Invest in Your Mind. 100 Top Best Personal Development Books To Read

I’m often asked which books are most transformational for people who want to follow their dreams, change the world, lead fantastic lives and be amazing. So, I made it a point to dig deeper into the best books to read, the effects of reading and why it is important. 

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers.” Charles William Eliot

Bill Gates reads about 50 books a year!

One habit successful people have in common is that they read, a lot. This might be an inconvenient truth for some people but many of the brightest minds in the world today say they owe their success to reading.

Bill Gates says that he reads about 50 books a year, which breaks down to one to per week. Some people wait for the next great movie but Bill Gate waits for the next great book. Why would the world's richest man — worth an estimated 90.2 Billion USD — spend so much time leafing through pages? The answer is simple – a rich mind equals a rich life. The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts. You cannot have a rich life with a poor mindset.

In an interview with Katherine Rosman at the New York Times, Gates explained that reading has always been one of the "chief ways" that he learns. "These days, I also get to visit interesting places, meet with scientists, and watch a lot of lectures online," Gates explained. "But reading is still the main way that I both learn new things and test my understanding."

In fact, Warren Buffett was once asked about the key to success and he pointed to a stack of nearby books and said, “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.” Warren Buffett (Networth 84.3 billion USD) is the undisputed king of reading, he spends 80 percent of his day reading.

Here are a few more top business leaders and entrepreneurs who make reading a major part of their daily lifestyle: The figures depicted are as of December 2017.

• Elon Musk (Networth 20.6 Billion USD), the greatest entrepreneur of the 21st century is an avid reader and when asked how he learned to build rockets, he said “I read books.”
• Mark Zuckerberg (Networth 72.3 Billion USD), the undisputed king of social networking resolved to read a book every 2 weeks
• Richard Branson (Networth 5.1 Billion USD), Tie-loathing adventurer, thrill seeker and self-made billionaire says his belief in possessing a “growth” mindset is in reading great books – leadership books. In his blog post, “Read to lead,” the Virgin Group founder reveals five of his favorite books
• Mark Cuban (Networth 3.3 Billion USD), owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and businessman reads 3 hours every day.

I’ve discovered through studying and researching on successful people that if you want to get ahead, you must read as many books as you can. It’s not just about reading randomly anything. What you choose is read very important. Successful people read educational, leadership and personal development books while poor people read tabloids, fashion magazines, newspapers, romance and novels. Successful people in particular obsess over biographies and autobiographies of other successful people for guidance and inspiration.

I remember the first time I got my hands on a self-improvement book. I was baffled. At that moment I realized right there my fate was not set in stone. I could become my own drill master and coach. The books I read would set out the training course for me to overcome. 

So, if you’re looking for personal development books that can truly make a difference in your life, look no further. The following presents my research selection of the best self-help books from a variety of different categories. These are the books that will enable you to accelerate your life to the next level. They will ignite the fire within you and motivate you to be the best you can be. Let’s shift gears in the New Year with this collection of true masterpieces from the best of the best. 

Definitely make some time each day to read. Small little advances in your knowledge base lead to quantum improvements in your performance over time.

So, pick a book that truly interests you. Don’t just read it. Master it. Dissect its contents and implement its wisdom into your life. You’ll be amazed how incredibly powerful the impact of just one book can be. So here are 100 best of the best personal development books I took time to research and compile for you. Read them. Share them. Study them. LIVE them.

1. Feel the Fear And Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers
2. Peaks and Valleys by Spencer Johnson
3. The Greatest Salesman in the World by OG Mandino
4. The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz
5. You Were Born Rich by Bob Proctor
6. See You at the Top by Zig Ziglar
7. The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco
8. Quantum Success by Sandra Anne Taylor
9. Excuse Me Your Life is waiting by Lynne Grabhorn
10. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
11. As You Think. By James Allen.
12. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen. R. Covey
13. Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy
14. The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind by Alan Wallace
15. Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel J. Siegel
16. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
17. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns
18. Psycho-Cybernetics, A New Way to Get More Living Out of Life by Maxwell Maltz
19. Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success by John C. Maxwell
20. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
21. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
22. The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
23. Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor. E. Frankl
24. Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant
25. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
26. The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
27. Quiet: The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain
28. Drive by Daniel H. Pink
29. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
30. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Peale
31. The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
32. Mastery by Robert Greene
33. Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
34. Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins
35. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
36. As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
37. Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin
38. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
39. The Richest Man in Babylon George Clason
40. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
41. The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman
42. Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy
43. The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard
44. The Intelligent Entrepreneur by Bill Murphy
45. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
46. The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
47. Ask and It Is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks
48. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
49. The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
50. Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
51. Start with Why by Simon Sinek
52. Tribes by Seth Godin
53. Whatcha Gonna Do with That Duck? And Other Provocations by Seth Godin
54. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
55. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy
56. Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain
57. Super-intelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom
58. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
59. Switch by Chip and Dan Heath
60. Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
61. Your Brain at Work by David Rock
62. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin S. Sharma
63. The Warrior Within by John Little
64. Getting Things Done by David Allen
65. The Power of Less by Leo Babauta
66. The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield
67. The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
68. Rework by Jason Fried and David Hansson
69. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray
70. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
71. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
72. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry
73. How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing with People by Les Giblin
74. Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson
75. Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
76. Every Second Counts by Lance Armstrong
77. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Alborn
78. Screw It Let's Do it by Richard Branson.
79. How Much Is Enough Robert & Edward Skidelsky
80. Built To Last by Jim Collins
81. Great by Choice by Jim Collins
82. Swimming With The Sharks- Joris Luyendjik
83. Bye Bye Banks By James Haycock & Shane Richmond
84. Shoe Dog By Phil Knight ( Creator Of Nike)
85. Be Obsessed Or Be Average By Grant Card One
86. The Capitalist Nigger by Chika Onyeani
87. Free Will By Sam Harris
88. Fooled By Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
89. What Got You Here Won't Get You There By Marshall Goldsmith
90. Hard Evidence by Dawnie Wolfe Steadmen (2nd Edition)
91. Brain Washed (Challenging The Myth Of Black Inferiority) by Tom Burrell
92. The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma
93. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
94. How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis
95. The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D.
96. Wattles and Millionaire Mindset by Gerry Robert
97. The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.
98. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
99. The 12 Success Factors By Dr Joe Mabuela
100. Heart, Mind and Money. Using Emotional Intelligence for Financial Freedom By Vangile Makwakwa

It’s not always intelligence, education or connections that truly contribute to a person’s success. Instead, it’s the unique ability to see beyond what already exists. To expand the horizon and to discover what truly is possible and some of these discoveries lies in books.

In conclusion, I hope that this list gave you some inspiring ideas about brilliant books you can read. One thing I’m interested in is learning about your favorite personal development books. So, feel free to share your favorites in the comment section below!

By Nicky Verd 
 
Thanks for making the time to read my posts. I work hard to make them valuable for you. So we get you to your best. Sooner versus later. The brain can be trained!

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Nicky Verd is a Prolific Writer and Transformational Speaker, passionate about inspiring you to take ownership of your life, discover your purpose and maximize your potential. You owe yourself everything you expect from others. 

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