best personal development books

The following are among the best personal development books which are very helpful in developing and improving your self socially, economically and mentally.

As a Man Thinketh

As A Man Thinketh is a 1902 self-help book revolving around the theory of responsibility assumption. Responsibility assumption states that humans have complete and total control of the external events that happen to them. This book served as the basis of the “mind over matter” style of self-help book that has become so popular among the New Age movement. The basic theory is man shapes his world, and therefore himself, by his thoughts.

The title of the book is based off a verse from King James’ Bible, which illustrates the Christian overtones of the advice. While originally published with Christians in mind, this book has evolved in the modern era as a self-help book that transcends all faiths.

The Secret

The Secret was released as a film in March 2006, and later the same year as a book. The book is influenced by Wallace Wattles' 1910 book The Science of Getting Rich, Byrne re-introduces a pseudo-scientific notion originally popularized by persons such as Madame Blavatsky and Norman Vincent Peale, which suggests that thinking about certain things will make them appear in one's life. Byrne provides alleged examples of historical persons who have achieved this. Byrne cites a three-step process to achieve this: ask, believe, and receive. This is based on a quotation from the Bible's Matthew 21:22: "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

Byrne highlights the importance of gratitude and visualization in achieving one's desires, along with alleged examples. Later chapters describe how to improve one's prosperity, relationships, and health, with more general thoughts about the universe.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, first published in 1988, is a business and self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey.Covey presents an approach to being effective in attaining goals by aligning oneself to what he calls "true north" principles of a character ethic that he presents as universal and timeless.

Covey defines effectiveness as balancing obtaining desirable results with caring for that which produces the desirable results. He illustrates this by referring to the fable of the "Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs". He further claims that effectiveness can be expressed in terms of the P/PC ratio, where P refers to getting desired results and PC is caring for that which produces the results.

Covey's best-known book has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide since its first publication in 1989. The audio version became the first non-fiction audio-book in U.S. publishing history to sell more than one million copies. Covey argues against what he calls "The Personality Ethic", something he sees as prevalent in many modern self-help books. He promotes what he labels "The Character Ethic": aligning one's values with so-called "universal and timeless" principles. Covey adamantly refuses to conflate principles and values; he sees principles as external natural laws, while values remain internal and subjective. Covey proclaims that values govern people's behavior, but principles ultimately determine the consequences. Covey presents his teachings in a series of habits, manifesting as a progression from dependence via independence to interdependence.

The Power of Positive Thinking

The Power of Positive Thinking is a self-help book by Norman Vincent Peale, originally published in 1952. It proposes the method of "Positive Thinking". It basically aims at ensuring that the reader achieves a permanent constructive and optimistic attitude through constant positive influence of his conscious thought (e.g. by using affirmations or visualizations) and consequently achieves a higher satisfaction and quality of life. While early contributors in the positive thinking movement had built on theoretical justifications (like Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, Ralph Waldo Trine, Prentice Mulford), The Power of Positive Thinking made more use of positive case histories and practical instructions.