Extraordinary books on Personal Growth
February 15th, 2010 | Manny Goldman
And as someone who strives to learn all he can about every aspect of Personal Growth, self-improvement, self-help, and personal development, you may be surprised that I’m not a big fan of reading although I appreciate the medium to compile decades and even centuries of wisdom in a concise and easy to digest format.
I thought I would take a moment and share some of my favorite books from the early twentieth century across the spectrum of Personal Growth.
As I always say, success leaves clues, and nowhere is that more apparent than with these seminal books—they never lose their timeliness:
1. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill: This book is inspired by Andrew Carnegie’s formula for success, and in a simple, straightforward, yet in a profound way will teach you how to strike it rich and attain lasting success. A must-read for any entrepreneur or self-starter.
Learn more at:
2. The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles: Still going strong after its first publication 100 years ago, this book is the basis for the wildly popular hit book and movie The Secret. Bottom line: your state of mind (ideally one that’s positive) dictates success in all areas of your life.
Read it for free at:
3. As A Man Thinketh by James Allen: Another classic, this one also provides the basis for everything we know in Personal Growth about the power of our thoughts. It’s about taking responsibility and inspired action—your thoughts alone aren’t going to get you there.
Download it for free at:
4. The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale: This is a great addition to the list because it’s actually an audio book, helpful for people who aren’t big readers. The message is just as powerful and even radical: you become what you think about.
Download it for free at:
5. Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl: One of the most inspiring and heartrending books I have ever read. Frankl was a Jewish academic and psychologist living in Vienna when the Nazis started taking over Europe and sending Jewish people to concentration camps.
He could have escaped to America, but instead chose to stay with his parents, who were too old and sick to leave the country. He was sent to a camp, where he saw unimaginable horrors. Instead of giving in to despair, he formulated a philosophical and psychological response to tragedy, which has endured all these decades later:
There is absolutely nothing we can do about the circumstances we find ourselves in—except control our reactions to them. That reaction is often all we have left, but it’s incredibly potent, even in the face of undeniable atrocity.
Buy it here:
Please share your thoughts with us by adding a comment below. Thank you.
I have read all of these, and yes they are great. Think and Grow Rich is so played out and quirky. I like Man’s Search for Meaning. Thanks for the links to download them. That is really useful.
Other favorites that you might like are The Alchemist and Illusions (by Bach). The Alchemist is arguably the best selling personal development book ever, selling 65 million copies.
I guess it’s a matter of personal taste.
Ive read them,,, probably should read them again.
Manny, thanks for the links. On one of them, (#3), they asked for my email address, which I do not mind giving out for a free ebook. Then, there were follow-on offers. One of them was for four additional ebooks that I had never heard of, so I immediately checked the reviews in Amazon, and they were so amazingly positive that I ordered those as well, without even getting to the 4th book review. So, once again, thanks for the links, which have led me to a bunch of “new” classic material.
Hi Manny,
I’ve read or listened to all of these books except for “Man’s Search for Meaning” and agree that they are all excellent books. Mark Victor Hansen does a wonderful job of introducing Earl Nightingale’s “The Strangest Secret”.
Another of my favourite books is “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho – it’s so inspirational. And one of the things I particularly like about this book is that the story and the story-telling is so powerful that even individuals who do not normally read books are drawn into it. Just writing about it makes me want to read it again.
Best wishes
Nickolove
Aloha Manny…this is coming from a guy who LOVES to read.
(greetings from TT2)
Allrighty, here’s my top 5 that changed my life….
1) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Probably the first book that had a HUGE impact on me in college. Taught me that life is all about principles…and how to build a foundation for your life.
2) Awaken the Giant Within – Taught me how I can control my state (and others) to get the results I desire and getting clear on what I want.
3) Rich Dad, Poor Dad – This was the book that opened my eyes that I had to own a business. Financial literacy is a skill I was first exposed to in this book…..its all about cash flow. This is actually the book that started my massive library..
4) The 4 Hour Work Week – building on from Rich Dad’s concept of cashflow, this book goes 10 miles deeper on starting your web biz and staying focused.
5) Getting Things Done – It was actually a boring “read” but once you have your ‘GTD system’ setup — it’s actually amazing.
Senor Manny’s books
1) Think and Grow Rich – definitely one of the best. I got the most out of the ‘mastermind chapter’. (Actually, Jay Abraham has a “mastermind” product and booklet that’s based on Hill’s principles — goes in great detail)
2) The Science of Getting Rich – Read this a while ago. It’s another good book but didn’t have the “influence” on me as others.
3) As A Man Thinketh – I was “referred” to this book by Awaken the Giant, which has a similar theme….The power to choose your thoughts
4) The Strangest Secret – haven’t listened to it yet (but will do soon, thanks to you — If i can understand the guy speaking — I don’t have the best ears, so we’ll see!)
5) Man’s Search for Meaning – Of your list this is probably my #2. It gets down to the depth of who you are….and your purpose. (this book greatly influenced Stephen Covey, in his 7 Habits series)
Nickolove, I’m glad to hear that you’ve read most of those books. Thanks for the suggestion to read “The Alchemist”. I’ve heard of it of course, although look forward to diving in.
Michael, I’m SO happy to hear that it worked out. I was getting nervous there for a second
. Please share the names of those 4 e-books. Thanks
Thanks Henry, all it takes is to start with one – which one?
Thanks George. Nice, a 2nd recommendation to “The Alchemist”.
Mike, how are you buddy? Thanks for sharing these books? The 5 you mentioned are amazing too
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