“To fundamentally transform your life, you must change you mindset and worldview”
8 Powerful and Life Changing Personal Growth & Development Books to Read in 2023(Free Download)
Deep inside, many of us desire to change for the better. Most people I’ve spoken to in 2023 hope to achieve more and better this year. The desire to change for the better is innate to human beings and therefore natural. Whereas we know that change for the better is imperative, many of us don’t know how to initiate and sustain the growth that will propel us to the next level.
In the article, I briefly discuss the habit of reading self-improvement and personal development books and how it can transform one fundamentally propelling them to the next level. The habit helps in expanding one’s worldview and enriching their perspective. Our worldview is an aggregate of the attitudes, values, stories, and expectations about the world around us that we hold. It influences how we perceive the world by shaping our thoughts, beliefs, convictions, emotions, and action(habits). If we can change it, we will inevitably change as well.
We achieve by doing. That consistent action in pursuing a goal you deem valuable is what will bring the change you desire. Consistent action requires motivation, discipline, and the belief that you have what it takes to achieve the desired outcome. Good ideas(thoughts), the motivation to pursue them(emotion), self-discipline(habit), conviction(belief) that you have what it takes and the patience(attitude) to hold on are all functions of our worldview. Steve Covey calls them mental maps or blueprints which guide our journey through life. All of them need to be fundamentally transformed if you are serious about the change and progress you desire.
Truth be told, if you changed your thoughts and beliefs today, your emotions and habits will change. If your thoughts and beliefs change for the better, so will your emotions and habits which cumulatively constitute our lives. Below are important books I’ve read over and over, and I encourage you to read them as well. Set aside 30 minutes each day for reading and reflecting on the ideas and strategies shared. Begin to implement the ideas and strategies gradually. Don’t be in a hurry to complete reading the books. Just read and introspect about the content then find a way of incorporating the ideas shared into your value system and daily routine. I guarantee that if you commit to reading the books and implementing the ideas and strategies shared consistently, you will be transformed.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steve Covey
The first important book that you must read in 2023 is the 7 habits of Highly Effective People by Steve Covey. The book succinctly demonstrates how having a faulty worldview deters one from achieving their potential and how one can work towards reshaping internal maps (attaining a fundamental paradigm shift). It is also a book on self-improvement and personal effectiveness. The author argues that to change ourselves and our situations, we must change our perception of the world around us. The 7 habits he discusses include being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, putting first things first, thinking win-win situation, seeking first to understand others before we are understood, synergy and sharpening the saw (proper preparation) before embarking on a task. The book also has precious gems on personal management and the need to clarify your core values and focus on them.
How to Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy
Book 2 is How to Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy. This is yet another gem on personal management. It sheds more light on how to set the most important goals based on our values, and the practical strategies of pursuing the goals through planning, focussing, prioritisation and discipline. An important lesson from the book is the need to tackle the biggest and most important task that you are likely to procrastinate each single day. He also introduces the ABCDE model of prioritisation. In category A we have the most important and urgent tasks that we must do immediately. B entails tasks you should do but can be done later (important but not urgent). C stands for something that will be nice to do but has no negative consequences if not done (if you don’t have time, don’t do it). D stands for tasks to be delegated while E is for those that need to be eliminated from your to-do-list as they add zero value to your life. The books also equip you with 21 skills and strategies you can apply in optimising your time and achieving your important goals.
Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman
Book 3 is Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman. This is an excellent book as it emphasizes the importance of cultivating a Positive Mental Attitude. The author persuasively demonstrates how optimists achieve more in life compared to realists and pessimists. The book also draws a link between negativity and depression. Importantly, it provides screening tools of identifying whether we are optimists, realists, or pessimists. Strategies of nurturing optimism are also discussed. From his research, the author concludes that optimists live longer, healthier, and happier lives. Optimists also achieve more in life, and they have a different way of explaining failures and wins. Optimists see failure as temporary, specific to a given event and they don’t blame themselves for it. Pessimists on the other had personalize failure, they see it as a general rejection of all they are worth, and they tend to see it as permanent. He concludes that we can all become optimists by changing the way we think.
How to stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
Book 4 is How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie. This is a book about overcoming anxiety, worry, and fear which many of us struggle with. The book succinctly demonstrates how worry and fear impede us from pursuing our goals and how it can affect our physical and mental health. Further, the author provides a 3 steps formula of confronting worry. He suggests that when feeling worried, analyse the situation causing you worry to determine the worst possible scenario if you fail. Once you determine the worst-case scenario, accept it if there is a high likelihood it will happen. Thereafter, try and find ways of improving the worst-case scenario. For instance, if it’s a loss you are likely to incur, find a way of reducing it to the bare minimum. The other important technique the author proposes is the need to always ensure that you get the facts of what is worrying you and try to understand them by being analytical. Analysing the facts will help you to ascertain whether what is bothering you exists or it’s a mental fabrication. If the situation does exist, decide on what to do about it then go ahead and implement your decision.
The Road Less Travelled by Peck M Scott
Book 5 is The Road Less Travelled by Peck Scott. This is yet another transformative book on self-discipline, love, grace, and spirituality. The author starts by reminding us that life is difficult, and we will face problems that will cause us pain and suffering. However, he notes that once we accept that fact, we develop tools to cope and transcend the challenges. He argues that problems cannot solve themselves and no matter how hard we deny their existence, they will only get worse. By accepting our problems and committing to resolving them, we experience uncomfortable pain in the short run, but we achieve growth in the long term. He identifies 4 tools that can help us tackle life’s problems: delayed gratification, accepting responsibility for our actions, dedicating ourselves to the truth no matter how uncomfortable and achieving balance by letting go extreme behaviour.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Book 6 is on interpersonal communication titled How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. The book is an excellent read for people interested in improving their social life through nurturing interpersonal skills. He discusses vital strategies that can improve one’s life including developing a genuine interest in people and being keen to know what they like or dislike. He suggests that we should always smile genuinely as a smile has a way of warming the other persons heart and disarming them. A smile also eases social tension. Thirdly, he emphasizes the import of being a good listener and paying all your attention when someone is talking to you. Fourthly, that a person’s name is very important, and we should ensure to remember names. The fifth point which is related to the first one is talking about the interests of the other person. Let them know you care about what they consider important. Crucially, always make the other person to feel important and do it out of a sincere heart. Avoid trying so hard to prove your point and try to understand the other persons point of view.
Tough Times Never Last but Tough People do by Robert Schuler.
This is a book by Robert Schuler on how to overcome obstacles by building faith in tough times and managing worry. He argues that people who overcome obstacles never stop believing that things will work out. Further, such people believe in themselves and the creator. They trust they’ll get guidance through ideas which will help them surmount any challenges. He also argues that problems are short-lived, and they’ll end at some point. Crucially, that no problem leaves you unchanged as they make you stronger. Moreover, he notes that whenever we are faced with problems, we should pray for God’s infinite intelligence that will enable us to transform our problems into blessings. Equally, he potently argues that our problems will disappear when you dedicate efforts to resolve. He emphasizes the transforming power of ideas and the need to incubate an idea rather than discarding it because it’s not perfect.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl
The last book is Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl written in 1947. He was a psychiatrist by profession detained in a Nazi camp. In the book, Frankl demonstrates how finding meaning and purpose in life is key to personal happiness and well-being. Before being detained, he had lost all his family members-his parents, wife, and children. By the time he was being detained, he had nothing more to lose. He writes, “most of us were overcome by a grim sense of humour. We knew that we had nothing to lose except our ridiculously naked lives” (p. 15). He further argues that life has meaning despite on our immediate circumstances. He lost his family, his professional manuscript, and his dignity. In the book, he basically demonstrates how one can practically live through adversity and overcome it. In summary, he focusses on love, hope, responsibility, inner freedom, and the beauty to be found in both nature and art as means that help one endure and overcome harrowing experiences.
I challenge you to read these books this year cover to cover, reflect on the content and make effort to incorporate the ideas, philosophies, and strategies into your life. If you do so consistently, I guarantee you that they will transform you fundamentally. Click on title of book, scroll to the bottom of the page, select the book you want to download, then click the download book button.