Personal development books are a fantastic way to grow internally and out. Today we’re diving into some of the top works of this genre. Here are eight personal development books in eight minutes with key takeaways from each book.
1. Atomic Habits, by James Clear.
Atomic habits are regular actions or routines that are small and simple, yet incredibly powerful. If you can make small changes consistently over time, they will compound into astonishing results – so long as you stick with them. You must picture the person you want to become. Then, create small positive habits that your future self would do and start implementing them today. It’s all about creating the right systems around your habits. Your systems should support you as you change and improve bit by bit. This means adapting to circumstances and knowing that a goal is not just one end-all destination. Instead, it’s taking small actions every day that build momentum and slowly lead you to sustainable success. It’s finding a cue that begins your new daily habit, as well as pinpointing what motivates you and rewarding yourself to reinforce positive habits. With small atomic habits, you soon propel yourself into atomic success.
2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey.
The first habit is to be proactive. Take responsibility for your life, your decisions, and your trajectory. You control your responses and your actions, regardless of external circumstances, so make sure your actions align with your values and language.
The second habit is to begin with the end in mind. You must have a clear vision of where you want to go in life. Define your values and long-term goals and take steps every day towards the latter.
The third habit is to put first things first. Effective people must know how to use their most prized resource – their time. Priorities should always include long-term planning, personal development, and relationship-building.
The fourth habit is to think in a win-win scenario. Seeking mutually beneficial solutions in your interactions will create solutions and strengthen relationships in all settings.
The fifth habit is to seek first to understand, then to be understood. You have two ears and only one mouth for a reason. Seek to understand other perspectives before stating your own and master empathetic listening.
The sixth habit is to learn to synergize. Use collaboration with others and diverse ideas and opinions to foster creativity, open-mindedness, and teamwork to create new solutions.
The final habit is to sharpen the saw. Always invest in self-care, personal development, and continuous learning. This should include the physical, mental, spiritual, and social/emotional aspects of your life.
Which habit do you think will be most helpful in your life? Let us know in the comments.
Check out: How to achieve goals
3. How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.
To win friends and influence others, you must start from a place of sincerity. This means expressing honest appreciation and keeping criticisms to yourself to start. Show genuine interest in others, be friendly, and use peoples’ names in conversation. Listen more than you speak and when you do speak, talk in terms of the other person’s interests. Make them feel important.
Do not argue and do not tell others they are wrong; however, you should always admit when you are wrong. Find common ground and get the other person to agree with you on something as soon as possible. Let them do most of the talking and when your idea arises, make them feel like it is theirs. Be sympathetic and appeal to nobler causes, then throw down a challenge. Talk about your own mistakes before the other person’s. Ask questions instead of giving orders and let the other person save face. Praise even the slightest improvement and give them a good reputation to live up to. Use encouragement and make sure the other person is happy when they do what you suggest.
4. The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman.
There are five ways that people receive or give love. Identifying your and your partner’s love language will exponentially grow your communication and relationship. The five languages are words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Your complaints are often the best indicator of what love language you need. By discovering your love languages, emotional love can be rekindled and grown in any relationship.
By the way, if you want to work more on improving your relationships, check out another video we made called “The 6 Phrases that Will Strengthen Any Relationship.”
5. The Four-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss.
This book challenges all assumptions about how we work. Money isn’t what matters; what matters is living life on our own terms. Spend most of your time on the 20% of your work that gives you the greatest results – not on the little things that don’t make an impact. Validate your business ideas by seeing if people would pay for them before you build the product. Once you have a product people would pay for, be high quality and charge high-quality prices. High-paying clients are often low-hassle clients. Focus on remote work, automation, and outsourcing to find the highest level of freedom you can get out of work. This is how to achieve more with less time and ultimately design your ideal lifestyle.
6. Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill.
Attaining wealth starts with positive thinking, persistence, and focused desire. You must have a burning desire to get rich and realize your dreams, pushing forward even amid failures and disappointments. To achieve these desires, you’ll need detailed goal-setting, solid faith in yourself, and knowledge. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. Take advantage of your imagination when envisioning where you’re going. Know your strengths and weaknesses and always work on reinforcing positive emotions. Determination is the key to your success and only persistent individuals will make it to their goals.
7. Can’t Hurt Me, by David Goggins, et al.
This memoir is of a man who overcame intense adversity, beginning with the abuse of his father from early childhood. Fear and disappointment from past hurts kept him from reaching his potential until he changed his life and body to become a Navy SEAL. David emphasizes the power of a strong mindset. You can push through any mental barriers once you focus on a “can’t hurt me” mindset. By enduring hardship and suffering, you develop mental resilience so long as you push through. No matter what is going on, set audacious goals to push your limits. Refuse to settle for mediocrity and you will astonish yourself at what you can accomplish. Only you are responsible for your actions. Refuse to make excuses and refuse to quit. The more you do these things, the tougher your mindset, the greater your goals and successes, and the more you will achieve greatness.
8. What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, by Laura Vanderkam.
The best hours for personal growth are early in the morning before you are distracted by work and other people. The most successful people interviewed in this book prioritize personal growth in the morning by having a consistent, early routine that includes things like exercise, meditation, journaling, or reading. Then, tackle the most important task first before distractions arise, setting yourself up for a successful day. Set goals and a plan for your day and you will start it off on the right foot for success every time.
Conclusion:
There you have it folks; the key takeaways from eight great personal development books in eight minutes. And if you want to check out these books, links are in the description. Wish you the best!