I generally read 'The Tao of Pooh' and the 'The Te of Piglet' once a year. Too many self-development books start out on the premise that 'You Need to Change' which implies that something is wrong with you. The 'Tao of Pooh' says that basically you are the way you are because that suits you and struggling against that will bring dissatisfaction. It encourages recognition of the massive foundation of good capabilities that each of us already have and to play to strengths in order to make progress without struggle, i.e. first massive self-acceptance and then clever leverage of what you have, wherever you find yourself right now.

Recently I have done a lot of deep thinking and derivation of sound practical theories for understanding the mind and the world at large with robust, logical, mechanistic theories. I've made a lot of progress and to my surprise my independent researches keep showing that those Taoists had a great many things right thousands of years ago. Sadly, that practical wisdom got obscured in a lot of esoteric and mystical writing.

Hey, if you want to read about my theories you can check out this link
http://www.nickpagan.com/blog/wp-conten ... ly-v10.pdf

JD - I think you will find the contents of this whitepaper very interesting as, IMO, this takes Cognitive Therapy to a new level of understanding.

As for the comment on the Declaration of Independence, I think it's a wonderful document apart from the phrase 'pursuit of happiness' because I think that is truly a very poorly worded phrase that now causes a lot of people a lot of misery. IMO it's impossible to pursue happiness. You can read my rant on that here:
http://www.nickpagan.com/blog/13/fallac ... happiness/

By the way, JD and all, great blog and great forums. The writing is sage and practical and it attracts a lot of solid, level-headed people. What a relief!

"Success Mastery Academy" by Brian Tracy
It's an audiobook but worth every penny. I get very motivated whenever I listen to him speak. Although he's a little on the religious side for my taste, when I look beyond that what he says and how he says it is really powerful.

I agree AristonCC. I have that Tracy audiobook, too. Tracy is religious and conservative (two things I am not), but if you can filter his politics, most of this is good. The production values are a little spotty, but there are whole sections that are awesome and inspiring. I've thought about posting about this on the blog.

I am also a personal growth junky, but 2 great books changed my life.

Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck
Wishcraft, How to Get What You REALLY Want by Barbara Sher

In Wishcraft she has you write down a "dream day." I've already experienced many aspects of what I wrote about. Plus, I write down goals and focus on them and they come into my life. I know it's simply that I find opportunities when I look for them, and it seems amazing how well it works. I make my own magic.

Specifics make something real so here goes. I wrote that I wanted to have a dinner party and speak with different kinds of people on a variety of topics. I actually experienced that twice, though I didn't host either time. I spoke to a real estate investor and a pilot at the first one and an astronomy professor, a doctor and a community college athletics director.

I found Wishcraft at a rummage sale, but I just read North Star from the library. If I find it cheap, I'd get it. That's another thing, I find books at garage sales when I have a list I'm looking for. I'd forgotten about that. OK maybe I am magical.

OiVey

Quantum: Whoa! Your post totally tripped me out because I am a huge fan of several of the books you posted!

First off: Having it All: Achieving your Life's Goals and Dreams! That's my current favorite too! What's your favorite chapter and why (I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours! haha)? Have you been doing the goal setting stuff? It's been helping me out a ton. Also did you get the work book? If not go to www.JohnAssaraf.com/youcanhaveitall (granted, you have to have bought it through Amazon...)

Next: How to Win Friends and Influence People and Ask and It Is Given: I listened to both of those on Audio! I'm eager to actually get them in book format as well!

Finally, You2 -- That was a great simple book!

A self-help book which I love most is the book " A Purpose Driven Life". I also love cookbooks, if you consider that a self help book.

A few years ago, Who Moved My Cheese was the "in" thing for business folks. It's a pretty good little book.

"I caution folks on Robert G Allen's works. "

And I agree with you.As I stated it is not for the faint hearted and I would not recommend anyone go out and start trying to use some of his schemes to buy houses.That said it has some idea's that do open avenues for those who do have the financial power to step out and expand their portfolio . I would never attempt some of the far out idea's but have bought houses for nothing down on several occasions.Before reading his book I had never entertained even trying such.

I've never been really into self-development books, but there are two that have actually done something for me.

The Hackers Diet - Losing Weight and Hair Through Stress and Poor Nutrition
Despite the silly title, it is a very sensible, realistic book on weight management, by a geek for geeks.


Getting Things Done
The productivity book that has spawned a massive online cult. David Allen has a posse.

The Wealthy Barber! my dad made me read it a few years ago

Think and Grow Rich. The classic that keeps on giving! Anyone that reads that should then be motivated to have major success in life! Go for it!

Being new here, I might not have posted so quickly, but could not pass up this thread. What has helped me tremendously this past year is (seriously) The Bible. It is just full of advice. Please do not think that I am a fanatic or anything like that, actually I am pretty new to all this. But it has helped me and I cannot argue with the facts.

The other is http://www.flylady.com. Though I use her site, there is a book connected to it, "Body Clutter" by Marla Cilley and Leanne Ely. Marla Cilley is also known as Flylady, and she helps you take control of your whole life starting with the simple task of shining your sink every night before you go to bed. She sends me emails daily (and they can get to be a bit much.....but they help me to remember). Organization is the second step in my life that needed direction (the first being the spiritual step). You just cannot be successful without it. From organizing your house, your purse, wallet, your personal routines, to even your personal hygiene routines. That is what she focuses on and must be needed information as her book was on the New York Times bestseller list for 25 weeks! It is not only helpful to stay at home mothers, but for busy executives, and everyone in between.

callie

I gotta say I really enjoyed:

50 Success Classics... I liked getting a cliff notes version of 50 books in one concise read. I had read many of the books on the list and the synopsis was very clean for me.

I have a few favorites. My all time favorite book on money is The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles. It's a classic written in 1910 and was the book that inspired the movie, The Secret.

I've written a few articles summarizing The Science of Getting Rich but if you would like a closer look at the book you can always download the ebook version for free from Rebecca Fine.

I'd say the best personal development books I've read have already been mentioned, but here are a few that I've also gained, a couple mainstream ones and a couple from off the beaten path.

1) Unlimited Power & Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins

Both books provide lots of practical exercises to improve your mental conditioning in a short time, which leads to tangible action. They also make good bathroom readers since they're full of good quotes and quick stories to freshen up on.

2) Use Your Head and Speed Reading by Tony Buzan

Use Your Head was a revelation to me as a young boy and provided much of the foundation I needed for academic success over the years. Certain skills like note taking and how to read quickly and effectively are generally not covered in school and these books fill the gap. The content is interesting and modular so it's easy to pick up any chapter and read it to gain immediate value. I go back to these books repeatedly.

3) Becoming a Master Student by Dave Ellis

A great workbook on many skills required for school but also for life as well. I many not use the information on tests as much as I used to, but I definitely still use note taking, time management, creativity and relationships, money and other topics covered in the book daily.

4) Targets and Goals by L. Ron Hubbard

The caveat on this one is that it's Scientology material, and although I am not a Scientologist I gained value from this pamphlet as it gave me some practical resources on how to structure my goal setting which I was able to customize for my own needs. I purchased my copy online second hand for pennies and it does not contain any serious propaganda or references to core Scientology principles so I'm willing to recommend it.