I love to read. I've almost always got 2 or 3 books going at a time, including audio books that I listen to on my daily commute. My preferred genre is fiction, but I'm also a sucker for a good personal growth book. It's not often that I read a book more than once, but here are three personal growth books that I could read over and over. Each of them has changed the way I think and see myself and the world.
Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life, by Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D. I always thought your level of optimism was an accident of your birth or early childhood, and there was nothing your could do to change it. Martin Seligman set me straight, and gave me some compelling scientific background to prove otherwise. There's a handy and kind of fun test to determine where you are on the optimist/pessimist scale. Then Seligman doesn't just tell you it's possible to become more optimistic, he gives you a simple blueprint. Notice I said simple. I'll be the first to admit It's not always easy.
The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Do you ever wish you could shut up that negative voice in your head? Or stop worrying so much about things over which you have no control? The first time I read The Power of Now , I immediately felt lighter and more at peace. It's simply written, but profound. I found myself reading just a few pages at a time, and letting it sink in. A must-read for anyone seeking a little more serenity.
The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. Ruiz sets out four agreements that you should make with yourself in order to have a better, happier, more fulfilling life. There's nothing really new or profound about the agreements themselves. They're pretty basic things that we all should be doing. But there's something about this simple and beautifully written book that just clicked with me. It's really easy to say, "Don't take anything personally." We all know that on some level. But knowing it is one thing; doing it is quite another. Ruiz spelled it out for me. For the first time, I got it.
Happy reading, y'all. If you know of a great personal growth book, please let me know about it in the comments!
