How To Win Friends And Influence People

I remember the day I found this in a second hand bookstore. It was one of the original hardback editions, complete with paper sleeve, and the price was written in pencil on the inside of the front cover. I think buying that book was one of the best investments I ever made.
This book taught me so much about how to deal with people in a way that helps you get the best out of each and every relationship you have, be it personal or professional.
If you want to be successful then learning how to interact with people is a skill that will be required every step of the way. This book includes countless ways to achieve this, along with stories that will help you remember each example.

It would be difficult to recommend only one book to read in the field of personal development, but this is always the one I recommend people to start with. Written in a way that allows people from all walks of life to learn more about personal development, it teaches fundamental strategies and applies them in so many different ways that each becomes ingrained into your mindset as a result.
Covey is one of the most referenced authors for time management, and this book introduces you to the concepts of importance and urgency and will give you a clear way to prioritise everything you do.

There are so many great reasons to read this book. Anyone interested in learning the keys to riches and wealth (not just financial) should put this high up the reading list.
There are a number of personal development and motivational speakers that carry a copy of this book with them everywhere they go, and for good reason. Napoleon Hill manages to condense twenty years of study into Think and Grow Rich and provides 13 laws and principles of personal achievement.
Particular attention should be paid to chapter 11, and good luck finding the secret law that runs throughout the book.

I was introduced to this book when I attended a seminar by Bob Proctor and was so impressed at how it teaches the concepts of wealth that I bought an entire box and gave them to everyone I knew as gifts.
This is one of those timeless classics, parts of which appear in all sorts of quotes lists and books. There is just something about books like this which seem to be written in sound-bites, with each piece hammering a point home so concisely that it sticks.
As I gave them all away, I think I am going to have to get another copy to re-read… thanks for the reminder!

Ok, I have to admit it… I have not read this book! BUT, I have watched the DVD a number of times, and so I am going to include it in the list anyway.
You see, The Secret is one of those books that allows people to enter into personal development and has opened the door to a huge number of people, enabling them to improve the results in their life.
You will learn a lot of simple NLP techniques that are delivered in a way that takes out all the jargon and makes it really easy to understand.
However, for me, the most important part is that as well as using the Law of Attraction, you also remember what Joe Vitale states which is that you need to take ACTION to get the results you want as well as visualising them.

Written by Dan Millman in the first person, you can imagine that this book was a little odd to read for me. It was like reading one of those personalised books I used to get given as a kid, but instead of being a detective, this time I was experiencing the lessons of Socrates for myself.
Having a sporting background myself, I could really associate to Millman and have had to uncover similar lessons for myself throughout my journey of personal development. If only I had a gas station near where I went running.
I finished reading The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior as I arrived in Paris and it helped open my eyes to so many of life’s lessons that helped to make that particular trip incredible.

This book is written in such a way that causes many people to believe that it is actually factual rather than a fictional tale of personal development.
The Celestine Prophecy embeds the search for a series of manuscripts which contain progressively deeper spiritual lessons into an action story involving guns and car chases. This makes it a very compelling and involving read.
For me, the two concept which really resonated for me were those of synchronicity and of energetic connection and projection, and these have been particularly powerful in my life.

I started reading this one holiday and lost an entire day and a half! For me, this is a book that every time I pick it up (and I have read it a number of times) I simply cannot put it down.
Almost any of Paolo Coehlo’s books could have been included on this list (another key personal development book being The Pilgrimage) but The Alchemist for me is one that helps remind you and uncover your purpose, one of the most important aspects for anyone wanting to develop themselves.
The biggest lesson for me is that of reading the signs that are around us all the time and that, once we become aware of them, will allow us to find flow in life.

This is not a book for the faint-hearted as it tackles the subject of quantum physics at quite a deep level. Talbot based this book around the concept that the universe is holographic and that all of the information needed to create the universe can be found in the smallest of parts.
What this means is that you contain all of the knowledge that exists in the universe, meaning that any feelings of lack or limitation are simply present because we have forgotten this theory.
So if you haven’t mastered this concept yet then read the book. If you have, then you do not need to read it, simply remember it from somewhere deep within your sub-conscious.

Ok, so how did MY book end up in a list of my top 10 personal development books?

Well, actually the answer is quite simple. This book is made up of the best bits from all of the books and seminars I have attended, all condensed into quite a short book, along with a few highlights from my own personal journey. When I was writing it, I found myself in complete flow, meaning I had forgotten half of what I had written the moment it had left my head. So when I read it back, it was like reading it for the first time… and I really enjoyed it!

Of course, read the books above. Each and every one of them should have a place on your bookcase. But if you want to get yourself a copy of my book, FOR FREE, simply click here and you can download a version for yourself.

So I hope you have enjoyed my list of my top 10 personal development books. There will be more lists to follow soon as this year is going to see a lot of books and seminars and other personal development programs that will be challenging for the top spots on the list. To your success!