverhowtotransformyourmindsothatyoucanthinkabout

eventsinanewlight,encouragingahigheroveralllevelofpersonalgrowthand

development.

ThreeMagicWords:TheKeyToPower,

Peace,AndPlenty(1972)

U.S.Anderson

MajorTheme:Successandachievement

Foranyonewhoislookingforagreateroveralllevelofsuccessandachievement

intheirlife,thisbookcanhelptoofferthat.Itwilloutlineforyouthethreekeys

tolivingasuccessfullifeincludingpower,peace,andplenty.

You’lllearnhowtoturnthenaturalpowerthatyoupossessintoagreaterlevel

ofsuccessinyourlifewhileyouachieveallthatyousetoutto.

AsistrueofallofAnderson’swritings,you’llalsodiscoverhowGoddrives

everythingthatyoudoandtakestepstoansweryourownpersonalproblemsand

createahappierandhealthierexistence.

ToughTimesNeverLastButToughPeople

Do(1983)

RobertH.Schuller

MajorTheme:PersonalDevelopment

Thisisoneofthosebooksthatcomesalongatjusttherighttimeinyourlifeand

thingsareneverthesameagainafteryoureadit.Iwasundergoingsome

particularly“toughtimes”whenIreadthisbookandboydiditsmessagehitme

rightbetweentheeyes.

IfI’vegivenawayonecopyofthisbook,I’vegivenawayahundred---to

friends(andevenstrangers)who,likeme,hadhitaroughpatch.Dr.Schulleris

along-timeChristianministersothebookhasadecidedlyChristianspiritual

tone,butI’vegivenittomyHebrew(andevenagnostic)friendswhohaveraved

aboutitswisdom.

Itwillprovideyouwiththefoundationalknowledgeofwhysomepeoplecan

endurehardtimeswithapositivemindsetandattitudewhileotherscannot.

You’lllearnhowtotakechargeofyourownlife,makingchangesthatwillmake

youmoretenaciousandbetterabletocopewithanythingthatcomesyourway.

Unstoppable(1998)

CynthiaKersey

MajorTheme:Inspirationandmotivation

BobProctorsentmethisbookin‘98or‘99anditsalwaysbeenoneofmy

favoritesbecauseofalloftheincrediblestoriesofregularpeoplewhobecame

unstoppableintheirquestforsuccess.Inafewminuteseverymorningyoucan

readonestoryandIpromiseitwillchangethewayyoustartyourday.It’llmake

youUNSTOPPABLE!

I’vealsohadthegreatprivilegetobecomegreatfriendswithCynthiaandshe’s

appearedonourstageinthepast.Sheisagreatexample(andgreatteacher)of

howtoexceldespitebeingfacedwithhugeobstacles.

Greatreading!

WakeUpAndLive(1936)

DorotheaBrande

MajorTheme:Personalgrowthanddevelopment

IfirstheardaboutDorotheaandherbookwhenIwaslisteningtoEarl

NightingaleinTheStrangestSecret.Likealotofthegreatclassicsit’saquick

readthatdoesn’tbeataroundthebushbutgetstothepoint.You’lllearnwhatit

meanstofailandhowyoucanuseyourownpersonalfailurestofuelyourdesire

forgrowthandpersonaldiscovery.Atremendouslessonformostpeoplewho

don’tsucceedbecausethey’reafraidtofail.

Thisbookwillhighlightwhatyoucanstartdoingtodaytocreatealifethatis

withoutstressandthatbringsyouahighersenseofenjoymentandfeelingsof

accomplishment.You’llgettheanswerstothequestionsofwhyyoureactin

certainwaysasyoudoandhelpgaininsightintohowyoucanimproveyourself

sothatyouarebetterequippedtohandletryingsituationsdowntheroad.

Walden(1854)

HenryDavidThoreau

MajorTheme:Autobiography/Inspiration

Thoreauwrotemymostfavoritesuccessquoteever,“Ifoneadvances

confidentlyinthedirectionofhisdreams,andendeavorstolivethelifewhichhe

hasimagined,hewillmeetwithsuccessunexpectedincommonhours.”

ForatimeinmylifeItapedthatquotetoeverything--mycomputer,my

bathroommirror,thedashboardinmycar,etc.AtthattimeIwashopingitwas

trueandhopingthatmyconstantaffirmationofitwouldmakeitcometrue.One

dayitdawnedonmethatIcouldhonestlysaythatIhadfullyrealizedthe

promiseofthatquotebecauseIhadachieved“successunexpectedincommon

hours.”Itwasahumblingfeeling!

Inthisbook,Thoreaurecollectshisjourneythroughlifeandallthemanyevents

thathesurvivedandthemeaningofitall.Itisabitdifficulttoreadbecause

Thoreauisaverycomplexwriter,butpersist,thismessageisworthit!

WhatToSayWhenYouTalkToYourself

(1982)

ShadHelmstetter

MajorTheme:Personalgrowth

InWhatToSayWhenYouTalkToYourself,you’lllearnthepowerthatyour

ownpatternofthoughtandself-talkhasonyou.Thiswholeconceptwasahuge

ahatomeandmylifewenttoadifferentlevelafterIfullyimplementedthis

principleandbecameveryconsciousofwhatIwastellingmyselfeveryday.

You’lllearntheimportanceofstructuringyourownself-talkinawaythat

breedsahigherlevelofsuccessandwell-beingandhowtogetridofpoor

thoughtpatternsthathinderyoufromachievinggreatness.Mostpeoplewillvery

quicklyrealizewhytheyhaven’treachedtheirpotentialandwillrecognizethe

poor“scripting”they’vebeenengagedin.

Thisbookisa“game-changer.”

WhenBadThingsHappenToGoodPeople

(1981)

HaroldKushner

MajorTheme:SelfReflectionandImprovement

KusherisaveryprominentAmericanrabbiandhisbookisfullofspiritual

overtonesandwisdom.AndjustasI’vepointedoutaboutsomeoftheother

authorsinthisbookwhowritewithChristianandNewThoughtinfluences,the

messageisreallyanon-denominationalone.Ifyoufeelthatyou’redownon

yourluckandthatitseemsasthoughlifenevergoesyourway,thisbookcan

helpyougainsomeinsightandgiveyouhopeforabetterfuture.

Sometimeslifecandealyouabadsetofcardsandtheonlythingyoucandoin

theseinstancesisplaythemthebestwaythatyouknowhow.Thisbookisgoing

toillustratetoyouwhybadthingshappentogoodpeopleandwhatyoucando

toovercomeobstaclesthatstandinyourway.Stillabest-selleraftermorethan

30yearsandforgoodreason.Readit!

WhoMovedMyCheese(1998)

SpencerJohnson

MajorTheme:Self-growth

Almosteveryonehasa‘masterplan’forhowtheywouldliketheirlifeto

progress.Sadlythough,fewpeopleeverachievethatexactplan.Lifethrowsa

curveballatyouandyou’refacedwithobstaclesthatmustbeovercome.

Ifyoufeelasthoughyourlifehasgoneoff-courseandyoujustdon’tknowwhat

todotogetbackontrack,thisbookwillprovidesomeinsight.You’lllearnhow

toreframeyourmindtoamorepositivethoughtpatternsothatyoucanfind

yourselfbackonroutetothepathyousetouttoattain.

Anotherquickreadandoneyou’llenjoy.

Wooden:ALifetimeOfObservationsAnd

ReflectionsOnAndOffTheCourt(1997)

JohnWooden

MajorTheme:Inspiration/Autobiography

Nocoachinthehistoryofthegameofbasketballhascomeanywherecloseto

therecordofJohnWooden---anamazing10nationalcollegiatebasketball

championshipsduring12yearsatUCLA.

Hiswinscamejustasmuchasaresultofthewisdomheimpartedtohisplayers

astheX’sandO’shedrewontheboard.Untilhediedjustshyofhis100th

birthday,Woodencontinuedtogetasteadystreamofvisitsandcallsfromhis

formerplayerswhoreveredhim.

Inthisbookheshareswithyouhisjourneythroughthewinsandlossesandhow

itshapedhischaracterandthatofhisplayers.Helooksathowfamilies,values,

andvirtuesinfluenceyourdailylifedecisionsandhowsuccess,competition,and

achievementwillalsoinfluenceanindividual’sgrowthanddevelopment.

Thisinspirationalstorymakesforanexcellentreadbyanyoneinvolvedinsport

orcompetitiveindustries.

WorkingWithTheLaw(1964)

RaymondHolliwell

MajorTheme:Self-Growth

ThisisanotherbookthatBobProctorintroducedmeto.Itisanincredibly

insightfullookintothevariouselementsoflifeandthelawsofnature.You’llget

aglimpseintosuchlawsasthelawofforgiveness,thelawofsacrifice,thelaw

ofobedience,thelawofsuccess,aswellasthelawofincrease.

Throughoutyourjourneyreadingthisbookyou’llcometoquestionmanyways

thatyouviewyourcurrentlifeandstarttoseethingsinanewmanner,hopefully

fosteringgreatersuccessandfulfillment.

YouCanIfYouThinkYouCan(1974)

NormanVincentPeale

MajorTheme:Self-Esteem/belief

I’veneverreadaPealebookthatIdidn’tfallinlovewith.Hiswritingisso

engagingandsoeffective.YouCanIfYouThinkYouCanisanexcellentbook

foranyonewhoneedsaself-esteemboostandislookingtoachievegreatnessin

theirlife.

Ifyouoftenfeeloverwhelmedbyyourshortcomingsorletfearstopyoufrom

doingthingsinlifethatyouwishedyouwoulddo,thisbookcanhelpyou

overcomethatsothatyoucanleadamorefulfilledexistence.

Peale’sspiritualinfluence(hewasaverypopularpastor)neveroffendsand

alwaysenhanceshismessage.HardtopickmyPealefavoritebutthisonecomes

awfulclosebecauseoftheemphasisonself-esteem,whichIreallyhadtowork

on.

YouWereBornRich(1997)

BobProctor

MajorTheme:Financialsuccess

Onecompanyownerthoughtsomuchofthisbookheordered30,000copiesto

distributetomembersofhisorganization!IngreatBobProctorstylehewalks

youthroughaseriesofself-questionsandreflectionsonwhereyouaretodayand

whereyouwanttobegoingwithregardstoyourfinancialwealth.Hehelpsyou

seethatsuccessisnotsomethingyoudon’thavebutrathersomethingthatyou

havethepowertocreateifyouusetherightstrategyandtakeaction.

Heillustratesthatsuccessisalreadyrightbeforeyouandallyouneedtodois

putthepiecesofthepuzzletogetherandyouwillstartleadingthelifethatyou

wanttolead.Ifyou’veneverbeenexposedtoanyofBob’steachingsthisisa

greatplacetostart.

You’llSeeItWhenYouBelieveIt:TheWay

ToYourPersonalTransformation(2001)

WayneDyer

MajorTheme:Personaldevelopment

WayneDyerhasotherbooksthathavebeenmorepopularthanthisone,butin

myhumbleopinionthisoneinfluencedmealotmore.It’sprobablybecausehe

focusesonthepowerofbeliefandinmyownlifethatwassocriticaltomy

ultimatesuccess.

Dyerleadsyouthroughinformationabouthowyourthoughtsshapeyourreality

andhowtolivealifethat’sfullofabundance.

Inadditiontothatyou’llalsolearnwhatroledetachmentplaysinyourcurrent

stateofbeingandhelptodiscoverhowforgivenessiscriticaltooptimalhealth

andwell-being.

You2(1997)

PricePritchett

MajorTheme:Personalandbusinesssuccess

You2(Yousquared)isyetanotherbookthatBobProctorintroducedmeto.Even

thoughit’samere35-pageslongIpredictitwillrockyourlifeasmuchasitdid

mineandeverybodyelsethatI’veeverrecommendeditto.

IcarrythisbookwithmeinmycomputerbagsoIcanpullitoutandreadit

whenI’mfeelingoverwhelmedbysometask.AndI’mcertainlygoingtoreadit

beforeanyvisitwithBobbecausehe’salwaysgoingtoaskmewhenwasthelast

timeIreadit.

You’lllearnhowtoquittryingharderandactuallymaketheeffortthatyouare

puttinginpay-offatahigherlevel.Butmorethananything,you’llreallylearn

thatit’snotasuchhugeleapfromwhereyou’reattowhereyouwanttogo.

Whenyoucanseethatfromanewperspectiveyoutrulybegintobelievethings

arepossiblewhichonceseemedimpossible.

YourInvisiblePower(1921)

GenevieveBehrend

MajorTheme:Personaldevelopment

InthisbookGenevieveBehrendwalksyouthroughinformationabouthowto

harnessyourownnaturalpowersandturnthemintosuccessandfulfillmentin

yourlife.Shetalksabouttherelationshipsbetweenthementalandphysicalform

ofpowerandhowtocreateamentalpicturethatwilldriveyouinallthatyoudo.

Shetalksabouthowtogainfinancialandinterpersonalsuccessinyourlife,

whilecreatingfeelingsofjoyandwealth.Thisbookwillinspireyoutocreate

greatnesswithyourlifeandleaveyoureadytotakeactiontoanewbeginning.

DaybyDaywithJamesAllen(2003)

VicJohnson

MajorTheme:DailyMeditationsonPersonaldevelopment

OK,sothisisnotincludedinthe101Best.Thisisactuallythe102ndbookthat

I’mlisting.Butsinceit’smine,I’mquiteprejudicedaboutit.Butfrankly,ithas

aplaceinthisbookbecausemybookisreallyadistillationofallthegreatbooks

I’veread.AndinthisoneIquoteextensivelyfrommanyofthebookshere.

I’mveryproudthatthisbookhashadafive-starratingatAmazonsinceit’s

debutandthatitssoldmorethan70,000copies.Itsalsobeentranslatedinto

Japanese,Czech,SlovakianandFarsi(thePersianlanguageofIran).

ButI’mmostproudofanotherachievementwithDaybyDay.Thebookisa

dailymeditationonthewordswrittenbyJamesAllen,authoroftheclassicAsA

ManThinketh.AfterthelegendaryCharlie“Tremendous”Jonesreadmybook

hesentmealettertellingmethatitwasthebestinterpretationofAsAMan

Thinkeththathe’severread!AstheysayintheMasterCardcommercial:

PRICELESS!

NowWhat?

You’vebeengiventhe“keystothekingdom.”It’suptoyounowtousethemto

goopenthedoorsofopportunityinyourlife.It’svitallyimportantthatyou

READbooks–ifnotthesethenothersthatcanfacilitateyourgrowth.AsMark

Twainwrote,“Themanwhodoesnotreadgoodbookshasnoadvantageover

themanwhocannotreadthem.”

Butthemerereadingofanybookswillnotmagicallytransportyoutothe

successyoudesire.Ifitweretruethatallyouhadtodowasreadandyou’dbe

successful,thenthemostsuccessfulpeopleintheworldwouldbelibrariansand

professors.

Knowledgeisnotpowerasiscommonlybelieved.OnlyknowledgeACTED

UPONhaspower.Inmycasemycommitmenttoreadingbecamesovoracious

thatIfinallyreadenoughbooksthatthereadingaloneinfluencedmeto

ACTION.Butmostpeopledon’twanttoreadanywhereclosetothetwobooksa

weekIwasaveragingatonepoint.SothesimplercourseissimplytoACTon

whatyoureadASYOUREADIT.

Forinstance,whenyoureadsomethinginabookthatstrikesyouaslifealtering,

stoprightthere.Don’treadanyfurtheruntilyouputthatprinciple(orprinciples)

intoactioninyourlife.Highlightitandunderlineitinthebook.Writeitonan

indexcardandputitinyourpocketorpurse.Putitonapopuponyour

computer.Tapeittoyourmirrororthedashofyourcar.Dowhateveryoucan

dotokeepitinfrontofyou.

Thenlookforeveryopportunitytoactonyournewknowledge.Youwon’thave

todothisbutacoupleoftimestobeconvincedofhowpowerfulitis.Andthe

transformationinyourlifewillkeepyoucommittedtothepractice!

Ihaveaseriousaddiction.I’mnotashamedtoadmitit.Infact,I’mratherproud

ofit.I’maddictedtobooks!AfterIsawBobProctor’sofficeinhishome,where

he’ssurroundedbythousandsofbooks,Iinsistedduringourlakehouseremodel

thatmyofficebedesignedwhereIwouldsitinthemiddleofallmybooks.

LikeBob,Ihaveaspecialsectionforthebooksthatotherauthorshavesignedto

me.Asectionforcollectibles,likeanoriginal(andautographed)1937versionof

ThinkandGrowRich,andasectionformybooksthathavebeentranslatedinto

otherlanguages.SomedaysIjustsithereinmyhavenofbooks,stareoutata

postcardviewofthelakeweliveon,andwonderinamazementwhatmylife

wouldhavebeenlikewithoutallmy“friends.”

In1994,attheeventwhereIboughtmyfirstcopyofAsAManThinketh,Ifirst

heardCharlie“Tremendous”Jonesutterhisfamousexhortation:“You’rethe

sametodayasyou’llbeinfiveyearsexceptfortwothings;thebooksyouread

andthepeopleyouassociatewith.”

OnthatdayImadeanunbreakablepledgetomyselfthatIwouldmakethemost

ofthosetwoprinciples,andasRobertFrostwroteintheRoadNotTaken,“that

hasmadeallthedifference.”Iknow,too,thatthesebookswillmakeadifference

inyourlife.Ihopeyouwillavailyourselfofthem.

###

ForafreebookofNapoleonHill’sclassicThinkandGrowRich,goto:

www.Get-My-Free-Book.net

OthereBooksfromLaurenzanaPress

TheStrangestSecretbyEarlNightingale

MemoryImprovement:HowtoImproveYourMemoryinJust30DaysbyRon

White

Persistence&Perseverance:DanceUntilItRainsbyTheChampionsClub

TheLawofAttraction:HowToGetWhatYouWantbyRobertCollier

TimeManagementTips:101BestWaystoManageYourTimebyLucasMcCain

GetMotivated:101BestWaystoGetStarted,KeepGoingandFinishStrongby

LucasMcCain

Successful&HealthyAging:101BestWaystoFeelYounger&LiveLongerby

LisaJ.Johnson

SelfConfidenceSecrets:HowToBeOutgoingandOvercomeShynessbyLucas

McCain

HappinessHabits:21SecretstoLivingaFunandOutrageouslyRewardingLife

byLucasMcCain

2 views·114 pages

The 101 Best Personal Development Classics PDF Free Download

The 101 Best Personal Development Classics PDF free Download. Think more deeply and widely.

Uploaded by haley_upload on 5/2/2026

/114

100%

SELFHELPBOOKS:

The101BestPersonalDevelopmentClassics

VicJohnson

****

Publishedby:

LaurenzanaPress

POBox1220

Melrose,FL32666USA

www.LaurenzanaPress.com

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorby

anymeanswithoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthePublisher.

TableofContents
Introduction
AcresofDiamonds
AsAManThinketh
AtlasShrugged
AwakentheGiantWithin
ChickenSoupfortheSoul
Don’tSweattheSmallStuff
EvenEaglesNeedaPush
FailingForward:TurningMistakesintoSteppingStonesforSuccess
FeeltheFearandDoItAnyway
FirstThingsFirst
FiveMajorPiecestotheLifePuzzle
GettingThingsDone
HowIRaisedMyselffromFailuretoSuccessinSelling
HowtoGetWhatYouWant
HowtoHaveConfidenceandPowerinDealingwithPeople
HowtoReadaBook
HowtoStopWorryingandStartLiving
HowtoWinFriendsandInfluencePeople
HungBytheTongue
IDareYou
InTuneWithTheInfinite
ItWorks!
LearnedOptimism

LifeisTremendous
LiveYourDreams
MakeYourLifeWorthwhile
Man’sSearchforHimself
Man’sSearchforMeaning
MaximumAchievement
MenarefromMars,WomenarefromVenus
MessageofaMaster
MessageToGarcia
OverTheTop
PowerofYourSupermind
PowerThroughConstructiveThinking
Prosperity
Psycho-Cybernetics
ScienceofMind
SecretoftheAges
SeeYouatTheTop
SeedsofGreatness
SelfHelp
SelfMasteryThroughConsciousAutosuggestion
Self-Reliance
7StrategiesforWealth&Happiness
Success!TheGlennBlandMethod
The21IrrefutableLawsofLeadership
The7HabitsofHighlyEffectivePeople
The80/20Principle:TheSecrettoAchievingMorewithLess
TheAladdinFactor

TheAutobiographyofAndrewCarnegieandTheGospelofWealth
TheCommonDenominatorofSuccess
TheDynamicLawsofProsperity
TheEdinburghandDoreLecturesonMentalScience
TheFiveLoveLanguages
TheGameofLifeandHowtoPlayIt
TheGoGetter
TheGreatestSalesmanintheWorld
TheLawofSuccessin16Lessons
TheMagicofBelieving
TheMagicofThinkingBig
TheMagicStory
TheMajestyofCalmness
TheMasterKeySystem
TheMasteryofDestiny
TheMillionaireNextDoor
TheMiracleofRightThought
TheOneMinuteManager
ThePowerofConcentration
ThePowerofPostiveThinking
ThePowerofYourSubconsciousMind
ThePurposeDrivenLife
TheRichestManinBabylon
TheRoadLessTraveled
TheScienceofBeingGreat
TheScienceofGettingRich
TheScienceofMind

TheSevenSpiritualLawsofSuccess
TheStrangestSecret
TheSuccessSystemThatNeverFails
TheUltimateGift
TheUniversityofSuccess
TheWilltoBelieve
ThinkandGrowRich
ThinkLikeaWinner!
ThoughtsAreThings
ThreeMagicWords:TheKeytoPower,PeaceandPlenty
ToughTimesNeverLastButToughPeopleDo
Unstoppable
WakeUpandLive
Walden
WhattoSayWhenYouTalktoYourself
WhenBadThingsHappentoGoodPeople
WhoMovedMyCheese
Wooden:ALifetimeofObservationsandReflectionsonandOfftheCourt
WorkingWithTheLaw
YouCanIfYouThinkYouCan
YouWereBornRich
You’llSeeItWhenYouBelieveIt:TheWaytoYourPersonalTransformation
You2(YouSquared)
YourInvisiblePower
DaybyDayWithJamesAllen
NowWhat?