It’s safe to say that personal development books have a bit of a bad
reputation. What comes to mind are diet books that promise you’ll lose
25 pounds in 2 weeks without having to exercise. Or perhaps spiritual or
relationship books that’ll help you find love in 17 easy steps. Sure,
there are books like these filling entire shelves in bookstores and
libraries, but not all self-help or self-development books are created
equal.
In school, we are encouraged to read the great literary
classics—Shakespeare, Orwell, Austen, etc. While these are absolute
must-reads for any avid reader, there’s also a case to be made for
reading books that encourage you to live a fuller, richer, and more
meaningful life. After all, personal development books are just that:
books that help you to develop into the person you want to be. There’s
no better time to start reading books that help you become the best,
happiest, most successful version of yourself than while still at
school.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 personal development
books every student should read. Even if you read just one of them,
you’ll take away a few lessons that could stay with you for the rest of
your life.
Have you ever promised yourself that this school year you won’t leave
writing your term paper until the last minute, just to forget about your
resolution as soon as term started? Why did you struggle to stick to
your new resolution?
Caroline Arnold dives into this question in her book, Small Move, Big
Change, discovering that most of us fail at keeping our resolutions
because they are too vague and too big.
By incorporating ‘microresolutions,’ tiny behavioural modifications,
into our daily habits, we can achieve lasting change in virtually any
area of our lives. It all comes down to identifying our habits and
external cues that can be linked to tiny resolutions that stick because
they are so easy to achieve. This is an essential read for anyone
wanting to change their habits.
What would you talk about if you knew you only had a few months left?
That’s the question Professor Randy Pausch had to answer a month after
being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
This booked is based on his now iconic lecture, called “Really Achieving
Your Childhood Dreams” and challenges his students and readers to think
back to their own childhood dreams, and what their biggest hopes and
desires for their life were then.
While he doesn’t suggest you join the circus or try to become an
astronaut, he urges you to pursue the life you truly desire, without
limiting yourself to the constraints of society or what you’re “supposed
to do.”
The book complements the lecture with added stories from Pausch’s own
childhood that he wanted to pass on to his children.
Since publishing this bestselling book, Gretchen Rubin has become known
as somewhat of a happiness expert. Most people agree that the most
important thing in life is to strive for happiness, and most parents
would even say their biggest hope for their kids it that they are happy.
So how come prioritising our own happiness is so often seen as selfish
in today’s world?
After realising that she wasn’t as happy as she should be, considering
her life was going pretty well, Rubin decided to study happiness and
dedicated a whole year of her life to her “happiness project.” She
focused on 12 different areas of her life and methodically tracked
habits and behaviours that increased her happiness. While “everyone’s
happiness project will be different,” Rubin gives readers a blueprint to
create their own happiness.
This is essential reading for everyone who wants to actively understand
what makes them happy and how they can improve their life according to
their values of happiness.
We are taught early on to avoid failure at all costs. You don’t want to
be a loser, right? But the truth is that everyone fails at some point in
their life. The question isn’t whether we will fail, but how we will
deal with our failures? John C. Maxwell writes: “When achievers fail,
they see it as a momentary event, not a lifelong epidemic.”
Only by owning up to and learning from our failures can we grow as
people, in business and in relationships. The most successful people
have failed over and over again. James Dyson invented 5,126 prototypes
before he built his first commercially successful vacuum cleaner. He
used his failures as stepping stones towards success. This book will
teach you to observe your failures, analyse them, and learn from them.
Never have we been surrounded by more technology fighting to grab our
attention than now. Smart phones, social media, notifications, the
average attention span of a human has shrunk to that of the notoriously
unfocused gold fish. There are even apps created to helping us with our
lack of focus, adding another layer of distraction to our everyday
lives.
In The Attention Revolution, Wallace shares some techniques to attain
the highest form of Shamatha, a Buddhist meditation state of mind. While
it’s near impossible to achieve in just one lifetime, using some of the
lessons shared, you will be able to take control of your attention
again, to focus on anything you set your mind to, whether you’re
studying for an exam, or practicing a hobby or sport.
Granted, the title of this book might not capture your imagination, but
if you read one book about productivity in your life, then make it this
one.
The basic principle behind the Getting Things Done, or GTD method, is
the idea that you should get all your thoughts and tasks out of your
mind so they don’t clutter your headspace. First, apply the 2-minute
rule. If a task takes less than 2 minutes to complete, do it now. If it
takes longer, follow a simple five-step workflow: capture, clarify,
organise, reflect, and engage. By following these two principles you can
virtually take control of all projects and tasks in your life. Sound
simple? That’s because it is. You can start applying it to school work,
hobbies, and any other projects right away.
While the original book was published in 2001, Allen has kept it updated
and relevant to today’s busy and noisy world of multi-tasking, email,
and social media.
Since its publication in 2007, The 4-Hour Workweek has been
heavily criticised by some, while becoming something of a business and
lifestyle bible for others. The main premise is that the traditional
concept of retirement, deferred gratification, and the 9-to-5 is
outdated and that there’s no reason to wait until you’re old to enjoy
yourself, especially in these difficult economic times.
While the title can be somewhat misleading, there are many valuable
lessons to be learned. Ferriss shares how he managed to reduce his
working hours to just 4 per week by automating and outsourcing large
chunks of his business, while increasing his income from $40,000 per
year to $40,000 per month.
Even if you’re not interested in becoming an entrepreneur, you’ll learn
about productivity, time management, and learning techniques—and most
importantly, the concept of lifestyle design and how you can take
control over what your life looks like.
Celebrated as a modern feminist manifesto, Sandberg’s book Lean In
should be essential reading for both female and male students. The chief
operating officer at Facebook and former Google executive shares her own
experiences as well as those of other women in high corporate positions,
encouraging women to “lean in” and claim their seat at the table.
Instead of simply bemoaning the current state of affairs, she gives
concrete advice on how women can break the limiting patterns they face
in the working world. Don’t check out of your career early just because
you’re planning to have kids, find a partner who is willing to support
your career, forget the unrealistic concept of “having it all,” and
start taking more risks. Both men and women will find invaluable lessons
in leadership that will help you maneuver your future career.
In her latest book, Lean In for Graduates Sandberg has added a
few chapters specific to job applications and salary negotiations.
Originally published in 1936, the lessons of Dale Carnegie’s classic self-help book still ring true to this day. No matter if you’re in high school, college or at any stage of your career, understanding how to connect with other people is one of the greatest lessons you can learn. This book will teach you how to navigate relationships, have meaningful conversations with anyone you talk to, and win over people who think differently to you. Especially in today’s world of online influencers and social media, it’s more important than ever to learn how to be influential in your career and social life.
One of the most neglected areas in the traditional schooling system is
financial education. According to a 2016 study, nearly two thirds of
Americans are financially illiterate, meaning they can’t answer simple
questions about money, debt and investing.
In Rich Dad, Poor DadKiyosaki shares his experience growing up
with two father figures who had virtually opposing views on finances and
money. Although both dads earned well, one managed to invest well and
leave an inheritance for his kids, while the other struggled with money
his whole life. Kiyosaki narrows down what he learned from his “rich
dad” to six fundamental lessons about money that everybody should know.
This book will transform the way you think about and handle money for
the rest of your life.