It is no new news that personal development books are avoided by most. One cannot simply conclude that all personal development books are guides on how to lose weight in 2 weeks or 10 ways to find true love. Albeit personal development books find their way to the shelves of many studies, seldom are they read. However, to survive in the modern world, one must grasp the necessary knowledge from any sources available. And as the case has been since ages, there’s no better way to find information than to read books.
Here’s a list of 10 books on personal development that every student must read.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Traditional schooling system often neglects areas of financial education. This is the reason why most people struggle with managing their finances later in life. Knowledge about multiple sources of income, debt management, investments and more are often neglected while growing up. As a consequence, financial independence is a luxury for most.
In this book, Kiyosaki shares his experience of growing up with two father figures who had virtually opposing views on finances and money. He narrows down six fundamental lessons about money he learnt from his “rich dad” that everybody should know.
The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
Published in 2007, this book has been both criticized and praised by the different types of its readers. The 4-Hour Workweek is a business lifestyle bible for its admirers.
Don’t mistake the book by its title. Even though it may give an impression of a quick fix formulae, the book is rich with values that everyone can benefit from regardless of their career choices.
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Often we find people saying that they just want to be happy in life but seldom do we know the definition of happiness. Since the book became a bestseller, author Gretchen Rubin is widely known as a happiness expert. In this book she sheds light into the results of her year long study and research on happiness. This book helps people define their “happiness” in the most real way.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Primarily published in 1936, the lessons of Dale Carnegie still hold true to this day. This self-help book is extremely important for one’s career as it helps learn the intricacies of networking. It helps one to learn how to connect, communicate and win over people. Not only is this book helpful from the career viewpoint but also it’s helpful to one’s private life.
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
Written by the CEO at Facebook and former Google executive, this book is a must read for both male and female students. The book ponders on the modern and much needed way of achieving things in life regardless of one’s sex. There’s much value that one can attain with this read to emerge as successful women and men in today’s world.
Sandberg’s latest book, Lean In for Graduates, has a few chapters specific to job applications and salary negotiations.
Small Move, Big Change by Caroline Arnold
How often do you find yourself making resolutions out of a desire to do or have something better only to break them when the time actually comes? Well, if not all, most of us do. This book talks about why we fail to stick to our resolutions and how we can finally succeed in doing so.
Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success by John C. Maxwell
While growing up, we’re always taught that one should avoid failure at all costs. What isn’t taught to us is how to deal with failure in order to grow in life. This book stresses on the importance of failure and how our attitude can help us to fail forward, that is, to grow in life from our failures. John C. Maxwell writes: “When achievers fail, they see it as a momentary event, not a lifelong epidemic.”
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
Professor Randy Pausch was asked about what he would talk about if he knew he had only a few months left just after being diagnosed with terminal cancer a month later. The book is predominantly based on his iconic lecture, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”. The book forces its readers to think about their dreams and encourages them to achieve those dreams regardless of the challenges.
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Most of us spend hours on learning productivity hacks online or through books but if you want to read just one book on productivity, read this one and you won’t need another. The book stresses on the need to first declutter your mind and then apply simplified rules for optimum productivity.
Although the book was originally published in 2001, Allen made sure that it was updated again and again to keep up with the constantly changing times.
The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind by Alan Wallace
We’re all aware of our diminishing attention span in our day-to-day lives. For students, the number of distractions are countless. This book throws light on the techniques of attaining Shamatha, a state of mind of Buddhist meditation.
Albeit it’s impossible to achieve such focus in this lifetime, the book helps you find methods to get rid of your distractions as much as possible. This facilitates improved concentration which is extremely important for students.
Marigold International School stresses highly on the importance of reading personal development books. Our library is a storehouse of the best books that one may need to grow in life.
