Personal Development Books

“Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.” — Kim Collins

This is a collection of the best personal development books at your fingertips.  You can browse personal development books by categories including achievement, happiness, positive thinking, and more.

I cycle through a lot of books on improving effectiveness in work and life.  Below is an organized set of some of my favorite personal development books.  I lean towards books on personal excellence, looking for key principles, patterns, and practices.  This includes anything from improving interpersonal skills to thinking skills.

One of the way I find the best personal development books is I ask the smartest people I know, which books changed their lives or improved their effectiveness?  It’s one of best short-cuts for finding the real gems.  It’s also how I find a lot of books that some people have never heard of.

Top 10 Personal Development Books

1. Brilliant NLP, by David Molden
2. Emotional Capitalists: The New Leaders, by Martyn Newman
3. How to Have a Beautiful Mind, by Edward de Bono
4. Overachievement, by John Eliot
5. Personal Development for Smart People, by Steve Pavlina
6. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
7. The Success Principles, by Jack Canfield
8. Unlimited Power, by Tony Robbins
9. Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman
10. What You Can Change and What You Can’t, by Martin Seligman

Getting Started

• 180 Climbing the Two Ladders to Inner Strength & Outer Freedom, by Rob White
• A Philosopher’s Notes: On Optimal Living, Creating an Authentically Awesome Life and Other Such Goodness, by Brian Johnson
• Getting Results the Agile Way, by J.D. Meier
• Go Put Your Strengths to Work, by Marcus Buckingham
• Personal Development for Smart People, by Steve Pavlina
• Success Principles by Jack Canfield
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
• The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, by Stephen Covey
• The Success Journey, by John Maxwell
• Unlimited Power, by Tony Robbins

Achievement, Goals

• Awaken the Giant Within, by Tony Robbins
• Be All You Can Be, by John Maxwell
• Goal-Free Living, by Stephen M. Saipiro
• Goals!, by Brian Tracy
• Living an Extraordinary Life, by Robert White
• Living At The Next Level, by John Maxwell
• Overachievement, by John Eliot
• Maximum Achievement, by Brian Tracy
• Success 101, by John Maxwell
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, by Benjamin Franklin
•  Unlimited Power, by Tony Robbins
• Your Road Map for Success, by John Maxwell

Body

•  The 4-Hour Body, by Tim Ferris

Career Development

• Is Your Genius at Work?, by Dick Richards
• The Dip, by Seth Godin
• The Perfect Resume, by Tom Jackson
• Work from the Inside Out, by Nancy O’Hara

Character, Attitude

• Art of Living, by Epictetus
• Attitude 101, by John Maxwell
• Be the Hero, by Noah Blumenthal
• The Winning Attitude Your Key To Personal Success, by John Maxwell

Choice, Decision Making

• Choices That Change Lives, by Hal Urban
• Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions, by Gary Klein

Communication Skills

• How to Communicate, by Martha Davis
• Lifescripts, by Stephen M. Pollan
• The Exceptional Presenter, by Timothy J. Koegel
• Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion, by George J. Thompson PhD

Courage, Confidence

• Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons in Life and Business, by Richard Branson
• Unleash the Warrior Within, by Richard J. Machowicz

Emotional Intelligence

• Emotional Capitalists: The New Leaders, by Martyn Newman
• Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
• The Emotional Energy Factor, by by Mira Kirshenbaum

Focus

• Simple Zen: A Guide to Living Moment by Moment, by by C. Alexander Simpkins
• The Power of Full Engagement, by Jim Loehr
• The Power of Less, by Leo Babauta
• The Power of Focus, by Jack Canfield

Habits, Principles, Practices

• Getting Results the Agile Way, by J.D. Meier
• Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success, by Napoleon Hill
• Personal Development for Smart People, by Steve Pavlina
• Tactics: The Art and Science of Success, by Edward de Bono
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
• The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, by Stephen Covey
• The 80/20 Individual, by Richard Koch
• The Success Principles, by Jack Canfield

Happiness, Feeling Good

• Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, by David D. Burns

Interpersonal Skills, Relationships

• Antipatterns: Identification, Refactoring, and Management, by Phillip A. Laplante
• Coping with Difficult Bosses, by Robert Bramson
• Crucial Confrontations, by Kerry Patterson
• Crucial Conversations, by Kerry Patterson
• Dealing with People You Can’t Stand, by Dr. Rick Kirschner
• For Men Only, by Shaunti Christine Feldhahn
• For Women Only, by Shaunti Christine Feldhahn
• Forgiveness Is a Choice, by Robert D. Enright
• Get Them On Your Side, by Samuel B. Bacharach
• How To Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
• Masters of Networking, by Ivan R. Misner
• Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, by John Gray
• Personal Village, by Marvin Thomas
• Should I Stay Or Go?, by Lee Raffel
•  Social Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
• The Art of Talking to Anyone, by Rosalie Maggio
• The Likeability Factor, by Tim Sanders

Intuition

• The Power of Intuition, by Gary Klein

Leadership

• Developing the Leader Within You, by John Maxwell

Learning

• Secrets of a Buccaneer, by James Bach
• The 4-Hour Work Week  Tim Ferriss

Motivation, Self-Discipline

• Self-discipline in 10 days: How to go from thinking to doing, by Theodore Bryant
• The Now Habit, by Neil A. Fiore

Positive Thinking, Optimism

• Learned Optimism, by Martin E. P. Seligman

Productivity

• Getting Results the Agile Way, by J.D. Meier
• Getting Things Done, by David Allen
• How Full Is Your Bucket?, by Tom Rath

Purpose, Passion

• The Success Journey, by John Maxwell
• Who Are You? What Do You Want?, by Mick Ukleia

Self-Awareness

• 180 Climbing the Two Ladders to Inner Strength & Outer Freedom, by Rob White
• egonomics: What Makes Ego Our Greatest Asset, by David Marcum
• Lifetypes, by by Sandra Krebs Hirsh
• What You Can Change and What You Can’t, by Martin Seligman

Spiritual Intelligence

• The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle

Strengths

• Character Strengths and Virtues, by Chris Peterson and Martin Seligman
• Go Put Your Strengths to Work, by Marcus Buckingham
• Now, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham
• StrengthsFinder 2.0, by Tom Rath

Stress

• 10 Simple Solutions to Stress, by Claire Michaels Wheeler
• Learn to Relax, by Mike George
• Overachievement, by John Eliot

Success

• 180 Climbing the Two Ladders to Inner Strength & Outer Freedom, by Rob White
• How Successful People Think, by John Maxwell
• Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success, by Napoleon Hill
• Success 101, by John Maxwell
• Success Principles by Jack Canfield
• Tactics: The Art and Science of Success, by Edward de Bono
• Unlimited Power, by Tony Robbins
• Your Road Map for Success, by John Maxwell

Thinking Skills, Intelligence

• 7 (Seven) Kinds of Smart, by Thomas Armstrong
• Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell
• Brain Rules, by John Medina
• How Successful People Think, by John Maxwell
• How to Have a Beautiful Mind, by Edward de Bono
• Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide, by Gillian Butler
• Mind Hacks: Tips & Tools for Using Your Brain, by Tom Stafford
• Mind Magic Techniques for Transforming Your Life, by Marta Hiatt
• Mind Performance Hacks, by Ron Hale-Evans
• Power Thinking, by John N. Mangieri
• Six Thinking Hats, by Edward de Bono
• Smart Questions, by Gerald Nadler
• The Art of Worldly Wisdom, by Willis Barnstone
• The Magic of Thinking Big, by David J. Schwartz
• The Memory Book, by Harry Lorayne
• The Seven Sins of Memory, by Daniel L. Schacter
• Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques, by Michael Michalko

Wealth

• 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness, by Jim Rohn
• Getting Rich Your Own Way, by Brian Tracy
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• Think and Grow Rich, by Napolean Hill

Work-Life Balance

• Fat,Forty,Fired, by Nigel Marsh
• Work from the Inside Out, by Nancy O’Hara

A- Z Best Personal Development Books

• 7 (Seven) Kinds of Smart, by Thomas Armstrong
• 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness, by Jim Rohn
• 10 Simple Solutions to Stress, by Claire Michaels Wheeler
• 180 Climbing the Two Ladders to Inner Strength & Outer Freedom, by Rob White
• Antipatterns: Identification, Refactoring, and Management, by Phillip A. Laplante
• Art of Living, by Epictetus
• Attitude 101, by John Maxwell
• Awaken the Giant Within, by Tony Robbins
• Be All You Can Be, by John Maxwell
• Be the Hero, by Noah Blumenthal
• Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell
• Brain Rules, by John Medina
• Character Strengths and Virtues, by Chris Peterson and Martin Seligman
• Choices That Change Lives, by Hal Urban
• Coping with Difficult Bosses, by Robert Bramson
• Crucial Confrontations, by Kerry Patterson
• Crucial Conversations, by Kerry Patterson
• Dealing with People You Can’t Stand, by Dr. Rick Kirschner
• Developing the Leader Within You, by John Maxwell
• egonomics: What Makes Ego Our Greatest Asset, by David Marcum
• Emotional Capitalists: The New Leaders, by Martyn Newman
• Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
• Fat,Forty,Fired, by Nigel Marsh
• Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, by David D. Burns
• For Men Only, by Shaunti Christine Feldhahn
• For Women Only, by Shaunti Christine Feldhahn
• Forgiveness Is a Choice, by Robert D. Enright
• Get Them On Your Side, by Samuel B. Bacharach
• Getting Rich Your Own Way, by Brian Tracy
• Getting Results the Agile Way, by J.D. Meier
• Getting Things Done, by David Allen
• Go Put Your Strengths to Work, by Marcus Buckingham
• Goal-Free Living, by Stephen M. Saipiro
• Goals!, by Brian Tracy
• How Full Is Your Bucket?, by Tom Rath
• How Successful People Think, by John Maxwell
• How to Communicate, by Martha Davis
• How to Have a Beautiful Mind, by Edward de Bono
• How To Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
• Is Your Genius at Work?, by Dick Richards
• Learn to Relax, by Mike George
• Learned Optimism, by Martin E. P. Seligman
• Lifescripts, by Stephen M. Pollan
• Lifetypes, by by Sandra Krebs Hirsh
• Living an Extraordinary Life, by Robert White
• Living At The Next Level, by John Maxwell
• Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide, by Gillian Butler
• Masters of Networking, by Ivan R. Misner
• Maximum Achievement, by Brian Tracy
• Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, by John Gray
• Mind Hacks: Tips & Tools for Using Your Brain, by Tom Stafford
• Mind Magic Techniques for Transforming Your Life, by Marta Hiatt
• Mind Performance Hacks, by Ron Hale-Evans
• Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success, by Napoleon Hill
• Now, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham
• Overachievement, by John Eliot
• Personal Development for Smart People, by Steve Pavlina
• Personal Village, by Marvin Thomas
• Power Thinking, by John N. Mangieri
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons in Life and Business, by Richard Branson
• Secrets of a Buccaneer, by James Bach
• Self-discipline in 10 days: How to go from thinking to doing, by Theodore Bryant
• Should I Stay Or Go?, by Lee Raffel
• Simple Zen: A Guide to Living Moment by Moment, by by C. Alexander Simpkins
• Six Thinking Hats, by Edward de Bono
• Smart Questions, by Gerald Nadler
• Social Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
• Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions, by Gary Klein
• StrengthsFinder 2.0, by Tom Rath
• Success 101, by John Maxwell
• Success Principles by Jack Canfield
• Tactics: The Art and Science of Success, by Edward de Bono
•  The 4-Hour Body, by Tim Ferris
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
• The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, by Stephen Covey
• The 80/20 Individual, by Richard Koch
• The Art of Talking to Anyone, by Rosalie Maggio
• The Art of Worldly Wisdom, by Willis Barnstone
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, by Benjamin Franklin
• The Dip, by Seth Godin
• The Emotional Energy Factor, by by Mira Kirshenbaum
• The Exceptional Presenter, by Timothy J. Koegel
• The Likeability Factor, by Tim Sanders
• The Magic of Thinking Big, by David J. Schwartz
• The Memory Book, by Harry Lorayne
• The Now Habit, by Neil A. Fiore
• The Perfect Resume, by Tom Jackson
• The Power of Focus, by Jack Canfield
• The Power of Full Engagement, by Jim Loehr
• The Power of Intuition, by Gary Klein
• The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
• The Seven Sins of Memory, by Daniel L. Schacter
• The Success Journey, by John Maxwell
• The Success Principles, by Jack Canfield
• The Winning Attitude Your Key To Personal Success, by John Maxwell
• Think and Grow Rich, by Napolean Hill
• Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques, by Michael Michalko
• Unleash the Warrior Within, by Richard J. Machowicz
• Unlimited Power, by Tony Robbins
• Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion, by George J. Thompson PhD
• What You Can Change and What You Can’t, by Martin Seligman
• Who Are You? What Do You Want?, by Mick Ukleia
• Work from the Inside Out, by Nancy O’Hara
• Your Road Map for Success, by John Maxwell